VPS or dedicated server: where to host a website or application?

VPS

If a website or application is running on hosting, eventually there will come a moment when the capabilities are no longer enough. Traffic grows, a lot of users come in, or you need to improve the service. It's time to move to a more powerful foundation. The choice is between renting a VPS or a dedicated server.

For large tasks, both options are suitable. To choose, you need to know the differences. So you will understand what will fit. In this article, let's talk about what a VPS and a dedicated server are, as well as how they differ.

What is a VPS and how does it work?

 

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A virtual server (VPS) is something like an apartment in a big house. The whole house is one physical server, and VPS is an apartment where you can install furniture (programs) and live by your own rules (set up the server).

Rent a virtual server for an online store. They give you access to the settings, and you install there everything you need: from the OS to special programs. If you have several sites, you can place them on one VPS, distributing resources (memory, CPU) between them.

What is a dedicated server?

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Now imagine you decide to move to a private home. This is a dedicated server. You own everything from the basement to the roof. You will have to keep an eye on everything: configuration, security, regular updates.

Let's say you launch a large news portal, and you need the site to work 24/7 without interruptions, with maximum speed. Rent a dedicated server. Now nobody but you can use the resources of this “machine”. If you need more memory or processor, you can choose a server with the necessary characteristics.

There is one disadvantage: to manage a dedicated server, you need to know a lot or hire specialists.

How to choose between VPS and dedicated server?

Now that you understand the difference, let's see what's best for you.

When to choose a VPS:

  • Have several websites or a small online store.
  • Need flexibility of settings, but don't need to control every process.
  • You don't want to overpay: VPS is cheaper than a dedicated server, but it gives you more options than hosting.

For example, a small game development studio has launched a website with a blog, forum and store. To make it all work fast and stable, a VPS will be enough for them.

When to choose a dedicated server:

  • A large project requires independence from other sites.
  • You are launching a platform for sharing video or files, where security and speed are primary.
  • You have the ability and skill to manage the server.

A large IT company is launching an internal corporate system that will be used by thousands of employees at a time. They need the system to always be up and running and the data protected. They rent a dedicated server, as this gives them complete independence.

How not to make a mistake?

If you are starting out and are unsure of the future scope of the project, start with a VPS. This will give you flexibility, and if necessary, you will move to a dedicated server. Otherwise you will overpay and use 1/10 of the server capacity.

With LikeVPS you will get full control over the server, including root access and the ability to install the operating system. If you want - make vps server Ubuntu or VPS server Windows. On how to rent a VPS, you will learn in the article “Buy VPS for website hosting: a full guide".

It gives you the freedom to customize your project - from security to performance. In addition, there are many tariffs that are suitable for websites, large applications and game servers.

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For most projects, a virtual server will prove to be the ideal solution. You get a balance between power and cost. But if you need full control and security, a dedicated server is the way to go.