VPS is an acronym for Virtual Private Server. To put it simply, a VPS is a smaller, private piece of a much larger server. Virtual server hosting provides you with your own set of computing resources that aren’t shared with anyone else on the server. It’s similar to having your own dedicated server, however it’s virtual. This allows you to have root access, installed your own software and have the flexibility you get on a dedicated server, but without the full cost.

They are quite similar, but the main difference is that a VPS will have a slice of the total resources on a hardware node, while a Virtual Dedicated Server will have all of the resources on that hardware node. Virtual Private Servers are popular because of the affordability of gaining access to more resources and control of your own server without the full costs of dedicated.

Cloud computing is a process in which multiple servers and their resources are pooled together versus than a single dedicated server. Cloud computing takes both software and hardware and works together to provide powerful, efficient and reliable web hosting.

The primary advantage of VPS is overall control and flexibility. You can manage virtually any aspect of the web server and implement your own software and settings. It is worth mentioning, though, that overall performance of the website on a VPS would be a close second.

Websites that are growing in popularity and experiencing slow load times due to visitor traffic may want to consider an upgrade from shared hosting. If you plan on developing mobile apps, store a massive amount of user data or plan on hosting an integrated corporate connection, you may also want to consider VPS. If you also need to install custom software that isn’t permitted on shared hosting, VPS would also be your only hosting option.

With a shared hosting package, you’re essentially “sharing” the server with a wide variety of other websites. This means the resources of the server are limited among every customer on the server. With a Virtual Private Server, your website has greater access to resources such as disk space, memory and CPU power. This means your site, apps and data are often faster and more responsive than hosting them on a shared plan. Another difference between shared hosting and VPS is scaling capacity. It many instances, it’s far easier and more efficient to scale up using a VPS when the site becomes too large or needs more resources to operate.

Both of our shared hosting and VPS hosting plans are built and optimized for speed. However, a virtual private server allows you customizations that are generally not suitable for the shared hosting platform. You will also get a completely dedicated environment.

GreenGeeks provides management of your VPS and provide support that falls within the scope of cPanel. For full details, see: VPS Support Scope.

The operational aspect of VPS does require someone with knowledge about how servers operate. This is because you’re maintaining and managing your own “virtual” server. You have super-user control, and making mistakes in the settings could ultimately cripple your website.

Yes, your VPS will come with a cPanel Solo License. You will be able to upgrade your cPanel license to include more domains as you grow.

Securing your VPS is a bit of a process. Because you are operating your own virtual server, you’ll need to make a lot of changes in the software depending on your needs. For instance, managing the ports for shell access, passwording the root directory, managing user rights on the system, configuring firewalls, backing up the system, and installing anti-virus and malware software is usually your responsibility. Which is one of the reasons why you need a knowledgeable technician to maintain the VPS.

All of our Virtual Private Servers come with a dedicated IP address.

Absolutely. In fact, a lot of people will use preferred firewall, backup and maintenance software when first setting up the VPS. This can also include things like live chat apps, interoffice communications, encryption software and much more. It is important to remember that GreenGeeks will not provide support for any 3rd party software installed.

In many cases, the performance of you website due to heavy traffic is a good indicator to move to VPS hosting. Now, many shared hosting plans perform exceptionally well when it comes to handling large amounts of traffic. But if you’re processing information from hundreds of thousands of people per day, you may want to consider upgrading. Expansion of your business may be another good indicator to upgrade to VPS. Perhaps you have software you want to use online to integrate your business. Maybe you want to offer direct video content to site users. The processing power of a VPS and the bandwidth can make heavier sites perform smoothly.

Yes. You will be able to easily upgrade to a higher plan from within your GreenGeeks account.

The difference between Managed VPS hosting & Unmanaged VPS hosting is important to know. With a managed VPS, all aspects of your VPS and its software are professionally managed. With an unmanaged VPS, the responsibility falls on the account holder to ensure things like performance, security and software is maintained.