VPS hosting can be a great option for many of your hosting needs, whether that includes hosting one or multiple websites, testing applications and software, sharing files with your customers or employees, or providing a virtual workspace for remote employees. Of course, that’s not all a VPS can do. However, it’s worth understanding what a VPS is and how exactly VPS hosting works to see if it is the right choice for you. In this article, we break down VPS hosting to its definition, uses, limitations, and comparisons to other popular hosting solutions. Additionally, we discuss how a VPS works in terms of hosting a website. Keep reading to learn more.

What is VPS Hosting?

To understand VPS hosting, it is important to understand the basics of what a server is. By its simplest definition, a server is a powerful computer that stores large amounts of data and information. A server can either be software or a physical piece of hardware, which is where many people can get confused. 

A VPS, or virtual private server, is an isolated portion of a server's physical resources partitioned for the use of a single user. The parent server or host device is simply a server machine that’s operated by a cloud services provider. The VPS is a virtual environment emulated on that piece of hardware. The parent server will contain multiple virtual private servers, all sharing the same RAM and bandwidth but working on individual operating systems.   

Consumers will purchase a VPS from a cloud services provider, which often provides dedicated and shared hosting services. VPS hosting falls somewhere in the middle of the two - operating on shared bandwidth, but without interacting with other virtual servers from the same host device. 

How VPS Hosting Works

A parent server or host device uses virtualization technology to emulate isolated operating systems that are sold as separate VPS products. This allows the VPS administrator to install their own operating system and software onto their private IP address, without it interfering with other virtual private servers on the parent server. This means the other virtual private servers will not interact with your private server’s memory, disk space, CPU, or overall security, despite still drawing from a shared set of resources. 

What is VPS Hosting Used For?

A VPS is typically purchased by a customer who is looking for a hosting solution that is considerably more affordable than a dedicated server but still can efficiently provide hosting for anywhere from one individual to a small or mid-sized business. 

VPS hosting is used for a variety of reasons. They can be used for the same purposes as dedicated servers, however, because virtual private servers are limited in terms of bandwidth and storage, they are ideal for smaller workloads. Some of the reasons VPS hosting is used includes…

• Hosting websites

• Hosting personal servers

• File storing that is accessible internationally

• Virtual workspace for remote employees

• Application testing

• Databases

How Does VPS Hosting Compare to Other Types of Hosting?

We mentioned earlier that VPS hosting falls somewhere between dedicated and shared hosting. These three types of hosting solutions vary in resources, price, capabilities, and required skillset. Identifying which hosting option you need will require you to take a look at the reasons why you need hosting, in addition to your budget, your website’s average traffic volume, your security needs, as well as many other factors. 

Shared Hosting: Shared servers are the most affordable, but for a reason. You can typically only host one website, which then shares an IP address with multiple other websites that are also being hosted on the same parent server. How much RAM, storage, and CPU you have is entirely dependent on the plan that you purchase. 

Dedicated Hosting: This is your most expensive hosting option outside of purchasing and maintaining your own server. However, you will have your own private server, complete with your own bandwidth and storage. You can host an “unlimited” number of websites without fear of security or performance issues. Prices can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars each month. 

VPS Hosting: Unlike shared servers, your VPS will have its own IP address. Like shared servers, it will have an allotted amount of resources for use in website or game server hosting, posing limitations on the number of users. VPS hosting is like dedicated hosting in the sense that you do have the same security specs as an entirely private server. 

Hosting a Website on a VPS

Many people who need a VPS are looking for a web hosting service for their website(s). While this isn’t the only thing a VPS can do, it is one of its most common purposes. 

How Does VPS Web Hosting Work?

If you haven’t yet, you must register your website’s domain with a hosting provider. The hosting provider can then provide you with a nameserver, which leads users to the correct IP address when they search for your website domain. The actual web hosting service is responsible for providing a server (a VPS, in this case) to maintain a storage space for your website’s data, making it accessible to the entire web. When a user searches for your domain, the VPS will communicate all your website’s data to the user’s device and browser. 

How Many Websites Can a VPS Host?

Technically, you can host an unlimited number of websites on your VPS. However, because you’re sharing resources with other private servers from the parent device, you can host somewhere around 1-10 websites before the performance is negatively affected. If your website(s) begins running slowly or you find yourself constantly running into server issues, you may need to switch to a dedicated or cloud server hosting option instead. 

Conclusion: VPS Hosting - Everything You Need to Know

While it may be difficult to wrap your head around initially, we hope that this article helps shed some light on VPS hosting and its capabilities and limitations. The average user won’t need to know all the specifics of VPS hosting, but it can be valuable to know exactly what you’re investing in.