VPS Hosting is a web hosting service in which one physical machine is virtualized to create many independent virtual web servers. We have computers at home that have only one hard disk, but we partition it virtually to create many hard drives like C Drive, D Drive, etc. If the hard disk capacity is 10 GB, we can create many hard drives, but the total capacity of these hard drives when added cannot be more than 10 GB. In the same way, there can be many Virtual Web Servers on one physical machine; however the total capacity of the Virtual Servers cannot be more than the total capacity of the physical machine when added.

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) run its own operating system. The users have full root level access to the operating system. They can install new operating system and can also tweak the settings to improve performance of the OS. A VPS is functionally equivalent to a dedicated physical web server.

A VPS is best web hosting solution if you want quality hosting, at economical budget. It reduces the gap of shared hosting and dedicated hosting. It provides you an atmosphere of a dedicated web server at a cost of high end shared hosting budget. It is best solution for websites with mid-size traffic.

VPS Hosting Advantages:

• Flexibility: With a VPS, you can initially start with minimum resources. Once your website traffic increase, you can gradually increase your resources.
• Pricing: A VPS is less expensive than dedicated server.
• Customization: A VPS can be customized as per your requirement. Suppose, you just need less hard disk space but high amount of RAM for your software application; you can do so with a VPS.
• With a VPS, you have much more control on your server as compared to a shared web hosting service. You have root level access that is required to run custom scripts.
• Most of the VPS Hosting Companies offer semi-managed and full managed VPS; with a full managed VPS, you do not worry about any technical side of the VPS as they manage it all. You can just manage your VPS with CPanel.

VPS Hosting Disadvantages:

• You may require a system administrator to manage a VPS. Some web administration companies offer such services at around $30 per month for one VPS. You can also opt for fully managed VPS provided by the web hosting company, however, they also charge the system administration charges.
• When it comes to Disadvantages of a Virtual Private Server, there are not many.

Some VPS Hosting Facts:

• A VPS is just like a townhouse. You own your plot of land where you can do whatever you like. However, you still share the block with others. You have your own allotted RAM, CPU, Hard Disk, Bandwidth, etc. The allocated resources are used only by you; you do not share these resources with others.
• There can be 150 to 200 VPS on one dedicated web server machine. VPS Service can really be effective if the web hosting company divides and allocates the dedicated machine resources to limited users. If they oversell a dedicated machine, the VPS Servers on the machine may face latency and provide bad experience. The solution is to choose reputed VPS Web Hosting Company like LINODE.
• In a VPS, large and dedicated portions of the server resources are allocated to users. The allocation of resources to VPS users is based on their configuration.
• A VPS can be immediately scaled; additional web server resources are available through customizable configuration options.
• A VPS can handle huge amount of traffic. If you expect sudden increase in your traffic, you can immediately increase the allocated resources of your VPS to handle the sudden increase.
• In a VPS, users control their own virtually independent operating system.
• In a VPS, you receive your own distinct IP address.
• You receive root level access to control your server and operating system configuration. This provides you with advanced control options.

Who require VPS Hosting?

• A VPS Hosting is required if you have already outgrown the resources allotted with shared hosting.
• A VPS Hosting is required if you require more advanced control of your web hosting server. If you want to run custom scripts or handle huge amount of traffic; a VPS is a must.
• A VPS Hosting is required if you are looking to send more emails from your web server.

Linode is the VPS Hosting Company I personally use and recommend to others. You can get started with Linode VPS Hosting for as low as $20/Month…