With the benefits of dedicated hosting at a fraction of the cost, Virtual Private Servers (VPS) have quickly become the favored choice of web hosting for small to mid-sized businesses and website owners with expanding sites. With the development of virtualization software added to a shared server platform of having multiple servers within one physical unit, these servers are able to run independently from one another like dedicated servers. Therefore, VPS hosting enables for numerous independent features, but at a much more affordable price.

Therefore, VPS hosting enables for numerous independent features, but at a much more affordable price.

Shared vs VPS

Unlike the limitations of a shared hosting plan, a VPS allows for more control over your website and gives you dedicated resources like RAM and disk space. This is ideal for sites with e-commerce or dynamic content because it wouldn’t be a good idea to depend on a shared server where there’s the possibility of another account using up all of the resources, impairing your site.

Benefits of VPS hosting

On a more technical aspect, VPS hosting allows for server-level customization (previously only available on a dedicated server) with the ability to give the user Root/SSH Access and control of the firewall to customize it to fit their needs. In addition, VPS hosting offers scalability and “burstable memory,” where you wouldn’t have to worry about upgrading to a new machine if you start off with a basic website and eventually expand, whether by adding more sites or dynamic content, or even by increasing traffic. More specifically, with the option of “burstable memory,” which is basically a pool of stored memory that’s available when needed, you’ll always be prepared for unexpected traffic spikes. For example, on a shared server, a blogger’s dream of gaining popularity can quickly turn into a nightmare if they get a link to their website from a much larger site like Digg or Slashdot. A shared server wouldn’t be able to handle the high traffic and could cause the site to crash. You can rest assure of avoiding situations like this on a VPS.

Conclusion

So if you’re a small to mid-sized business or even an avid blogger gaining popularity, VPS web hosting offers plenty of the needed resources to handle the heavy load. If you want to build a basic website and need the room for expansion that a shared server cannot provide, but aren’t quite ready to go fully dedicated, then a VPS is the perfect middle ground to give you the support and control while staying on a modest budget.