Virtual server. What is it?

VPS is a virtual private server. Technically, VPS rental is made by splitting physical server resources into several of virtual servers. The owner of a virtual server has the same options as the owner of the physical one: root access, custom IP addresses, ports, traffic filtration rules, and routing tables.

The advantages of the service include data protection, 24×7 access, scalability of performance and memory without cluttering the office space with expensive equipment. The characteristics of the virtual server operating system are fully consistent with its physical counterpart. Many providers offer VPS and VDS server rental and virtual (shared) hosting. What is the difference between these concepts? Who and when needs virtual servers?

VPS and VDS — what is the difference?

VPS is a virtual private server. VDS is a virtual dedicated server. Often the acronyms are used together or as synonyms (a popular search query — rent VPS/VDS server).

Both terms refer to a virtual machine that runs on a physical server installed in the data center. In fact, one physical server is running several virtual servers, each with its own set of technical parameters according to customer requirements. You can rent a server with the required number and frequency of CPU cores, amount of RAM, and disk space. Just as with the physical server, memory, and computing power can be increased by upgrading the tariff plan.

The words «private» and «dedicated» refer to complete ownership and control over the computing power and software of the virtual server. With VPS or VDS, you get the guaranteed amount of technical characteristics, with exclusive availability.

We can say that the terms VPS—server and VDS—server are synonyms. Search results show that the term VPS is more popular.

When do you need a virtual server?

A virtual server is suitable for websites that exceed shared hosting capacities. VPS is used for software development and testing, VPN servers, creation of remote desktops, accounting software, games, mail and proxy servers, solutions for cloud PBX, including IP telephony. VPS may be used for video surveillance, monitoring of IoT-devices sensors and keeping personal information.

VPS server works for small companies that are not planning to buy physical servers for data storage and processing, and cannot regularly maintain them. Data security and protection is one of the main reasons to rent a VPS for confidential corporate projects. Unlike physical servers, virtual servers are harder to hack: the location of hosting machines in data centers guarantees protection against network failures and raider attacks. Security software allows you to protect VPS against DDoS attacks.

VPS is usually used for workloads requiring stable performance. For example, hosting of 1–10 sites, email hosting, creating virtual desktops for remote employees, and many more. VPS is convenient for international companies. A virtual server allows you to store data in a safe place, and gain access to it any time from anywhere in the world.

The principle of VPS

VPS is based on virtualization technologies that split a powerful physical server into several virtual parts. In other words, one physical machine or one physical server operates as several independent servers. Your virtual server is reserved exclusively for your company or website, so you don’t have to share RAM, CPU, or any resources with others.

VPS Hosting simulates the operation of a dedicated server, even though you share a physical server with other users.

A virtual server works by logically separating computing processes. Kernel-based virtualization runs copies of the operating system separately from each other. For example, a Linux-based operating system kernel allows each user to choose a specific operating system (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS) for his VPS. The technology is easy to manage. On the other hand, hypervisor-based hardware virtualization allows simultaneous running of different operating systems with any kernel. It is suitable for projects with a heavy workload, but it is more complicated to manage.

Splitting the server by virtual walls into separate compartments allows all users to install their own operating systems and software independently.

How VPS differs from other types of hosting

To understand how a VPS works, you need to know the differences between shared hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated server, and VPS server.

Virtual (Shared) Hosting

Virtual hosting is the most common type of hosting. It works well for small websites. When you buy the service, you share key resources, such as CPU, RAM, and hard drive space, with other tenants using the server. Sharing helps keep costs down. The main disadvantage of shared hosting is that when one customer’s traffic increases, others experience performance issues.

Cloud hosting

The physical basis for cloud hosting is an HPC or HPC — LBC cluster of servers. When one of the servers is overloaded, the cluster redirects traffic to the less-loaded server automatically. Many hosting companies offer VPS hosting in the cloud infrastructure.

Dedicated server

Renting a dedicated server is suitable for large businesses. Such servers are more expensive than any other hosting, but they are fast, flexible, and fully customizable. Dedicated servers allow you to choose specific hardware, and fine-tune drivers and operating systems.

Pros and cons of VPS

Like any service, VPS hosting has several advantages and disadvantages.

Pros of VPS hosting:

• High speed and reliability compared to shared hosting.
• Guaranteed performance and storage capacity.
• Privacy of databases and files.
• Root access to the server.
• Scaling RAM, CPU, disk space, bandwidth.

Cons of VPS hosting:

• The cost of VPS is higher than that of shared hosting.
• VPS requires additional technical skills to manage.
• Incorrect settings can lead to security vulnerabilities.

Nowadays, VPS servers and VPS-hosting rentals are the right technical solution for almost every kind of business. LLHOST INC. offers optimized virtual servers with flexible configuration, fast deployment, and high performance.