Virtual Private Hosting is hosting multiple virtual instances of a server, domain names/websites on a single physical server. It allows one to share its resources like memory, space and processor cycles with full Root Access, without requiring all services provided to use the same hostname. In VPS hosting, large and dedicated portions of server resources are allocated to users based on their configuration. VPS hosting is a solution that bridges the gap between the limitations of a shared hosting plan and the flexibility of a dedicated server. A virtualization software is used to create a VPS which partitions a single physical server to form multiple servers. Each virtual server is independent of each other.
Basically,
VPS Hosting = Root Access + Isolated Environment + Dedicated Resources
What is Virtualization?
Virtualization refers to establishing a virtual version of something, such as a server, operating system, file, storage or network. The primary goal of virtualization is to manage workloads by drastically transforming traditional computing to make it more scalable. It makes the management of resources more efficient, provides secure remote access which upturns productivity and finally, helps in preventing data loss.
Virtualization requires a virtualization manager or hypervisor. The Virtualization Manager (VM) lies between the hardware and Operating System (OS); it then allocates the amount of access any application and OS can have with the hardware resources.
Types of Virtualization
Virtualization can take many forms depending on the type of applications, use cases, and hardware utilization. There are seven main types of virtualization –
- OS Virtualization
- Application Server Virtualization
- Application Virtualization
- Administrative Virtualization
- Network Virtualization
- Hardware Virtualization
- Storage Virtualization
However, all types of virtualization require individual technologies to function. The two main types of technologies that enable virtualization are – KVM and Virtuozzo
KVM – The Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) is a virtualization infrastructure specifically for the Linux kernel which turns it into a hypervisor. It works on Linux but supports Windows, Solaris, and BSD as guests. KVM is a hardware based virtualization and runs on both x86 and x64 systems. Being an open source virtualization tool, it can be loaded with a custom loadable kernel module.
Virtuozzo – It is a proprietary platform which can be used for efficiently splitting the resources on VMs. Virtuozzo comes bundled with Kernel Service Abstraction Layer (KSAL) for managing VPS access to the kernel. KSAL prevents overriding of the physical server by a single VPS. Virtuozzo runs a single OS which is exported to multiple partitions (VPS) on the host.
How is virtualization relevant to VPS hosting?
Virtualizing a server is partitioning of a physical server into smaller virtual servers to help maximize the server resources.
Benefits of VPS Hosting
- Root Access – With root access you have complete control over your account for software installations. Every action can be handled right from the cPanel.
- Scalability – Resource scalability is an important feature of VPS hosting. If you are running a website and you get peak time spikes, it can be highly challenging for shared hosting to keep up with the web traffic. In VPS hosting scalability of resources is possible as per the situation.
- Privacy – Since VPS servers are separated from each other, every website gets its resources which make it difficult for another server to intrude with the security. A website with VPS hosting is restricted within its private server environment, and it isolates your resources from unauthorized access from other users. VPS servers operate in containers and are less vulnerable to uptime issues caused by load fluctuation or malicious code.
- Dedicated Resources – A VPS server provides dedicated resources to a website, which means only your website is hosted on that server. The resources are exclusively for the website which is running a VPS server.
- Dedicated Mail Server – Like dedicated resources, a VPS server gets its dedicated mail server which makes it more secure and less vulnerable to foreign attacks.
- Performance and Reliability – The performance of a Virtual Private Server is noticeably higher than a shared server and slightly less than a dedicated server. In a VPS, all resources such as CPU usage, RAM, and memory are pre-allocated and scalable.
- Control and Self Dependency – A VPS server enjoys isolated existence and does not get affected by other websites taking away all the resources. Since VPS Hosting provides complete root access, a user has greater control over custom applications.
Conclusion
VPS hosting is an apt solution for people who are looking to upgrade from a shared hosting platform. It is recommended if you require flexibility and scalability. A VPS hosting user gets full access to the VPS’s OS and unrestricted root. It is beneficial for users who –
- Expect their business to expand beyond shared hosting level
- Plan to work with confidential and sensitive data
- Plan to host multiple websites, run applications and have control over their server
- Plan to increase headcount and require greater email capacity
- Expect a significant increase in traffic
With VPS hosting, users have the freedom to configure their server as they like, and it has clear advantages over shared hosting. It is not same as a dedicated server, but it does give the illusion of being one. A good system administrator can optimize the resources of a VPS plan as per the requirement. VPS hosting is less expensive than a dedicated server and is the perfect solution when a user needs more features and flexibility than a shared hosting plan. There are many service providers like ResellerClub who offer great VPS hosting packages with superior performance at competitive pricing.
