The Benefits of Linux VPS Hosting
Since we’ve determined that Linux VPS hosting is right for you, let’s discuss some of the main benefits. As I mentioned in the first post, price is a big consideration. I just went to a major web hosting company and checked their price on the cheapest dedicated server package and it was $199. That same company is offering a basic Linux VPS hosting package for $49. That’s a savings of $1,800 per year!
I also mentioned that with shared hosting, you will be sharing your server resources with thousands of other customers. If someone encounters a problem with a script that they are running, it may cause the entire server to lock up. This means that your website would go down as well. With a VPS server, you are guaranteed a certain amount of resources and it doesn’t matter if another customer causes a problem. When you are on VPS, you also get your own IP address. With shared hosting, you may be sharing an IP address with another customer that is running an illegal website. If that’s the case and the IP address gets blocked, that means your website gets blocked too.
By using Linux VPS hosting, customers also have the freedom to configure and manage their server however they want. Since you are given root access, you don’t need to rely on the hosting company’s support to configure something. That fact was really a plus for me as I’ve learned so much about running VPS servers. However, if it’s something you’re not comfortable with, you can still ask support to help you. I have had to ask for help a couple of times. You can also utilize your own custom applications and it won’t affect any other customers on the same physical server.
Security is also a major benefit for Linux VPS hosting. Since VPS customers are isolated to their own virtual server and are using a different operating system, threats such as unauthorized access and viruses are minimized. However, on a shared hosting account, if one customer gets hacked or manages to get a virus, it could easily affect your sites as well because you are sharing the same operating system. Also, having a different IP address than the other customers on the physical server also means that a DoS attack would not affect your sites. With technology nowadays and the way the world is, having added security is always a bonus in my book.
Ever since I switched to Linux VPS hosting at ServInt, I have experienced these benefits first hand and I would never go back to shared hosting. For some people it’s fine, but if you consider the benefits I’ve discussed, it is well worth it to me.