There are many options when it comes to hosting for your website, blog, or web app. Traditional options include shared hosting plans, VPS, or Virtual Private Server hosting, and dedicated server hosting. VPS hosting is growing in popularity due to the financial and practical benefits it offers, though it may not be right for every website owner. Check out these pros and cons to VPS web hosting to see if it’s the right option for you.
1. Technical Requirements and Options
This category is a big pro for VPS hosting as compared to other types of web hosting. VPS servers allow you to fulfill the requirements your website needs in terms of bandwidth and storage better than the common shared hosting plan. That’s because many VPS web hosting companies offer scalable subscription plans that can conform to variations in your traffic.
Since virtual private servers are limited in resources only by the settings, you can always upgrade your service to hold more files or serve more customers without having to move your site or app to another server. This may be seen as a con if you’re currently using dedicated server because your space will be limited as compared to leasing your own entire server but if you can get by with VPS hosting you’ll definitely appreciate the cost savings of VPS.
2. Server Maintenance and Access
Another pro of leasing a VPS is that you don’t have to maintain the server software yourself. In VPS web hosting, your host company will provide maintenance and repair to your servers so you can focus on running your website or blog. If you require a high level of control over the server, and need to be able to change server-side settings often then you may want to opt for the more expensive dedicated hosting, as this could be a bit of a con to VPS for you.
If you’re coming from a shared hosting plan, or were considering one, then file VPS in the pro category as you’ll have a lot more control over some software with this option. With a VPS you can create mailers and FTP access for your users or co-workers, whereas many shared hosts do not allow this.
3. Cost of VPS Web Hosting
VPS web hosting usually lands between shared hosting and dedicated hosting in terms of price. While many shared hosting plans start around $5 per month, VPS plans can often be purchased for $40 a month. By contrast, dedicated servers often run more than $100 monthly. If you can meet your site and traffic needs with a VPS you can potentially save a lot of money by forgoing the dedicated server option. Smaller websites and personal blogs without a lot of files or traffic will probably save money by choosing a shared hosting plan.
4. SEO Benefits of VPS Web Hosting
Every web admin is concerned about SEO and landing high in Google and other search engine rankings. Many don’t realize, however, that having a shared hosting plan can actually harm your SEO rankings. That’s because with a shared host your website will be stored on a web server with other sites whom may have been blacklisted by popular search engines. With a virtual private server you will have your own dedicated IP address, and the other sites neighboring yours on the physical server will have little or no connection to your own. This is a great pro to consider if you’ve trying to decide between VPS and shared web hosting. Dedicated web hosting will give you the same SEO benefits as a VPS, but at a much higher cost.
5. Security Benefits of VPS Website Hosting
Since you’ll be the only one with access to your virtualized server, you can expect higher security levels on a VPS. Shared hosting plans can leave you vulnerable to malicious software uploaded by other users on your server, and even DDoS attacks targeting neighboring sites.
This is a big pro for VPS servers compared to shared hosting and makes the price difference seem negligible for anyone with a website that conducts financial transactions or stores personal information. In comparison, dedicated servers offer the same level of security, and arguably an additional layer depending on how you view the virtualization process. Virtualization in web servers is generally considered to be impenetrable, so there’s no real risk that another user on the physical server could gain access to your site.
Virtual Private Server hosting is a great option for most medium to large sized websites, blogs, and web apps. This type of hosting provides the security and SEO benefits that you’d find in a dedicated server for less than half the cost. VPS web hosting is still more expensive than shared hosting, however, so if your budget is tight then you might see the increased cost of VPS as a con, this is why WordPress VPS hosting is favourable too. In general VPS is a very balanced and practical choice if you intend to get a lot of traffic or store several large files on your site. VPS is also thought to be better for SEO and comes with server settings and options that you won’t find on a shared hosting plan.