What is a VPS and how is it different from web hosting?
A VPS (virtual private server) is a virtual slice of one physical server that is yours alone. You get your own operating system, your own IP address and root (full administrator) access. With shared hosting, you only manage your own site inside an environment the provider has already set up.
The trade-off is simple. A VPS gives you freedom, and in return the upkeep of the server becomes your job. Which one fits depends on what you want to run and how comfortable you are managing a server.
How does a VPS work?
A piece of software called a hypervisor runs on the physical machine. It divides the processor, memory and disk among several virtual machines. Each virtual machine behaves like a separate computer, with its own virtual network card and disk. One of them is your VPS, and your plan says how big that slice is.
KVM is one of the technologies that does this. It is a full virtualization solution built into the Linux kernel, and it relies on the virtualization extensions in modern processors (Intel VT or AMD-V). With KVM, every server runs its own kernel, so Linux distributions and Windows can both run on the same infrastructure. The official KVM page has the details.
What do the numbers in a VPS plan mean?
- RAM is the working memory of the programs running right now. When it runs short, the server slows down or programs get stopped.
- vCore is a virtual processor core. The more cores you have, the more tasks can run at the same time.
- Disk is the permanent storage for the system, your applications and your data.
Shared hosting, VPS and physical server compared
| Topic | Shared hosting | VPS | Physical server |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you rent | An account in the provider's environment | A whole virtual server | A whole machine |
| Access | Control panel and file manager, usually no root | Root access, install any software you like | Root access, and you choose the hardware too |
| Server maintenance | The provider | You | You |
| Flexibility | Limited to the software the provider offers | High | Highest |
| Who it suits | Simple brochure sites | Custom software, stores, VPNs, automation | Very large, constant workloads |
What is limited on shared hosting?
On shared hosting, many sites use the same machine's processor and memory. A busy neighbor can slow your site down too. You can't install the software you want, and you can change the PHP version and its settings only as far as the panel allows. These limits are the price of leaving the work to the provider. For most simple sites, it is a comfortable and sufficient arrangement.
Who needs a VPS?
- People who want to run software a hosting panel doesn't offer: Docker, a Node.js or Python app, a database, an automation tool.
- People setting up a voice chat server or their own VPN.
- Owners of plugin-heavy WordPress sites or online stores who want to control the resources themselves.
- Anyone hosting several sites in one place under their own rules.
If you have a single brochure site, need no special software and don't want to deal with a server, shared hosting is the simpler choice. If you hit something you can't do there, such as installing your own software, opening a port or changing system settings, that is the moment to move to a VPS.
On a VPS, the responsibility is yours
Root access brings power, and it also brings responsibility. As Seturack's terms of service state, operating system and application updates, security settings and any software you install are yours to look after. A badly configured server stays open to attacks. The regular chores are these:
- Installing operating system and application updates.
- Keeping the firewall and SSH settings sound.
- Checking that backups are running, and keeping an extra copy of anything important.
- Watching whether disk and memory are filling up.
A server that arrives with an app already installed removes the first-time setup work. The maintenance after that is still yours.
What happens after you order?
After payment, your server is prepared automatically. In the customer panel you see its IP address, user name and password. If you picked a clean operating system, you connect with SSH. If you picked a ready-made app, it installs itself on the server's first boot. That usually takes a few minutes, for example about 2.5 for Docker and 3.5-4 for WordPress. The address and password appear on the same panel page, and root access is yours too. You can restart the server from the panel, and if a connection problem locks you out, you can open the VNC console from your browser.
A domain name is a separate thing. The server comes with an IP address, while you buy the domain elsewhere and point it at your server's IP address in the DNS panel. The article on connecting your own domain covers the steps.
Where to start
- Write down what you will run: a WordPress site, a voice chat server, a Docker app.
- Find the minimum resources in that software's official documentation and start one size above it.
- Start small. If it isn't enough, you scale the server up. You don't have to buy the biggest size on day one.
- Read up on how resizing works before you need it: scaling your server up or down.
- Think about backups from the start. At Seturack the server is backed up every night and the last 7 days are kept. For anything important, still keep a copy of your own.
Seturack sells only KVM virtual servers, not shared hosting. You choose RAM, CPU and disk separately. The smallest size has 1 GB of RAM, 1 vCore and 25 GB of disk. It costs about $2.60 a month, VAT included. Daily backups and unlimited traffic are included in the price. You can work out your price on the pricing page.
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