What Is A VPS? A Simple 2024 Guide to Virtual Private Servers

What is a VPS?

VPS is short for Virtual Private Server. Essentially, a VPS is a virtualized server that acts like an independent physical (dedicated) server. A VPS is created using virtualization software that divides the resources of one dedicated server into multiple virtual servers (VPS). Each VPS is allocated a specified amount of CPU, RAM, and bandwidth.

How does VPS Hosting Work?

Generally, you'll rent a VPS from a hosting company that houses dedicated servers in a data center.  For example, SSD Nodes offers extremely powerful low-cost VPS servers. A single server could house hundreds of virtual servers. But each VPS has its own resources and its own operating system. So it works just like a dedicated server but at a fraction of the cost. VPS hosting is a popular and flexible hosting solution, carving out a middle-ground between shared hosting and dedicated server hosting. A virtual private server offers you better performance than shared hosting, lower prices than dedicated hosting and increased flexibility over either of the other options. So, is VPS hosting right for you? Let’s find out...

Why Choose a VPS over Other Hosting Options?

VPS Hosting vs Shared Hosting

Think of shared hosting like a huge open office—everyone has their own desk but they’re essentially sharing the same space....and stealing each other’s yogurt out of the fridge from time to time. VPS hosting is more like individual offices in a high-rise building, each with a lock on the door. And their own refrigerator. Performance in shared hosting is unpredictable, as many accounts share the same server without restrictions. And that means your site might experience performance issues if traffic spikes on another site on the server you’re sharing. A VPS lets you utilize the maximum server resources allocated to you. Depending on the provider, you may even be able to scale these resources when needed. VPS hosting also gives you more control over your security. You (or your host, in a managed service) are responsible for managing the security of your server— meaning that your VPS security is as strong as you make it. On a shared server, on the other hand, all