VPS web hosting is one of the most popular kinds of hosting available, most likely because it offers a perfect balance between affordability and professional functionality. VPS is an abbreviation for Virtual Private Server, which describes the web server configuration.
Web servers are powerful computers that serve information to web pages so that it can be accessed by visitors around the world. When a visitor views one of your web pages they are actually downloading content directly from your web server. A virtual private server is simply a section of a web server that is devoted solely to your web site. VPS hosting is a mixture of shared hosting (the most affordable kind of hosting) and dedicated hosting (the most powerful kind of web hosting).
Many people confuse shared hosting with VPS hosting because both types involve splitting a server into partitions for use amongst multiple hosting plans. However, unlike shared web hosting, VPS hosting does not place any restrictions or limitations on the kinds of software that can be used on the web server partition.
VPS hosting is perfect for small to medium sized businesses that need the functionality of a dedicated server without the additional cost or server maintenance responsibilities. If you have been using a shared hosting plan and you're noticing decreased site performance and site downtime, then you may need to upgrade to a VPS hosting plan.
VPS hosting is perfect for people that need complete control over their server's software configuration and control panel. With a shared hosting plan, you are forced to use the software configuration mandated by the hosting company. In contrast, VPS is comparable to having a private web server, except without the exuberant setup and maintenance costs.
VPS hosting is perfect for web sites that are expanding and are in need of something more powerful than a shared hosting plan. Most webmasters begin by using a shared web hosting plan due to its affordability and simplicity. However, after a few months sites begin to receive daily traffic and eventually the server burden is too much for a single shared hosting account. VPS hosting is the most flexible hosting type in the world, with a massive variety of plans currently on offer.
Some hosting companies have up to 10 VPS hosting plans available, ranging in price from $10 to $300! Thus, it is easy to see why sites of all sizes are using VPS hosting accounts to accommodate their web hosting needs.
The main benefit of VPS hosting is the expandability of the hosting plans. Instead of being confined to a particular set of server resources, you can expand your plan at any time in most cases. If you are not sure how much server resources you need to keep your sites operating optimally, then you may want to consider a powerful VPS plan, or a cloud VPS hosting plan.
VPS web hosting is surprisingly affordable in most cases, with prices starting just above the cost of shared web hosting. This affordability and expandability makes VPS web hosting perfect for novice webmasters and professional alike. Upgrading a VPS hosting plan is extremely simple, especially if you choose to stay with the same hosting provider.
In general, most VPS hosting providers offer a plethora of VPS plans that are scalable in size. Since a VPS is simply a designated partition from a web server, it is possible to adjust the size of that partition depending upon the needs of the web server. Thus, it is not uncommon to see several VPS hosting plans being offered by one hosting provider.
For example, some large hosting companies offer up to nine different levels of VPS hosting. Needless to say, with such a diverse plan selections, the prices can differ greatly. However, most companies offer plans ranging anywhere from $20 per month to $200 per month.
It is important to note that VPS hosting is very broad in its offerings – and price is usually not the primary factor when choosing a plan. Instead, try to focus on your needs as a webmaster.
Conventional VPS hosting is used to describe any VPS plan that does not operate in the cloud hosting environment. The capabilities and limitations of VPS cloud hosting and conventional VPS hosting are very different. Conventional VPS hosting has strict limitations that cannot be exceeded. These restrictions must be enforced by the web hosting provider in order to ensure quality web server performance.
Fortunately, the aforementioned limitations do not apply to VPS cloud hosting because the network is connected to various servers simultaneously. Instead, cloud hosting plans charge on a per-usage basis. In other words, you have access to unlimited server resources, and when you exceed the preset limits of your plan, you are billed for whatever additional resources your websites use. If you are unsure about the kind of traffic levels your site will receive and/or you are expecting serious traffic surges, you may want to consider VPS cloud hosting.
Cloud VPS hosting is much different than regular web hosting because it utilizes a network of web servers that work in unison to provide server resources to hundreds of web sites simultaneously. Although this sounds similar to VPS hosting it is every different, because there are no limits to the amount of resources that can be allocated to a particular web site at any given point in time. Some of the most powerful web sites on the internet use cloud hosting to transmit data, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Amazon, and other massive corporate sites. If you want the fastest possible web hosting for your site then you should consider cloud VPS hosting.
