The definition of Virtual Private Servers, their structure and deployment, and some essential management skills.
Balanced compute plans designed for web applications, agencies, APIs and growing SaaS workloads. Built on low-density nodes for consistent production performance.
Reserved cores with lower node density for consistent CPU performance.
Pinned vCPU cores with no sharing. Reserved for consistent, predictable performance.
High-RAM plans for database layers, caching systems, analytics and memory-intensive applications.
Storage is optimized for memory-intensive workloads, not bulk disk usage.
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtual machine operated by a web hosting service. VPSes can run an operating system of their own and users may access them remotely. Each VPS is assigned resources such as CPU, RAM and disk space. A VPS functions much like a dedicated physical server, but unlike a dedicated server, a VPS shares the underlying physical hardware with many other VPSes running on the same shared physical node.
In our previous section on definitions, we explained how virtualization software, also known as a hypervisor, turns the physical server into multiple virtual servers, or VPS. Each VPS is then assigned a specific share of the available CPU, RAM and disk space. The term "virtual" when describing these systems implies isolation, where if one VPS were to be hit with a sudden influx of visitors or a crashing website, other VPS's should not be impacted. A VPS gives you the root access to the operating system as well as the ability to install whatever applications you need.
A VPS sits in the middle ground between the low cost, low control of shared hosting and the very high cost, very high control of dedicated servers. VPSes provide a more cost effective, yet still highly flexible and functional solution to hosting web applications, development environments, databases and small to medium scale workloads. Ideal for startups and growing businesses.
Your VPS = isolated VM with dedicated resources
The hypervisor (e.g. KVM, Xen, VMware) runs on the physical host and creates, runs and manages virtual machines. The hypervisor is responsible for the distribution of CPU resources, memory and disks to the virtual machines and enables isolation between the VMs.
With VPS you get a dedicated kernel. Each VPS gets its own kernel with full virtualization technology such as KVM. Alternatively with container-style virtualization technologies such as OpenVZ, your VPS shares the same kernel. Isolation gives you peace of mind in the sense that your processes and data are kept strictly isolated from other users hosted on the server.
What are CPU cores, RAM and disk resources and how are they allocated for a VPS? Resource allocation for a VPS refers to the amount of CPU cores, RAM and disk that are either reserved or guaranteed to you. Overselling occurs when a VPS provider over estimates the amount of resources that they can give to their customers by allocating more resources than physically exist. We assure you that this does not occur with reputable VPS providers.
Your VPS will get a public IP and an IPv6. The traffic will then go through the OS of the host where your VPS is running. Be aware that the bandwidth conditions of your VPS (metered or unmetered) will be the same as the host's conditions.
We all know the story of shared hosting: Many websites are located on a single physical server, and on top of this, a single operating system is running. And then there is the control panel: cPanel or Plesk. And no root access. You have no influence on whether your neighbour's website consumes more resources and is therefore slowing down your site, or not. You get what you pay for. A VPS gives you dedicated resources, root access and isolates your website physically from other websites. Ideal for dynamic websites and applications, where a basic shared hosting plan is no longer sufficient.
A dedicated server is a physical machine that is rented and owned by you. Pros: high performance and a great deal of control over the machine. Cons: very expensive and you are fully responsible for everything. VPS offers you the same level of control (root access and ability to change the OS), but at a much lower price. You'll probably find that a well provisioned VPS will be more than adequate for your needs, and that a dedicated server is only required for the most extreme levels of traffic, or where there are very strict compliance requirements.
We're renting a Cloud VPS and the cost is charged by the hour, while it's scalable on demand for as long as the workload remains dynamic. Traditional VPS's on the other hand are rented on a monthly basis and are often set in stone. The main difference here is pricing, level of API control and how scalable each VPS is. We prefer to use Cloud VPS's for highly variable workloads but traditional VPS's for more predictable workloads in a more cost efficient manner.
Our KVM VPS is running with a dedicated Linux kernel. Therefore, no shared kernel is running between VMs, which provides maximum isolation between VMs. You may use any Linux distribution or any version of Windows on our KVM VPSes. Hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x, AMD-V) is required for VMs. Our KVM VPSes give an incredible level of performance, almost at bare metal level. Recommended for business production VPSes, if maximum isolation between VPSes is required.
Container-based VPS instance sharing the host kernel. Lower resource utilization than KVM. You will only be able to run Linux guests and will have to make do with the kernel version on the host OS. Suitable for low-cost applications where only Linux is required. Less isolated than KVM.
Xen supports both paravirtualized (PV) and hardware-virtualized (HVM) guests. Xen is a relatively mature project and is widely used by cloud providers. Isolation levels are similar to KVM but performance and flexibility vary greatly depending on whether you choose to run guests as PV or HVM.
You get root access to the VPS and the management of the server infrastructure lies with you. You will need to set up the operating system, configure firewall rules, patch software and deal with any technical issues. If you have a good understanding of Linux and command line or have a DevOps team to manage server infrastructure, then our affordable unmanaged VPS options may be suitable for you.
With a Managed VPS you get a Virtual Private Server where the provider is responsible for updating the operating system and applying security patches, in addition to constantly monitoring the server. The setup of applications may also be included. A more expensive choice where you hand over the administration of the server to the provider, so that you can focus on what really matters: developing your application.
Some VPS providers also offer control panels such as cPanel, Plesk or DirectAdmin for web hosting space, email, databases and domain names management. A control panel is also useful for unmanaged VPS, even though they are intended to be managed via command lines through SSH, which can be quite tedious and difficult to handle, since many settings have to be updated by modifying specific files.
apt update && apt upgrade. On Fedora/RHEL-based systems: dnf update.Read our security policy and acceptable use policy.
The plans page allows you to choose your desired CPU, RAM and storage. If you need some assistance working out the right resources for your workload, you may also find our capacity planner helpful.
Select the operating system (OS) you would like to install on your Virtual Private Server (VPS). This can be a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora, or a version of Microsoft Windows. Many VPS providers offer a large selection of OS images.
Please proceed with the ordering process. The start-up of the service will generally occur within a few minutes.
You can connect to your VPS using the IP and the root password that is listed in your welcome email. Example: ssh root@your-ip
Update the system, set up firewall, install your stack (web server, database, etc.).
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Answers to frequently asked questions about VPS hosting.