As the name suggests, VPS or Virtual Private Server is a virtual partition created on a regular standalone dedicated server.
This is done by using virtualization software like VMware etc and allows for multiple partitions to be created in a single server.
A VPS server acts and functions just like a dedicated server. It also offers similar features, at a much lower price.
While a VPS is a virtual partition; it comes with an operating system, disk space and memory; and can be rebooted separately.
Why VPS Hosting?
Managed VPS hosting comes at a lesser cost than a fully dedicated server and provides a great deal of freedom and flexibility when compared to shared hosting services.
When to Use and How to Decide It Is Time to Upgrade?
VPS Server is required when the website grows out of resource limits of a shared hosting. When the best of shared hosting plan fails to support the website efficiently, it is ideal to move to VPS Server.
A VPS is especially suitable for ecommerce; VPS server plans can support secure payments with a fast and stable environment especially for storing sensitive data.
It helps to have VPS server hosting to reduce the risk of security breaches and identity theft.
Exabytes is one of the leading Singaporean VPS Hosting provider that offers one of the best managed VPS hosting plans.
There is a wide range of Linux VPS server hosting options too for those looking at cPanel login or cPanel hosting on a VPS.
Like all web hosting platforms, managed VPS hosting plans also have a list of things which work well and those which could be a challenge. Let us look at some of the pros and cons.
Pros
- A VPS is faster and more reliable than a shared hosting server
- Improved stability with VPS server plans as each VPS has guaranteed resources like CPU and memory.
- Enhanced privacy – on a VPS, the files and databases can be locked from other server users.
- An easy-to-scale service with an ability to upgrade the server resources like RAM, CPU, disk space, bandwidth, etc.
- Resource-heavy sites run with much better performance on a VPS Server
Cons
- More expensive than shared hosting
- An improperly configured VPS server may lead to security vulnerabilities
- Basic technical knowledge may be needed to work with a VPS
For people looking at VPS Singapore, Exabytes offers Managed VPS hosting plans that let you focus on your business while a 24x7x365 tech support team works to keep your server safe, secure and always available.
How does VPS Hosting work?
Every VPS resides on something called a “host machine” or a “base machine”.
These are powerful dedicated servers on which a virtualization software is installed to create multiple VPS server hosting options – be it Linux VPS server hosting or Windows VPS.
The virtualization software, also called as a hypervisor, creates a virtual layer which helps in creating artificial or virtual partitions on a physical server.
Each such virtual partition is then called a VPS. These partitions have their their own OS and software, creating a small but virtual server that’s truly private and separated from others at the OS level.
How to use VPS Hosting?
VPS Server can be used for smaller workloads that need consistent performance.
Businesses may use a VPS for
- Hosting 1-10 websites
- Storing company and customer files in a way that’s accessible anywhere in the world
- Hosting web servers
- Hosting email
- Databases
- cPanel or Plesk hosting
- Building and delivering cloud-based services for customers
- Delivering virtual workstations to remote employees
- And many other things
What are the benefits of VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting delivers several important benefits that combine the best features of shared and dedicated hosting.
- Reliable performance: You have your own allocated bandwidth and storage and don’t have to share with other companies.
- Growth: Scaling is fast and easy.
- Value: VPS server is less expensive than dedicated server and you only pay for what you need. VPS delivers plenty of value for the money.
- Data protection: VPS hosting makes it easy to perform server backups. With Liquid Web, daily backups are standard for our VPS environments.
- Control: You get SSH and root access to your environment, affording you more control.
- Security: VPS server environments were isolated from each other, making them more secure than shared hosting environments.
- Customization: A VPS is highly customizable, so you get only the features you want which even includes the operating system (OS) of your choice.
Setting Up VPS Hosting: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Learn How to Log into Your VPS via Secure Shell (SSH) Access
One can connect to a website in many ways beyond using a browser like File Transfer Protocol (FTP) thus enabling you to upload, download, and edit files on your server.
While FTP can be useful, it doesn’t allow to issue commands to VPS server. For this, we need the Secure Shell (SSH) access. This is a different type of protocol that provides you with access to remote servers.
Once you connect to a server via SSH, you’ll be able to issue commands to it. SSH is known for its strong encryption and authentication protocols, which makes it highly secure.
Upon signing up for a VPS server plan, the web host should provide a set of credentials, including:
- Server’s IP address
- Username (usually root)
- Password for your root account
A root (or superuser) account is a user with full privileges and access on a specific system.
Upon setting up a VPS, one starts with single root account which will be used to make initial connection.
Step 2: Update Your Server
Upon logging into the VPS, one sees a message that tells if there are any ‘packages’ or security updates available.
Regular update of the package helps ensure no important features are missed out that can boost the performance. It is also essential to download any pending security patches.
Step 3: Create a New User and Modify Its Privileges
Upon setting up a VPS server, one starts off with a root user, which is the account that’s in use. It is a good idea to set up another user account with superuser privileges.
This helps keep any severe damage from the root account can be avoided.
A root account has full access to all of your system’s settings, so one wrong command can create serious problems.
Step 4: Enable Public Key Authentication
Public key authentication is a technique that’s arguably more secure than regular passwords. This helps generate a set of both ‘public’ and ‘private’ keys.
The VPS server stores the public key and uses it to authenticate the private one, which only the website owner can have access to as a file on the computer.
Exabytes Singapore is one of the leading Singaporean VPS Hosting companies that can cater to all your VPS server requirements.
Be it Linux VPS server hosting, Windows VPS – there are VPS server plans which fulfill every possible need.
Contact us to learn how managed VPS hosting will be favorable for your website.
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