subject: VPS Vs Shared Hosting [print this page] There are two types of hosting to consider when deciding to set up a web site: shared hosting and virtual private servers (VPS). The two options have their own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some things to consider before making a decision between these two options.
The primary advantage of shared hosting is the fact that it is less expensive. Shared hosting is offered at a lower price because more than one customer is allowed to use a server. File security is used in order to protect one customer's information from another's. This means that some of the more private information is linked specifically to the customer's domain.
A virtual private server is comparable to shared hosting in that customers share the same server. This helps to keep costs lower than if one were to buy or rent a personal server. The difference is that a VPS keeps its customer's information much more private than the shared hosting format does. This is accomplished by putting the customer's information on a different operating system than the information of any of the other customers who are on the same server. This gives a person or an organization who decides to use VPS hosting many of the same benefits of using a dedicated server, but the service can be offered at a much lower price.
In addition to this, VPS provides website owners with a private email server. With shared hosting, your email account can get blacklisted by spam blockers if other customers on the same server misuse their email accounts. In addition to this, you can protect yourself from spam much easier if you have your own email server.
Since VPS hosting keeps accounts separate from one another, this not only protects security, but improves performance. This is because, since the resources are regulated, one customer can not use up all of the bandwidth or memory on a single server.
In some cases, a website owner may need to open and close specific ports in the firewall. On a shared server, this can be a bad idea, because it can open up your information to potential security threats. Since user accounts are partitioned with VPS, it becomes possible to create customized firewall settings.
Since virtual private servers are, in fact, virtual, it is possible to have them transferred to a larger or smaller server if a change in service is requested. This can be accomplished with little or no downtime. This also makes it possible to backup and restore the virtual space without making any changes to it.
One of the most useful aspects of VPS hosting is that it allows users to install customized applications to the server. This is a security risk with shared hosting, because customized applications could contain viruses or spy software. Since only the user has root access to their virtual server, they can customize their website by adding specialized code.
In the end, shared hosting and VPS hosting are options which appeal to different users. Shared hosting is less expensive, so unless a user needs to services provided by VPS hosting it may not be worth spending the extra money. Users who do not require the ability have full control over firewalls and the ability to add customized programs will not get much benefit out of choosing VPS hosting. This is doubly true for users who don't have to worry too much about security issues and aren't concerned about having a dedicated email server. If, on the other hand, a user needs some of the customization of a dedicated server without having to pay as much, then VPS may be the best option.
