How to Choose the Best VPS Hosting Plan for Your Website?
Now that you know what a VPS is and when you should upgrade, let’s talk about what makes a great VPS plan and how to find the best web hosting provider. After all, you wouldn’t trust your website with just anybody, right?
Self-Managed Versus Managed VPS Services
When selecting VPS hosting, you usually have two plan options:
- Self-managed VPS service (sometimes called unmanaged VPS)
- Managed VPS service
You need to be familiar with server administration, troubleshooting, and managing the applications, software, and services installed on your VPS if you choose a self-managed service.
If you are either unfamiliar with these admin skills or you just want your hosting company to take care of it for you, then opting for a managed VPS plan is the way to go.
All of DreamHost’s VPS plans are fully managed, meaning you can skip worrying about the nitty-gritty technical details and focus on what really matters: creating great content for your website. If you’re looking for root access, though, consider opting for DreamHost’s cloud hosting.
1. Linux/Windows
You might think this tip might fall into the obvious category, but it’s worth sharing: Make sure the hosting package you select is compatible with your operating system. DreamHost, for instance, doesn’t offer Windows hosting since most of our users prefer to run a Linux VPS.
2. Reliability
The VPS hosting service you select should have uptime ratings of 99.5% and above. Anything lower from your web host is simply unacceptable. For the record, DreamHost boasts one of the industry’s highest uptime scores at 99.98%. Stop it, we’re blushing.
3. Hardware
When purchasing a VPS hosting package, make sure your service provider offers the latest and greatest in hardware, including solid state drives (SSD) — the fastest storage technology. SSD makes running high-speed applications easier thanks, in part, to the lack of moving parts.
4. 24/7 Customer Support
When it comes down to it, you simply don’t know when you’ll experience a site meltdown. So make sure you purchase a VPS hosting package from a company that offers 24/7 customer support.
5. Backup Service
Imagine you are revamping your site when something goes wrong and you lose everything because you forgot to backup your site. Shivers. This is an all-too-common occurrence, and it can cost you money, time, and more than a few gray hairs. Make sure when you purchase VPS service, you choose a provider that makes backups easy.
Ready for Your Own Private Server?
If your website is growing and beginning to attract some well-deserved attention, you’ll want its performance to keep pace. And that means it’s time to increase your site’s resources by upgrading to a VPS server.
While VPS hosting is more expensive than a shared plan, the benefits of this kind of hosting solution give you a lot of bang for your buck – without having to spring for a much-pricier dedicated hosting plan. Wondering which VPS host to choose? Consider DreamHost! Our VPS plans start at just $10/mo.
Are There Any VPS Alternatives? What Is a Managed VPS?
One of the biggest pitfalls of VPS hosting is having to manage your entire server environment by yourself. If your virtual server is not configured and maintained well, you may face serious security risks and performance loss. Managed VPS hosting services have appeared on the market as a viable solution to this problem. You can think of it as an enhanced alternative of VPS hosting, that comes with full technical support.
Conclusion
VPS hosting gives you access to guaranteed resources and full control without having to run your own server. It’s an excellent solution for medium to high traffic, resource-heavy, and eCommerce websites. However, businesses who expect rapid growth can also benefit from the stability of the service. If you want a reliable, business-scale hosting environment at a friendly price, it’s definitely worth considering VPS hosting for your website. For an easy setup, consider Cyberpanel VPS hosting powered by LiteSpeed, which comes with a pre-installed control panel and a fast LiteSpeed webserver.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is VPS Good for Hosting?
If you need a hosting service that scales with your fast-growing website, VPS hosting is a great option. You have full control over your server resources and often a better uptime overall, as your server is not sharing its resources with other websites.
2. Why Do I Need VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting is a must for websites and online stores that get a lot of traffic. Unlike traditional web hosting, VPS hosting makes it possible to allocate server resources, making it easier to manage corporate websites and online stores, for example.
3. What Is the Difference Between Hosting and VPS?
A shared hosting plan is great for small personal websites, since the hosting server’s resources are shared with other websites. With VPS hosting, you get the server resources you need for a bigger project, and can allocate them as you see fit.