How to Choose Between a Dedicated Server and a Virtual Private Server for your Website?

Dedicated Servers vs VPS: Having a reliable high performing online presence for your business has become increasingly important for any business that wants to survive and thrive in today’s internet led world.

There has been a lot of increase in online businesses in the past few years and there will be more.  According to grandviewresearch “The global e-commerce market size was valued at USD 9.09 trillion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7% from 2020 to 2027” 

When it comes to positioning your business online, there are lots of things to consider.  Choosing the right hosting provider, server type, and hosting plan should be one of your key considerations.  Underinvest and you could end up with a website that does not perform well when visited by your potential customers which will reflect badly on your business and lose you sales.  Spend too much and it could be money wasted each month, which could be better spent elsewhere.

The good news is that typically hosting is now relatively inexpensive and can be scaled over time.  For small businesses, without much traffic, we would recommend shared hosting as an initial choice with the option to move to a VPS or dedicated server over time.

For medium to large enterprises, or start-ups which expect to grow quickly, the two most common types of servers are VPS and dedicated servers.  Both of these server types offer you varying degrees of setup effort, customisation options, and support for your business.

If you are a medium to large enterprise, or an ambitious start-up the following guide will help you think about the considerations to think about when deciding between a dedicated server or a VPS.

Lets Compare Dedicated Servers vs Vps

Dedicated Server

A dedicated server is where a whole server is reserved for a specific single user and full control of the resources in the server is given to the user.

It is a server that is fully dedicated to a single organisation or individual.  The resources and hardware are not shared with any other user or organisation.

For big businesses or organisations, this will be the best option as it gives total control and there is no limit to what can be done with this type of server.

Advantages

A dedicated server offers a lot of benefits to those that choose this type of server for their business some of which include;

Speed: A dedicated server gives you direct access to the hardware of the server making it possible to manage and use it the way you want to. Since you are not sharing hardware with anyone there is a guarantee of maximum uptime for your website. It provides your website with reliability and stability which means it loads faster. Higher speed and low latency are provided to your website with a dedicated server even if you have heavy content or larger files by reducing the content load time.

Security: in terms of protection, a dedicated server offers you the highest level of security because you are the only one using the server. The resources and connections are private and the user has full access to many resources, it becomes very easy to tackle any security breach that may occur on the website. The high-security features are more useful for a website that has payment gateways where there will be a need for card details. Or a website that collects sensitive information from their visitor.

Flexibility: another good thing about a dedicated server is that you have the flexibility to configure or customise it the way you want. Since the server is dedicated to only one website it can be customised based on what the individual needs for better performance and operation of the website. There is no limit to how you choose to customise or configure your server.

Disadvantages

Cost: all the benefits provided by dedicated servers come with higher costs and are the most expensive option.

Management effort / technical knowledge: dedicated servers can be difficult to manage unless you have the technical knowledge and time needed to set them and maintain them.  Which requires a degree of technical knowledge.  This is one of the main reasons some people prefer to choose the managed VPS option. 

Virtual Private Server (VPS)

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) are quite different from dedicated servers, mainly because the physical server is shared with multiple websites.  A VPS allows you to store your website data and files on a shared physical server, where virtualisation software creates a space on that server that is private and dedicated to you.

For businesses that want to provide an excellent web experience and have dedicated resources, then a VPS can be a pocket-friendly option vs a dedicated server. 

Advantages

Performance: A VPS provides good performance and helps improve website speed for heavy-use sites when compared to shared hosting. In terms of performance, VPS cannot be compared to a dedicated server but it still provides your website with good performance. 

Security: although users on a VPS are hosted on a shared physical server, they each occupy their own private space created by virtualization software.  Ensuring a high degree of security. 

Scalability: one of the major benefits of a VPS is the ability to easily upgrade your resources anytime. A VPS server is easy to scale if you see the need for more space or bandwidth. This could be because of increased traffic or because you want to provide additional services which create an increased overhead. 

Disadvantages

Limited control: unlike a dedicated server that gives you full control, with a VPS there are some limits over the control and usage of resources. 

Configuration: the software and service are configured manually, so you will still need a degree of technical knowledge. 

In Summary – Dedicated Servers vs VPS?

When it comes to choosing a web server, dedicated servers vs VPS are the right choice for a large or complex website or for a small business that you expect to grow quickly online.

Dedicated servers vs VPS give you the ultimate in control, security, and performance.  But this comes at a cost and needs technical knowledge to set up and support.

A VPS provides the middle ground between a dedicated server and shared hosting.  You will get an excellent level of performance and security at a competitive price.  Some knowledge is required, but much of the setup can be done for you.

At BeMoreOnline we are here to help, if you have any questions or need any help with choosing a hosting package please get in touch through our LiveChat channel on our website, through Social Media, or email us at info@bemoreonline.co.uk.