There are several differences between VPS (Virtual Private Servers) and dedicated servers. We will help you make an informed decision about whether to choose a VPS or a Dedicated Server.
Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
In recent years Virtual Private Servers, or VPS for short have become more popular than dedicated servers because they offer superior performance and more control than shared hosting whilst costing less than dedicated servers.
With VPS hosting, you share many physical resources such as disk space CPU, and RAM on a physical server even though they are allocated specifically to you, but you still enjoy the freedom of having a private server, such as having your control panel. This way, the overall CPU and memory are shared across all accounts on the machine, but at the same time portions of those resources are always dedicated to each account.
So with a virtual server, you have the power and control of a dedicated server but you have the added advantage of scalability too.
Dedicated Servers
A Dedicated Server is a physical server that is reserved for your sole use. Whereas a virtual server shares hardware resources with other VPS instances, a Dedicated Server is completely isolated for your use only.
It is perfect for those who need the additional peace of mind that a secure server brings as well as offering significant processing power for high resource-demanding applications and websites. It ensures that third-party activities do not affect your services.
Virtual Private Servers VS Dedicated Servers
When deciding which is the best web hosting package for you, it is important to weigh all the factors and then make the right choice for your business.
Flexibility & Scalability
Virtual Private Servers are extremely scalable with no downtime required to perform upgrades. Clients can self-provision their upgrade of hardware such as extra RAM, CPU, or disk space.
On the other hand, Dedicated servers do not scale the way a VPS can, especially a Cloud VPS which has huge potential for upward scaling. Dedicated servers are designed to provide a set amount of resources and the only realistic way of scaling their computing power is to add additional resources such as RAM modules or extra CPU units or even clustering the servers and balancing the load across multiple servers.
Also, it is worth noting that with a Dedicated Server, you would need to over-specify your requirements to take into account headroom for growth if you want to avoid downtime related to upgrades which would require an engineer to make the change.
Management & Reliability
In a VPS configuration, a server is extremely reliable because data is stored across several physical servers on the cloud. In terms of cost, this is the best option in terms of reliability and uptime.
To achieve similar reliability potential in a Dedicated Server would require additional hardware components namely additional hard drives, a RAID card to offer RAID capability, and a dual power supply. This would require a physically larger, more powerful, and ultimately more expensive server.
Suitability
VPS is suitable for high-traffic websites, small business owners, bloggers, and everyone who needs the power of a dedicated server at a lower price.
If this type of server cannot satisfy your needs due to your security requirements then a dedicated server is the best solution for you.
Security
Dedicated servers are more physically secure than VPS hosting because you are the only client using that server. That does not negate the need to be vigilant and ensure that your server is protected and secure.
Cost
VPS are higher cost compared to shared hosting but less compared to dedicated servers. In terms of value for money, a virtual private server offers a compelling business case when issues such as scalability and high availability are factored in.
