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What is VPS Hosting?

VPS, or Virtual Private Server, means hosting of different entities for various customers, but all in one server. It enables the service provider to make a partition of a single server into many virtual servers. The customers would then share the server as a whole, which includes both the connection and the hardware. They would actually enjoy the same benefits as they would get in case of dedicated hosting like a file system and a private operating system, which gives them the freedom of safe access. So this kind of a configuration means a combination of a dedicated and a shared hosting. In all, an enhanced performance with privacy will accrue to the company at a much lower cost than it would have to pay for dedicated hosting.

Not only the above-mentioned aspects, some other relevant features are also delivered to the customers- be it the installation of software or rebooting the server or altering the configuration of the server. Well, this is simply stated that if you want to shift from a shared hosting to a dedicated hosting keeping the cost same and if safety and accessibility are the salient features needed for you, this is ideal. It goes almost without saying that for the online business owners, this might prove to be a helpful idea to invest in a VPS hosting because the cost is even as cheap as $10/month with some service providers. This is well known that the operating system and the file system of all customers are utterly different and it is possible for the customers to avail a healthy portion of the server if it is all about the CPU, network and the disk input and output.

It doesn't end here. What it adds to your credit is that in case of reselling of the hosting, you possess a good grip over your offered services and make yourself perfect amongst the competitors. Also, VPS hosting is undoubtedly a bright option in order to build up a social networking site or a blog having enriched functions from the viewpoint of such web developers. Well, if you are a Webmaster and satisfied with a shared hosting provided you do have the opportunity of improving your technical expertise, go for a VPS hosting. It is perfect for you, as it doesn't prompt you to expose to a dedicated server. Adding to its tally, this endows the webmasters with the option of installing some custom applications and they can also alter the modules for their servers, if needed. This information is of paramount significance that a VPS environment is accompanied by an exclusive software for its hosting providing a reliable security over the websites under their supervision. Security is well guaranteed because the resources are also distinctive.

VPS hosting is in fact the bridge connecting initial entry level web hosting and its co-location. However the former will offer you services like MySQL/PHP which will come with a specified disk space on a shared server while on the other hand the latter will help you avail and control the system hardware while just renting a connection from the internet along with rack space from the same data center. Now if your purse is restricting your choice of co-location hosting then VPS is the answer for you. It will let you use quality service and that too at a bare minimal rate.

A dedicated web hosting plan is another alternative which you can consider, and it is pretty less costly than co-locating. It is also becoming very competitively priced as compared to other web hosting plans. Though it certainly costs more than a VPS web hosting plan, a dedicated plan can be reasonably affordable to you as well. As the name implies, a dedicated host gives a dedicated server to you. It actually means renting the server from the host company, and not renting the rack space for the server, as is the case in co-location.

Now let us move to the various advantageous features of the VPS hosting. They are as follows:

It endows you with a root access and with the aid of this; you can accomplish the installation and configuration of any program.

Many websites can be hosted through the virtual hosts provided by Apache

Added to this, you also get an FTP server, a mail server, and any other server that you are in need of.

The servers provided can be used by the customer in any way he would want to.

However just like all good things VPS too has its negative qualities and these are associated with its advantages just like side-effects of any medicated drug. These are mentioned below:

The VPS web hosting brings the entire server under your control which makes you accountable for any action you undertake using the server. Thus you yourself become accountable for your personal safety as such your security thus becomes totally dependable on your actions. You can charge no one for any breach of security which is an important aspect that you should count on before taking up VPS.

The VPS web hosting enables you to work with the entire server; however you have to share hardware with the other users of the same host. This will pose as a problem for you if your work requires use of a bulk of the RAM since you are allotted only a segment of it. Therefore if it does not suffice then it may pose as a great disadvantage for you in which case switching over to a co-location or dedicated server would be a wise choice.

The manner in which it works:

This is truly a complicated process. Actually, an incorporation of technologies like Virtual PC by Microsoft, the User Mode Linux by Open Source, XEN and some others do make the process of VPS possible. The combination of XEN (receiving rave reviews from the media) with the approaching Linux distribution seems to be possible. This is going to be of paramount significance for the web developers endowing them with more freedom at lower cost.

Using your VPS account you will get to access core areas of the server provided to you. Working with a Linux server you will get to use it to your full advantage and control everything using this core access advantage. But remember that along with full control you also become liable for anything you do so if Linux is not the thing for you then forget about VPS.

Well, a free lowing liberty and immense control don't mean that you need to build the whole operating system from the very outset. They generally provide disk images to choose from and they also do possess a good many number of distribution in the default configurations. Configuration on the VPS is done within a twinkling of an eye provided you select the disk image. Once the account is ready, you are endowed with the root access via SSH letting you do anything.

VPS prices start from a monthly amount of $20 on the lower side, to up to $100 on the higher side. However, don't take price as an indication of quality. If you are not fully aware of how the VPS web host functions, you can start off with the lower end which gives you 64MB RAM and a 2GB disk space. You can expand your base from there on. You can go for the higher price band if you have great ideas but little budget to commence with your business.

Republished with permission from WebHostingMadness.com, a publisher of web hosting company reviews, comparisons and detailed articles about the web hosting industry.