How Is a VPS Different from a Dedicated Server?

 Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and Dedicated Servers present two of the most popular web server options for hosting websites on. The increase in the demand for VPS and Dedicated Servers and their growing popularity among the users of web hosting services is due to the various benefits that these have to offer.

Virtual Private Servers and Dedicated Servers are both web servers, then how are these different from each other? The purpose of this blog is to provide information on Virtual Private Servers and Dedicated Servers, so that the readers can gain comprehensive knowledge about both these types of servers and known how these two types of web servers differ from each other.

What Is a Web Server?

A web server is a type of a server that is used in web hosting. Its main purpose is to store and process the files of websites as well as receive and respond to the requests of browsers that are used by site visitors.

Web server space can be availed from any professional web hosting company, such as HTS Hosting, which is regarded as the Best Web Hosting Company. It can be availed through various types of web hosting solutions that can be purchased as specific web hosting plans for either Linux OS or Windows OS.

The web server space that you purchase through a web hosting plan is used for storing the files of your website. These files are processed on the same web server. As mentioned previously web servers store and process the files of the websites that have availed the service of web hosting from a web hosting company.

The role of a web server doesn’t end there, as it also involves receiving and appropriately responding to the requests generated by browsers. When a site visitor wants to visit your hosted website, his/her browser communicates with the web server on which your website is hosted, and requests for the files of your site. The web server receives this incoming request and locates the files of your site in its storage and makes the files available for retrieval by the browser that had initiated communication with the web server. Once your site’s files are delivered from the web server, over an active Internet connection, to the electronic device of the site visitor, your hosted site becomes accessible to him/her.

Depending on the number of sites that are stored and processed on a web server and the way in which these are hosted on the server, servers can be classified into three types. These three types of web servers are Shared Servers, Dedicated Servers, Virtual Private Servers (VPS).

A Shared Server hosts many websites on a single server, whereas a Dedicated Server hosts a single website on a web server. On the other hand, a VPS presents the best of both, wherein multiple websites are hosted on a single physical web server but each of the hosted sites gets the environment of a Dedicated Server.

Next, we shall specifically elaborate on Dedicated Servers and Virtual Private Servers, which are two of the most sought-after hosting services for hosting websites on and for ensuring their seamless and secure online availability at the fastest speed.

Dedicated Servers

Why are more and more users of web hosting services inclined towards availing Dedicated Servers? That is because of the slew of benefits that a Dedicated Server has to offer, which include server customization along with the availability of dedicated server resources, dedicated server space, a dedicated IP address, enhanced site speed, augmented site security and powerful site performance. How is a Dedicated Server able to offer all these benefits to the hosted site? The answer to it is explained next.

A Dedicated Server hosts a single website on each web server. This means that it stores and processes the files of a single website on a single web server, which ensures that the entire resources of the server are available for full utilization by the hosted site. Due to this, every site that is hosted on a Dedicated Server gets a dedicated IP address as well as dedicated server resources and dedicated server space and also the flexibility to customize the server as per requirement.

Since a Dedicated Server is meant for the exclusive use of a single client or for hosting a single website, the user of a Dedicated Server has to bear the entire expense when it comes to availing this type of a web server. This is the reason that plans for availing Dedicated Servers are almost always quite expensive.

What if you want a dedicated server environment, where you can get dedicated server resources, dedicated server space, a dedicated IP address, enhanced site speed, powerful site security and peak site performance as well as the flexibility to customize the server, at a much lower price? That is possible! It is a Virtual Private Server that makes it possible. How? That is next.

What Is a Virtual Private Server?

A Virtual Private Server, which is commonly referred to as a VPS, offers a less expensive but equally effective alternative to a Dedicated Server by hosting multiple sites on a single web server and providing the environment of a dedicated server to each of the hosted sites.

The web server space of a VPS is virtually segmented into multiple independent, virtual, private and isolated servers that are configured to install their own software and OS. This is attained through Virtualization Technology. Each of these virtually created servers hosts a website and is able to provide the environment of a Dedicated Server to the hosted site. Hence, every site that is hosted on a VPS gets dedicated server resources, dedicated server space, a dedicated IP address, unrivalled site speed, effective site security and impressive site performance. Moreover, a site hosted on a VPS can customize its web server space.

You can opt for either a Self-managed VPS or a Managed VPS, depending on your preference for managing the server totally by yourself or relying on your service provider for proper and full server management. A Managed VPS is managed by the expert team of the service provider and ensures the user’s convenience with regard to server management. On the contrary, a Self-managed VPS is managed by the user himself/herself, without the involvement of the service provider, and offers full control over server management to the user of the VPS. You can choose between these two options for availing a VPS, based on your preference for convenience in server management or control over server management.

Difference Between a Dedicated Server and a VPS

Dedicated Servers and Virtual Private Servers (VPS) are excellent for hosting sites that are resource-intensive and which require dedicated server resources, dedicated IP address, server customization as well as top-notch speed, security and performance. Some of the websites that need to be hosted on either of these two types of web servers are the sites of big businesses and organizations, sites that regularly get a lot of web traffic, e-commerce sites as well as business critical applications.

It is obvious that both, Dedicated Servers and Virtual Private Servers, offer the environment of a dedicated server to every hosted site, then how are these two types of web servers different from each other and why should you prefer one over the other? Let’s answer that now.

A Dedicated Server hosts a single site on a single server, whereas a VPS hosts multiple sites on a single web server that has been virtually partitioned into several independent servers. This is the main difference between a Dedicated Server and a Virtual Private Server. Another difference is that a Dedicated Server is a physical web server, whereas a VPS is a virtual server.

One more difference is that a VPS can be availed as a Managed VPS or as a Self-managed VPS for Linux and for Windows, whereas a Dedicated Server can be availed for Linux and for Windows, without the option of being Managed or Self-managed.

A major difference between a Dedicated Server and a VPS has to do with pricing, wherein Dedicated Servers are almost always priced higher than Virtual Private Servers. That is why a VPS offers the best alternative to a Dedicated Server, as it offers the same benefits at a lower price.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for dedicated server resources, dedicated server space, a dedicated IP address, enhanced site speed, augmented site security and powerful site performance, then you can easily opt for either of the following hosting plans- Linux Dedicated Server, Windows Dedicated Server, Linux Managed VPS, Windows Managed VPS, Linux Self-managed VPS and Windows Self-managed VPS.

To recapitulate, both Dedicated Servers and VPS offer the environment of a Dedicated Server but the former offers it to a single hosted site, whereas the latter offers it to multiple hosted sites. Since a VPS offers the same benefits that a Dedicated Server does, and at a lower price, it scores over a Dedicated Server for those that are looking for a less expensive alternative. On the other hand, if you want to have the entire server for your exclusive use, then you should opt for a Dedicated Server.

HTS Hosting offers value-for-money plans for Dedicated Servers and Virtual Private Servers for Linux and Windows, which are full of features and deliver outstanding performance. The servers of HTS Hosting operate from the state-of-the-art, fully-secure, top-tier data centre, HTS Data Centre. This ensures that the sites hosted on our Dedicated Servers and VPS always have a competitive edge.

Experience high performance at heavily discounted prices and 24*7 prompt and expert technical support when you avail the plans for HTS Dedicated Servers, HTS Managed VPS and HTS Self-managed VPS.

Source: https://blog.htshosting.org/2022/04/how-is-a-vps-different-from-a-dedicated-server/