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Anyone who runs a website, whether they’re an individual or part of a business, has to choose which web hosting solution they want. There are plenty of options out there, with the most common kinds being virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated servers, and shared hosting. Each option comes with its own pros and cons, which should be considered carefully before the decision is made. For example, do you want great overall performance for a modest price? In that case, a VPS could be the way to go. Do you want to prioritize performance over cost? Then a dedicated server might be the best choice.
Whatever you choose, it’s important to think about how secure your information will be. The service provider should offer robust security measures, and you may also be able to customize your security settings as well. Another way to add an extra layer of security is through buying VPS services with crypto, which keeps your personal and financial details completely anonymous. Since cryptocurrency transactions don’t require identity verification, and some VPS services don’t require identity verification, this can keep you safe from even the most invasive hacking attempts. Not all VPS hosting services are set up to accept cryptocurrency payments, but an increasing number of hosting services like Initech are adding this option to stay at the forefront of technological innovation.
Virtual private servers explained
VPS hosting offers a balance between performance and price, which makes it appealing for many small and medium-sized businesses. While the physical servers are shared, a VPS is a virtual server that keeps the user separate from others on the physical servers. This means that each user has their own plan for resource requirements, operating systems, and security settings.
What would this look like in the real world? If you use a VPS, you’ll have a certain level of RAM, CPU, and storage space guaranteed. This means that even though you’re technically sharing physical servers with other users, your website won’t be slowed down if other sites experience spikes in traffic. Plus, if you ever need to scale up as a result of increased demand, many VPS hosting services will let you upgrade your plan so you can keep your website running smoothly. Some aspects of VPS hosting are similar to shared hosting, but without many of the disadvantages (such as decreased performance).
Why VPS hosting is better than shared hosting
Shared hosting operates under the assumption that each user will only need a certain amount of resources at any given time. All other things being equal, this generally works; any random surges in traffic or user requests may slow down the websites on shared servers, but that will just be a temporary issue that resolves itself.
However, sometimes the increased traffic is more than the shared servers can handle; it could be due to a single site going viral, or multiple sites simply enjoying higher visitor numbers at the same time. Whatever the case, this increased traffic can cause the shared servers to crash, which will affect everyone using them. This can result in lost customers, extended downtime, and negatively affected reputations.
As you might expect, shared hosting is cheaper than most other hosting options, mainly due to the risks outlined above. However, you don’t have to opt for shared hosting if you’re on a budget. VPS may not be as inexpensive as shared hosting, but it’s still reasonably priced, and lets you avoid many of the risks presented by shared hosting.
What about dedicated servers?
If performance is a more important consideration than price, then dedicated servers would be the best option. This is usually only chosen by large corporations and businesses, for a couple of reasons. First, the benefits don’t really justify the cost for small or medium-sized businesses. Second, large organizations are usually the only ones who can afford dedicated servers. Not only do they have to ensure enough resources for normal traffic, but they also have to allow for plenty of extra RAM, CPU, storage space, etc. in case of sudden surges in demand.
VPS hosting provides the best of both worlds
On the one hand, you have shared hosting – it’s cheap, but also not that reliable. On the other hand, there’s dedicated servers – very expensive, but also very reliable. In the middle there’s VPS hosting, which is affordable for businesses of every size, and dependable enough to offer consistent performance for even resource-heavy sites.
Since VPS hosting shares physical servers, this cuts down on the cost significantly. However, VPS users get dedicated resources that won’t be affected by other users’ activity, so there’s a much smaller possibility of lowered performance (as well as crashed servers).
Each client gets their own virtual servers with VPS hosting, which gives them a lot more control over security. They can customize security settings, such as firewalls, plus avoid being affected by attacks on other users. This is a crucial benefit for any business that’s concerned with online security; not only can they beef up their own security measures, but they also don’t have to worry about security lapses from other users on the same servers.
Using VPS hosting isn’t the only way to increase online security, though; another method is to pay for the service using cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Ethereum. When you pay for anything using crypto, you don’t have to authenticate your identity; this is one of the key differences between this and traditional electronic payment methods. If a hacker somehow gains access to payment information, they won’t get your bank account or credit card numbers, your name, your contact information, or any other sensitive data. Paying for VPS hosting with crypto isn’t a universally available option, but some companies are offering this as part of their services, and more are likely to catch on in the future.
If you’re looking for a cloud hosting solution that’s both reliable and affordable, then VPS hosting will probably tick a lot of boxes. It’s robust enough to sustain high performance, and accessible for businesses of any size.
