If you are keen on starting a website, chances are you already know that a web hosting service will be required to make it available online. While you may seek a shared hosting service for your newly-built site, it may not be viable after some time as your website grows and requires an upgrade. VPS hosting and dedicated hosting are the most popular hosting services for businesses with growing website needs.

But how exactly do these two hosting solutions differ and which one should you choose for your website? In this blog, we will discuss the concept of VPS and dedicated hosting-and help you decide which one to choose for your website. So, let’s deep dive and find out.

VPS Hosting

VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. A VPS is created when a physical server is partitioned into several smaller, virtualized servers using a hypervisor. Each of these virtual servers (also called virtual machines) runs in a sandboxed environment and uses a fixed set of resources.

In VPS hosting, multiple websites share a physical server but are hosted on different virtual servers and thus remain immune to tenant websites. As a result, a virtual private server offers the environment of a dedicated server at a fraction of the price.

Pros and Cons of VPS Hosting

Pros

Performance: VPS hosting offers superior performance when compared to similarly-priced hosting solutions such as shared hosting. This is because you get a fixed set of resources to work with. Besides, there are fewer websites to share the resources of the physical server.

Customization: In VPS hosting, you get root access to the server and can customize server software and operating system. The configuration of the physical server can, however, pose restrictions on customization.

Security: While a VPS may not be as secure as a dedicated server hosting, it is definitely more secure than a shared server. In VPS hosting, the hypervisor separates the virtual servers and prevents one website from affecting tenant websites. So, if one of the accounts on your physical server gets infected by malware, your account will remain immune unless an advanced software is used for the attack.

Pricing: A reliable VPS hosting plan is far more affordable than its dedicated counterpart. This is because, in VPS hosting, the cost of the physical server gets divided among the tenant websites which may be up to 10-15 in number. While a cheap VPS hosting plan can be availed for as low as $20/month, a high-end VPS plan may cost you around $120/month or more. On the contrary, a dedicated hosting plan may start from $99/month and a good-quality low-end solution may cost you around $150/month. And if we talk of high-end dedicated hosting plans, there is no upper limit. You can pay up to $2500/month for a fully managed top-of-the-line dedicated hosting solution-this, however, usually applies to websites that attract millions of visitors every month.

Cons

While a VPS offers a host of benefits, it comes with its set of drawbacks. Though a VPS allows your website to exclusively use a fixed set of resources, it may not be able to cope if your requirements exceed what your hosting plan offers.

In addition to this, a VPS may not be secure in certain circumstances. In VPS hosting, a hypervisor manages the virtual servers and prevents malware from spreading to other accounts most of the times. In rare cases, however, the malware may be sophisticated enough to bypass the hypervisor and infect all the websites hosted on the physical server.

Dedicated Hosting

In dedicated hosting, the entire physical server is dedicated to one client hence the name. The client has access to all the resources of the server-network access, processing power, memory and storage. A dedicated server also offers root access allowing the client to customize the server as per his requirements.

Pros and Cons of Dedicated Hosting

Pros

Performance: Because in a dedicated server, the resources are exclusively meant for your website, it experiences superior speed and performance. Dedicated hosting is optimal for sites that consistently require a high influx of resources.

Customization: This is one aspect where dedicated servers beat all the other hosting solutions. As you are the sole user of a dedicated server, you enjoy near-complete control over it and can do whatever is required to create a configuration ideal for your website or web application-you can even change various parts of its core software and hardware. If you need a highly specific configuration to run a specialized website or application, dedicated hosting is the right choice for you.

Security: Since a dedicated server hosts a single website, there are no tenant websites to spread malware or spam your website. Plus, the server allows you to manage software installations and updates with the utmost efficiency minimizing the incidence of breaches.

Cons

Dedicated hosting does offer top-notch speed, performance, customization and security, but all this comes at a premium. Dedicated hosting solutions are among the most expensive solutions available in the marketplace and, therefore, require careful consideration. Besides, a dedicated server necessitates a good working knowledge of server management.

Choosing between VPS and Dedicated Hosting for your Site

If your business is not generating enough revenue, you will, in all probability, not require a dedicated server and a VPS will be adequate to cover your needs. No wonder, most of the online businesses do well with a mid-to-high-end VPS hosting plan.

A factor that we can easily rule out while making a comparison between VPS and dedicated hosting is security. The hypervisor in a VPS keeps out malware in most of the instances, so a virus bypassing the hypervisor to infect your website happens very rarely. So, unless you have a business that deals with sensitive information (for instance, financial or legal), you can easily do with a VPS.

Your configuration needs are vital while deciding your hosting plan. If you must use a server with a highly specific hardware configuration, you should opt for a dedicated hosting price that allows you to assemble your own physical server. Similarly, if you want to install specialized software, dedicated is the solution to go for.

Comparing VPS and dedicated on grounds of performance is tricky. This is because performance depends on hardware configuration which varies from plan to plan. While a dedicated server typically offers higher speed and performance, we do have high-end VPS plans that fare better than their low-end dedicated counterparts on most counts.

So, if your website regularly attracts traffic well above 0.5 million page views every month or you need highly customized hardware/software and have the expertise to set it up, only then you should consider renting a dedicated server. Otherwise, a VPS will be adequate to fulfill your needs.

Hope this blog has given you a thorough understanding of VPS and dedicated hosting. In case you still have questions related to VPS or dedicated hosting, please let us know in the comment section below. We will be glad to answer your queries.