If you have a shared hosting account and your website has outgrown it, you should consider upgrading to VPS or Dedicated hosting. Here is why!
Should You Upgrade Your Hosting Account to VPS or Dedicated Server?
If you’re still on the shared hosting plan that you initially purchased when you started your website, it could be a suitable moment to consider transitioning to a VPS plan or even a dedicated server.
In this article, we will closely examine VPS hosting and dedicated servers, delving into their similarities and distinctions. By understanding their features, you can make an informed decision about which option suits you best when upgrading to a new hosting plan.
Hosting Features
Before exploring the differences between VPS hosting and dedicated servers, it’s crucial to grasp the fundamentals of choosing a hosting plan tailored to your needs.
Several key factors will influence your decision:
Number of Processor Cores: More cores generally lead to higher speed and better performance, especially for resource-intensive applications or websites.
Desired Amount of RAM: Optimal performance requires sufficient RAM to handle your site’s operations and traffic efficiently.
Required Disk Space/Storage: Consider the amount of storage your website needs, and decide between faster SSD options or more budget-friendly traditional storage.
Resource Allocation: Apart from hardware specifications, ensure you assess how many websites and blogs can effectively utilize the server’s resources. This impacts the overall performance and responsiveness of your hosted applications.
By thoughtfully evaluating these factors, you can make an informed decision and select the most suitable hosting plan for your specific requirements, ensuring a seamless and high-performing online presence.
Operating System (OS)
Upgrading from a shared hosting plan provides the advantage of gaining full control over the software environment. Among the critical decisions you’ll face is selecting the operating system (OS) to be installed on your hosting server.
While you do have a choice, the options are somewhat restricted. Linux and Windows are the prevalent choices, with Macintosh being a rare and uncommon option.
In general, opting for Windows hosting typically leads to higher hosting expenses. The reason behind this is that Linux is an open-source OS available for free, whereas Windows necessitates a license from Microsoft, which adds to the overall hosting costs.
Distinguishing VPS Hosting from Dedicated Servers
VPS hosting options and dedicated servers share several similarities in terms of the benefits they offer. Both options provide you with greater control over your hosting environment, particularly concerning the installed software. Both options also allow you to tailor the hardware specifications according to your requirements.
Although they are not the same, you can think of a VPS plan as a more lightweight version of a dedicated server. The VPS plan operates within a shared hosting structure but functions similarly to a dedicated server in terms of performance and control.
By opting for a VPS plan, you get the opportunity to experience the high-quality features associated with a dedicated server without incurring additional costs. One of those features is enhanced security.
Enhanced Security
Choosing to host your website in an isolated environment eliminates concerns about the activities of neighboring sites. For instance, if you’re on a shared hosting plan and your neighbors experience a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, your site might also suffer the consequences.
On the other hand, with VPS or dedicated hosting, the likelihood of your website being affected by your neighbors’ issues is nonexistent. This is due to the fact that you get your own set of resources that cannot be compromised by other users on the server. Another reason for the enhanced security is the dedicated IP address you get with these plans as well as the SSL certificate.
Having dedicated IPs reduces the risk of your website being mistakenly associated with another site, offers benefits for email marketing, and when combined with an SSL certificate, ensures secure payment processing for e-commerce sites. These features contribute to a safer online environment for your website and its visitors.
Conclusion
For the majority of bloggers and website owners seeking an upgrade from shared hosting, VPS stands out as the most favorable option just because it is cheaper.
While VPS and dedicated hosting options may come with higher costs compared, they offer unmatched value for websites that have outgrown their shared hosting plans.
Remember, you get what you pay for, and investing in more expensive plans will lead to noticeable improvements in performance and security for your blog. The added benefits of enhanced performance and robust security make these plans well worth considering for website owners aiming to elevate their online presence.
