Difference Between VPS and Dedicated Server – Which One to Choose?

The advent and development of VPS systems and dedicated servers have made shared hosting a thing of the past. It is undoubtedly the inferior option out of the three kinds of web hosting that is common because it is much slower and much more inefficient than the other two types of hosting. And with dedicated servers and VPS systems coming in at much more affordable prices than before, we have really narrowed down our options. However, even though one choice has been eliminated, our work has not become any easier. To pick one out of the two kinds of systems available, we need to thoroughly find out the difference between VPS and dedicated servers.

Other than being aware of the general differences between the two systems, we also need know-how on the different web hosting companies available nowadays. New companies are popping up every day with features that claim to surpass those before them, for example, hostiserver.com.

This article will give you a detailed review of the differences between the two kinds of hosting and their advantages and disadvantages.

What is VPS?

If you are new to the whole scenario of web hosting, you have probably heard the term VPS far too much. A VPS, or Virtual Private System, is the newest kind of standard web hosting system. It is like a shared system that keeps your privacy and personal space free from interference.

There is a main system that is very powerful and controls all the VPS systems. This central server is a waste of resources for just one user, so people rent out its parts and resources. It divides up all its features like RAM, disk space, etc. and allows it to different users working with the VPS system.

The best feature of the VPS system is that it keeps the privacy of all of its users intact, even if they are working on the same primary server. They are allowed to use different resources in any way they like. For example, they can have as much RAM and disk space as they want, there is no fixed allocation. They can also install and operate the Operating system of their choice.

What is a Dedicated Server?

A dedicated server is a fancy name for a computer. A dedicated hosting server is your own, personal computer. You can use it for anything you want, be it web hosting or playing games, really!

Using a personal computer with all of its powerful resources is quite wasteful for web hosting alone. However, if you do have other needs, there is no problem with working a dedicated system. It is much more potent than a VPS system since all the resources are yours to use!

If you have a very successful and large website with hundreds of thousands of visitors every month, only then would you want a whole dedicated server to back up your hosting needs. VPS systems don’t cut it for such large sites anymore, even if that’s where they started.

You must have an overview of the difference between VPS and dedicated server. Now let us take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of both the systems so that it is easier to identify further the difference between VPS and dedicated server and which one is worth investing in for our business:

Advantages of VPS Systems

Easily Scalable

When you start a website, you always hope that it will grow into something significant and substantial someday. So when you begin your days of VPS hosting, you start with few resources.

Then once your website and business start expanding, you will need more resources and a stronger system to help you out. If you are using a reliable web hosting company, all you have to do is get in touch with them and ask them to expand your disk storage space and your system’s RAM. You will then have a system with all the desirable resources, and you can do this as much as you want.

Can Be Accessed from Anywhere

You are not carrying any physical burden with you when you are using a VPS system. The primary server of a VPS service is far out of your reach, and all you have is a virtual space and the key to access it.

You get a username, a password, a domain name, and an email. You can use the username and password to gain access to your virtual system from any place in the world. Since the username and password will only be known to you, your privacy will remain intact as well.

Automated Backups

Since the world of web hosting is getting more and more competitive every day, no company can slack off on the features they provide. For example, pretty much all reliable VP hosting services now have automatic data backups.

We only realize the importance of data backup once disaster strikes and we have nothing left to upload on our website.

When you have to manually back data up, you often miss out on a couple of things. Sometimes you even forget to back up for days. With a VPS system, worrying about the backup of a system is a thing of the past. The whole process is automatic, and you have all your data and uploads ready in case of any disaster that may strike.

No Interference

Perhaps the best feature of a VPS system is that it is your own space with no interference from others.

All the resources that you get belong to you, including the RAM and the storage space and you can do whatever you want with it. You can also install any operating system that you want, and you can change your choice of operating system as well.

You get a domain name, an email, a username, and a password too. These resources ensure that nobody other than you has access to the system. Better security measures than before are added every day thanks to the competency of this field.

In a shared system, when one person screws up their part of the system, everyone’s work suffers. If one person crashes the system, the system crashes for everyone else as well, and no work gets done. The sharing of resources also often slowed down the speed of the work.

In a VPS system, even though many people are using the central system at one time, no one’s work affects any other person’s work. If one person crashes the system, only their part crashes and everyone else remains safe and secure.

Updated and Maintained Automatically

The competency of VPS systems lately also ensures that all the systems update frequently. There are bug fixes and new updates very often. If an update does not suit you, you can easily contact their support team and ask them to remove it for you.

Cost Effective

VPS systems are also very cost effective as well. You get exactly what you pay for, no more and no less. And there are more competent prices being introduced every day. Another difference between VPS and dedicated server is that dedicated servers are usually costly.

Advantages of a Dedicated System

Complete Security

The first problem of security arises when you are sharing a system with other users. A dedicated system is only yours to use, so there is no risk of any outside person gaining access to your workspace and messing with your privacy and security.

Other than that, you have control over whatever other security methods you want to deploy. For example, you can tweak firewall set up to your standards. You can install any other security software that you find reliable as well.

Flexibility

Since the dedicated server is your personal space, you can customize it any way you like. You can add software and applications according to your needs. If the disk storage or the RAM is not up to your standards, you can contact the company in question and ask them to improve it for you as well. You don’t have to do much yourself except pay the company.

Complete Control

A dedicated server is an entire computer system’s space which is allocated to you alone. There is no one else sharing the system. You are in no fear of losing any valuable data or having your system crash because of the actions of others. Other than that, all the resources belong to you alone. You don’t have to move a muscle if you want any changes made to the system either, simply call up the company in question and ask them to make the changes as they see fit.

Easy Maintenance

The maintenance of your system, including the updates, the backing up of data, and the fixing of bugs and issues are all the responsibility of the company. You do not have to worry about these problems.

If you do have any other problem with the system, all you have to do is call the company, their support staff is usually available 24/7 and ask them to help you out with what you need. All companies that want to stay in the competition offer their best customer support, and their representatives are always lovely and friendly as well.

The best Possible Performance

You cannot get the kind of performance you get from a dedicated server from any other type of system. The resources that you have are maximized, and they all belong to you. A difference between VPS and dedicated server is that you are sharing resources and don’t have the best of the system’s performance for yourself in a VPS system.

You can still have more resources added; say the word and the company will do it for you. There is no hassle of sharing space either and you can customize the system according to what you will. It is exactly like having a personal computer that you can access from any place at all.

Disadvantages of a VPS System:

The biggest issue with the VPS system is the reliability on one, physical system. If this physical system crashes, everyone who is using its resources also loses their work. This is a huge difference between VPS and dedicated server because the clients of a dedicated server are not reliant on each other at all.

The primary system is mighty but it has a physical limitation. Once all the users max out the resource capacity of the system, no new resources can be added.

You have to pay for the space you have not used if even if your website’s traffic goes down.

Disadvantages of a Dedicated System

The very first disadvantage of a dedicated system is the cost. A massive difference between VPS and dedicated server is that a VPS system is much cheaper than a dedicated system. Since a Dedicated system is a whole system and you have all the resources, it naturally costs more. You also have to pay more if you want better resources than before.

Another problem with the system is that you only have virtual access to the system. The company gets to keep all the other resources to itself and only permits you to use it. You do not get to customize it without the company’s knowledge.

Lastly, you get a dedicated system as a blank system, usually with pre-installed software and scripts.

Summing up the Difference Between VPS and Dedicated Server

We have seen quite a little difference between VPS and dedicated servers and reached one conclusion.

If you have just begun your web hosting ventures, it is best that you use a VPS system. You can add more resources according to your will, and it will be much more cost-effective than a dedicated server right from the get-go.

If your website begins to receive a lot of traffic, you will then want a dedicated server. You will get a decent return on the space you will pay for, and you will have access to the maximum resources.

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