Most first-time website owners choose shared hosting because it’s cheaper than getting your own server. But if your website has been gaining more traction, or if you have a website that needs more robust security features than you could possibly get with shared hosting, it’s time to start thinking about getting your own server.
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Why you need your own server
1. More storage
Shared hosting is fine for new websites or for smaller websites that don’t get much traffic, but when your website gets bigger, you’re going to need more storage space. Having your own server – whether it’s a VPS or a dedicated server – will ensure that you never run out of storage space.
2. More security
If your web host doesn’t stay on top of securing your shared server, malware or cyberattacks that affect one website can also affect the other websites on the server. This means that if one website gets infected, your website could be exposed to hacking and data breaches, too. Having your own server means your website won’t be affected by the negligence of another website owner.
We’ve put an entire beginner’s guide to start your dedicated server hosting.
3. More control and customization options
Having your own server means you get to customize things like your Operating System, your security features, and your server applications. When your website is on a shared server, you’re stuck with whatever operating environment already exists on the server.
4. More server resources
All the websites on a shared server compete for the server’s resources. This is fine for tiny websites that don’t need lots of resources, but when your website gets bigger, a shared server simply won’t have enough resources for your website. Also, because you’re sharing the server with other websites, if one website on the server starts pulling more than its fair share, your website will slow down, and it might even crash! Having your own server means never having to share.
Now that you know why you need your own server, here’s everything you need to know to choose between VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting:
FAQs about VPS hosting vs Dedicated hosting
1. What’s the difference between VPS and dedicated hosting?
“VPS” stands for “Virtual Private Server”, and it’s a type of web hosting in which one server is divided into multiple private servers using virtualization technology. That doesn’t mean it’s like shared hosting, however. Because unlike shared hosting in which websites compete for a server’s resources, with VPS hosting, each website is allotted its own share of the server’s resources, which can’t be accessed by any other website.
Dedicated hosting means your website gets a server all to itself. The server is completely undivided, which means all the server’s resources are dedicated to keeping your website running.
2. What are the pros and cons of VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting?
Let’s start with the pros.
The pros of VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting:
1. VPS hosting is usually much cheaper than dedicated hosting – especially if you choose a hosting provider that specializes in providing great hosting at affordable prices.
2. VPS hosting is more flexible than dedicated hosting, because your website is separated from the other websites on the server only virtually instead of physically. This means you can more easily figure out how much of your server’s resources you need, so you can change your web hosting plan accordingly.
3. When we compare VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting in terms of server resources, dedicated hosting comes out on top, but with VPS hosting, you still get dedicated resources for your website, even if it’s not the whole server. For most websites, the resources you get with VPS hosting are more than sufficient.
4. If you get a managed VPS server, you don’t need technical knowledge to operate your server. Your web host will perform all the technical aspects of operating your server.
Now let’s look at the cons.
The cons of VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting:
1. Dedicated hosting gives you much more control over your server than VPS hosting.
2. Dedicated hosting is a premium hosting service, so it’s the pinnacle of server performance and resources. But this does make it harder to adjust your server’s resources so you can pay for only what your website needs and will use.
If you want to know even more about VPS hosting, you can check out this guide to the benefits of VPS hosting.
VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting: Which is better?
Most websites run excellently with a VPS server, because VPS hosting results in fast loading speeds and websites that are secure and scalable. This makes VPS hosting great for small business websites that need more security, or for massive personal sites that need lots of server resources.
Dedicated hosting is faster, more secure, and offers the most resources a website can have. That makes it best for bigger business websites or for websites that experience massive daily traffic.
Still looking for more tips? Here are more reasons to get your own server and control your data.
Wrapping up
VPS hosting has many of the same resource and security benefits as dedicated hosting, but for a fraction of the cost and with a lot more flexibility. When you’re choosing between VPS hosting vs dedicated hosting, take an honest look at the needs of your website, so you can truly choose the type of web hosting that’s best for your website.
