What Is WordPress VPS Hosting: All You Need to Know

VPS is an acronym for virtual private server, and WordPress VPS hosting means that your hosting provider has one physical server, which hosts several VPS.

The significance here is that the server functions of a VPS are similar to those of a dedicated server. This explains why VPS also goes by the alias virtual dedicated server (VDS).

What does this mean for those of you who have or plan on purchasing a WordPress VPS hosting plan? Basically, despite sharing one server with other users, you’ll still have your own operating system as well as full root access. In other words, every VPS administrator will be able to act independently of other users that share the same physical server.

Given that we at 10Web rely on cloud hosting services ourselves, we’ll be able to share with you our first-hand experience with this type of virtual server.

Who needs WordPress VPS hosting?

VPS hosting is especially useful to those who are tech savvy and are in need of a tailored hosting base, yet don’t have the necessary means to afford to purchase a dedicated server.

WordPress VPS hosting has the same functions as regular VPS hosting, with the small difference that it’s tailored specifically to the needs of a WordPress content management system (CMS).

While shared hosting services are just enough to meet the necessities of small websites and blogs, VPS hosting also targets medium-sized and big websites; or, put differently websites with higher ambitions when it comes to the website’s functionalities as well as anticipated traffic.

What’s more, is that with VPS hosting you’ll have greater accessibility, which will give you the option of extending your functionalities by adding new software. This you won’t be able to do with shared hosting, simply because you don’t have sufficient access to the server.

All in all, thanks to affordable hosting services and great scalability, VPS is the ideal solution for medium-sized companies. Especially since virtual servers are easy and fast when it comes to upgrades.

Should you find that you will be in need of more resources than initially expected, you can very easily change your hosting tariff. Contrary to dedicated hosting the upgrade of a virtual server doesn’t require data migration, because additional resources can be authorized via the hypervisor.

However, keep in mind that because VPS has a wide range of functions we would recommend that you only use it if you have basic server administration knowledge – that is, if you’re planning on purchasing an unmanaged version. But more on that later.

 

Pros and Cons of WordPress VPS Hosting

WordPress VPS hosting offers a variety of advantages.

For starters, the fact that VPS hosting is WordPress-specific is a huge plus, given that, as of yet, WordPress is the most commonly used CMS worldwide. In other words, having hosting services that are specifically designed to suit this particular CMS will ensure a smooth and efficient functioning of your website.

Another plus is that hardware resources are used to the full extent. Virtualization allows one physical server to be divided into several virtual servers, while still maintaining independence. Different operating systems can be installed for a variety of application purposes.

Additionally, it is a very well known fact by now, that it’s more efficient to operate a few servers that are well utilized than to manage a lot of servers that are utilized only to a small extent. The virtualization of servers allows to consolidate servers and better utilize the available hardware.

So, the operating costs are kept to minimum. This technology leads to significant savings, when it comes to overall costs, server energy consumption, as well as space requirements.

Meanwhile, the fact that the number of physical servers is reduced means that the maintenance as well as the operation of the overall hardware system is much easier to handle.

Another important advantage of VPS hosting is that it improves the security of your entire system. Without any additional investments in hardware a VPS can provide several applications, such as for example hot standby, as well as load balancing. This not only improves the security of your website hosting process but guarantees its continuity as well.

A virtual server can migrate data between physical servers in a matter of seconds without interrupting any ongoing applications.

Already feeling yourself too lazy to continue reading? We feel you, that’s why we’ve prepared this video that sums up the essentials for you:

Altogether, the mere fact that administrators have the option of adjusting the provision of resources to a VPS according to the users’ requirements shows that VPS improves the flexibility of your system.

The advantages of a VPS are completely independent of the physical hardware. For example, in case the physical server is experiencing a server failure or going through maintenance, you have the possibility of relocating your virtual server. In doing so you ensure the continuous functioning of your website.

Cloud computing providers such as Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services use this advantage during hardware failures to migrate the VPS to another physical server. With dedicated hosting you’ll run the risk of experiencing downtime for several hours once such hardware problems take place.

On the cons side, there’s a possibility that a simultaneous and high utilization of several virtual servers of one physical hardware could result in an insufficient performance of the individual servers.

Generally speaking, virtual servers aren’t as efficient as physical servers when it comes to getting access to the hardware. That’s why there’s the possibility of a small loss of performance when several virtual servers try to access the resources of one and the same physical server.

 

WordPress VPS Hosting vs Shared Hosting

In essence, shared hosting and VPS hosting are similar to one another. They both use the resources of one physical server to satisfy the needs of several users.

The main difference is that with shared hosting, you have less flexibility when it comes to extending the resources available to you. Because in shared hosting, you share everything with other users, you’ll have to live with the fact that you don’t only share the good but also the bad. So brace yourself for bad neighborhood effects.

For those of you who don’t know what bad neighborhood effects are, imagine you have purchased a shared hosting plan that is equipped to handle a maximum of 10k visitors per month.

However, another user that relies on the same physical server that hosts your website unexpectedly experiences a surge in traffic and exceeds this limit. Now this user’s activity will lead to a bad neighborhood effect for you by impairing your website’s efficiency, causing longer loading times or even a downtime.

Bad neighborhood effects are especially important when thinking about the security of your website. In shared hosting, if another user is hacked you’ll most likely be receiving the bad neighborhood effects of this attack. Within this context, a problem shared is definitely not a problem halved.

With VPS hosting, on the other hand, your neighbors are separated from you, which makes the likelihood of you suffering because of other users’ actions slim to none.

As already mentioned, VPS hosting while also offering a shared utilization of one physical server, grants more independence to its VPS users.

This means that you’ll be able to tailor your plan according to your needs. In a nutshell, you’ll have more resources at your disposal, the composition of which can be changed at any time and according to your demands.

Now we would be remiss if we talked about shared hosting without mentioning the price-performance ratio. To this day, it is a widespread assumption that shared hosting is the ideal option for small website owners because of its unparalleled low price.

We at 10Web beg to differ: the website hosting market is known for its highly competitive environment. And if there’s one thing that all of us remember from our school years is that fierce competition breeds price elasticity.

That the price offer of shared hosting services is unmatched might have been true in the distant past. Nowadays, users have a lot more alternatives that surpass shared hosting in terms of the price ratio as well as the range of resources offered.

If you don’t believe us, keep reading to check out our list of cheap managed VPS hosting providers.

 

WordPress VPS Hosting vs Dedicated Hosting

As a rough rule of thumb, here’s what you need to keep in mind:

• With shared hosting you have almost no control over your server;
• In VPS hosting you’ll have access to your server, albeit to a limited extent;
• And lastly, with dedicated hosting you have full control over your server because you don’t share it with anyone else.

If it helps, try to think of VPS hosting in terms of it having the composition of a shared hosting plan with the functionalities of a dedicated plan.

A dedicated hosting plan, as the name suggests, is a server that’s only dedicated to you and your needs. You are provided all the rights to do anything you want with the server, add as many software as you like and customize it according to your unique preferences.

However, it should be said upfront that dedicated hosting is only worth its money if you are expecting a high inflow of monthly traffic (roundabout 500k). Next to that, you’ll need to have the necessary financial budget as well as the necessary technical expertise or at least technical specialists to tailor the server according to your wishes.

When it comes to security, both dedicated and VPS hosting provide a high level of security.

However, out of the three options, dedicated hosting is akin to a fortress. Given that with dedicated hosting you’ll have the server for yourself, you’ll be physically isolated from other “infected” servers.

In general, VPS hosting can be seen as dedicated-hosting-light. This is also reflected in the price. VPS hosting packages are cheaper than dedicated hosting plans. Obviously, when a hosting provider can distribute the resources of one server to several customers he or she will be able to provide those resources at a lower price.

Lucky for you, both of these hosting types provide good customer care services. We cannot stress this enough, but for us a qualified customer support is an essential quality feature. Should a hosting provider not include it in its service package, we highly recommend you to not settle and look for another provider.

 

WordPress VPS Hosting vs Managed Hosting

One thing that shouldn’t be neglected when comparing hosting services, is the fact that you can purchase unmanaged hosting plans as well as managed ones.

Which one of these options is best is really up to you and how much human and financial resources you’re willing to invest in hosting your website.

On the one side you have unmanaged plans, where you have basically full control over everything related to the software of your server. For the VPS version of this type of hosting, your provider will set limits to the resources available to you. But that’s where his or her involvement ends, leaving everything else is in your hands.

On the other side, there’s managed hosting services. This plan is especially useful for those who lack the necessary time and human resources to take care of technical details on their own.

Managed hosting will, for one, have certain applications already pre-installed for you. Secondly, with the help of automation a wide range of website management processes are significantly facilitated and can be easily done in just a few clicks.

Not to mention, you’ll have 24/7 customer support in case you need assistance or are facing some technical issues.

Perhaps most important of all, managed hosting providers have evolved insofar as that they offer a variety of plans to anticipate the customers’ needs.

By the same token, managed hosting has over time become as affordable as shared hosting with the added bonus of a broader spectrum of services as well as more flexibility when it comes to customizing your virtual server.

 

Best VPS Hosting Providers

The list for VPS hosting providers is endless. But for the purpose of brevity, we’ll contain ourselves to sharing the best and cheapest options out there:

• inMotion: inMotion is the market leader when it comes to VPS hosting. It offers a comprehensive services package, starting from $22.99 per month for the managed option. It’s a pretty fair price if you ask us. However, keep in mind that this price includes a discount. Originally, the plan costs $64.99 per month.
• Bluehost: If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, Bluehost offers its starter package for, believe it or not, $2.95 per month. Like the previous provider, this price is discounted. The original monthly price is at $7.99.
• GoDaddy: Another provider that is currently offering incredible discounts is GoDaddy with its unmatched monthly price of $1.00. Initially, the standard package costs $8.99.</li
• DreamHost: And the discount campaigns end there. DreamHost offers a VPS Basic package at its original price of $10.00 per month.
• 10Web: Like our predecessor, we offer our services for $10.00 per month with a free trial option – no credit card information required. Make sure to drop by and check out our extensive range of services. Let yourself be impressed by the high performance, variety of features and ease of use of our hosting platform.

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For a more comprehensive overview of the services these providers offer, make sure to visit their websites and see which plan is best suited for your needs.

 

Is WordPress VPS Hosting the Right Choice for You?

Yes. Having already explored the advantages that WordPress VPS hosting services have over shared hosting packages, there’s really no need for you to forgo quality in order to save money.

In terms of security, customer service, as well as customization capacity, VPS hosting is hands down the better alternative.

Shared hosting used to have one selling point, which was its unrivaled price-performance ratio. But these days are long gone.

In this day and age, the website hosting landscape offers a broad range of high-quality services for the same price as shared hosting or even less. That is to say, you don’t have to settle for mediocrity anymore.

Should you, however, have a bigger website project with an anticipated high-level of traffic inflow, for which you need to ensure the maximum level of security, then you might want to consider purchasing a dedicated server. Provided that you have the necessary financial means, this can be a suitable option for you.

This being said, in the spirit of floating questions instead of simply answering them, we are interested in knowing what kind of hosting services you rely on. Should you happen to be a VPS hosting user, would you care to share your experiences with us?