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Dedicated Vs VPS Hosting

Dedicated Hosting vs. VPS Hosting:
Key Differences

Over 16 million websites were hacked in the first quarter of 2021 alone, and we are expecting to have another landmark year in cybersecurity breaches. Your website host is a vital component that keeps your business safe from cybercriminals. When choosing what type of server to utilize, operators should familiarize themselves with the critical differences between dedicated hosting and virtual private servers (VPS).

Dedicated hosting is when a physical server is used for a single client, while VPS is a hosting service that shares the servers with multiple digital properties. Both have advantages and are utilized by millions of people.

To give you an idea of what choice is right for your business, we've broken down the critical aspects of each type of service into four categories.

1. Security

2. Performance

3. Scalability

4. Configuration & Customization

After reading our post, you will understand when it is appropriate to use each hosting service and choose the best option for your business.

1. Security

Online security is more important than ever. As the economy becomes more digital, there are more opportunities for hackers. While both hosting service types are incredibly secure, there are some notable differences.

Dedicated Hosting

Using a dedicated server is the most secure option. You won't be sharing resources with any other clients limiting risks and lowering downtime in the event of a data breach.

VPS

While dedicated hosting is more secure than VPS, the difference doesn't justify the increase in cost for most companies. VPS offers incredible security with limited risk especially considering the price point.

2. Performance

Web site performance is another vital aspect of choosing a host. Your pages need to load quickly, or you will negatively affect the user experience and lower conversion rates.

Dedicated Hosting

An expensive dedicated server is going to deliver the best performance. You aren't sharing any bandwidth and can run faster than any other hosting service available today.

VPS

A virtual server is still fast and reliable. There's no better way to get premium hosting performance for the price. You will get far better performance from a VPS if you spend the same amount of money on dedicated hosting.

3. Scalability

The ability to scale is very important, especially for growing businesses. Every business aspires to grow and needs a host that can handle increased web traffic.

Dedicated Hosting

A dedicated server offers unlimited customizable hardware resources to meet your application needs. While there aren't any limitations, most small and medium-sized businesses don't need their own servers to handle a simple website.

VPS

VPS offers rapid scalability at an affordable price. Cloud-based servers are highly adaptive; plans can be changed at a moment's notice unlocking more capacity accommodating growth.

4. Configuration and Customization

Control over your website's backend is essential. Both options offer managed and unmanaged options allowing clients to dictate how hands-on they want to be.

Dedicated Hosting

When you have your own server, it can be fully customized and configured to operate to your specifications.

VPS

Configuration and customization vary depending on the provider. While most VPS hosting services don't offer the freedom of a dedicated server, you'll have access to everything you need.

When You Should Switch to a Virtual Server

A VPS is the fastest, most reliable choice for the price. If you use shared hosting and need a more accommodating host, switching to VPS will be worth the price increase. A dedicated server's advantages are available with VPS at a fraction of the price.

Pros of Using VPS

  • Virtual servers are stable, fast, and secure. The ability to spin cloud servers up and down when suited is a significant benefit to many businesses, whether that's for production purposes or staging and development.
  • Virtual servers can provide a faster service for your money. You are likely to get more resources and quicker service than you would for a similar price to a physical server. A cloud-hosted website is also expected to run faster, depending on the applications you use.
  • Scalability is an advantage for virtual servers. It is straightforward and quick to upgrade by adding memory and disk space and being more affordable.

Cons of Using VPS

  • Your data will sit in a shared virtual environment, which may mean your support levels won't be as high as with a dedicated server, for example.
  • Not all hardware can be virtualized.

Pros of Using Dedicated Hosting

  • Dedicated hosting essentially means that your website or other application has its own server all to itself. As the sole hardware user, you have control of your security and reliability. A good internet service provider will have designated technical staff at a data centre (such as our support team) to monitor the equipment and ensure everything runs smoothly on your behalf.
  • Depending on the configuration, you have complete control over the server; you also control its security and deployment of use, including its resources, storage, memory, CPU, and bandwidth. This is quite an essential requirement if you are a business with a specific standard level you need the servers to work towards.
  • Being the sole hardware user means that dedicated servers are highly configurable and can be built to specification.

Cons of Using Dedicated Hosting

  • Dedicated servers are often costly and require more work than using a virtual server.

VPS and dedicated hosting have clear advantages and are useful in specific situations. If you're having trouble deciding which is best for your application, contact us for more information.

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