What is Virtual Private Server (VPS)?

A virtual private server, sometimes called a VPS, is an internet hosting service that sells a single physical server as a virtual server. The term 'virtual' is used because each VPS has the ability to become a stand-alone physical machine. In other words, you have a single physical machine with all the same resources (users, ram, operating system etc.) as your physical machine. However, because the VPS is not actually a physical machine, it is easier to work with than a Dedicated Server.

Basically, a VPS is just another name for a virtual private server. However, the difference is that instead of owning your own dedicated server, you use another website's resources (RAM, hard drive space, operating system etc.) to create a virtual private server from which you can access your own application platform, and even your own URL's.

The biggest advantage of VPS over dedicated hosting is cost. A VPS will literally pay for itself over a few years because it will save you money on both RAM and hard drive space. But cost isn't the only advantage of using a virtual private server hosting environment. Another big advantage is that it allows you to easily customize your hosting environment to exactly what you need it to be.

You may have heard about a 'cloud' or 'virtual private server' - they are nothing more than a collection of servers that function together. The idea behind the cloud is that every time one machine needs to operate a function, another machine is always available to fulfill that need. The concept is fairly simple - imagine if you could store your information (web pages, images, data) on our own computers at home and then share that information with your web browser via the internet. Now, imagine if you were able to do that same thing on the cloud. Now you have a network of machines running virtual applications and you don't need to have any knowledge of how those machines work in order to use them.

So if VPS is great, why should you use a virtual private server (VPS)? If you are building a website or need root access to an existing website, then VPS is your best option. VPS allows you to use just one server and by having multiple copies of the root server, you only have to remember one thing: which VPS you are using. You also have the ability to use as much storage space and bandwidth as you need. This is extremely useful if you are just starting out with a new website and don't yet have a lot of traffic flowing through your site.

So what are the differences between VPS and shared hosting? The biggest difference is price - while a shared hosting plan may be cheaper for the beginning, you will pay dearly for growth. VPS, on the other hand, will let you have the benefits of a VPS for a lower price but you can also grow your site without worrying about the cost. And finally, VPS is much more flexible than shared hosting and you can get root access even if your website grows significantly.