How to Choose a hosting VPS provider?
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) creates an isolated environment on a physical server for your website. It offers the freedom, security, and server control that comes with a dedicated server. However, VPS hosting is not as expensive as dedicated hosting.
VPS concept
It is extremely important to choose the right VPS provider for your website. The performance, uptime, speed, and security of your website depend on your VPS choice. That is why, we brought up the major factors involved in choosing a hosting VPS provider.
Let's discover them below.
How to Choose a hosting VPS provider?
You need to know a few aspects related to your website when choosing a hosting VPS provider. It will help you find the best VPS match for your specific needs. Let's have a look at them below:
Assessing your website or application requirements
The foremost thing to consider is your website or application requirements. What type of VPS do you need? What are the server resources your application demands?
There are two types of VPS plans available with most VPS providers - Managed VPS and Unmanaged VPS. The difference between these plans lies in the responsibility for server setup and monitoring.
Your host takes care of all the technical aspects of a managed VPS plan. However, you are responsible for all the server-related tasks like setup, configuration, and monitoring in an unmanaged VPS plan.
A managed plan is suitable for people with limited technical knowledge. On the other hand, an unmanaged plan gives you the freedom to customize your VPS the way you want. Also, a managed VPS plan will cost more than an unmanaged one.
Assess your website or application needs for customization. It will help you determine whether you need a managed or an unmanaged VPS plan.
VPS customization example
Determining required resources (CPU, RAM, storage, bandwidth)
After determining your VPS type, it is time to consider your server resource requirements. How much CPU and RAM does your website or application demand? Will you need a lot of storage and bandwidth considering the inodes or files you are planning to upload?
You need to determine your expected website visitors based on your marketing plans. Additionally, assess the inflow of content if you plan to allow your visitors to upload any files. The server resource needs of a website with user-generated content is generally high.
You must also factor in your website portfolio size when determining your needs. Your server resource requirements will be higher if you are planning to build multiple websites.
Considering scalability and future growth
Another factor to consider when choosing a hosting VPS provider is scalability. You need to keep in mind the future growth of your website. Your server resource requirements will change as your website or application grows.
Looking for scalability is even more important if you plan to add more websites to your portfolio. Choose a provider with multiple VPS plans offering varying server resources. You can start with the base plan and upgrade with rising needs.
Performance and Reliability
The performance and reliability of the server play a major role when choosing a hosting VPS provider. Consider the factors listed below to ensure optimal and reliable VPS performance:
Evaluating uptime guarantees and SLAs (Service Level Agreements)
One can establish the importance of uptime from Amazon's $70 million+ loss for a 75-minute long downtime (Source). A server crash not only makes your website unavailable but can also cause huge business losses.
Therefore, checking uptime guarantees can help you establish the level of reliability of a hosting provider. You will see it in percentage form when looking for VPS plans.
Uptime example
A higher uptime percentage is directly proportional to more reliability. So go for a host offering 99.9% uptime as against the one providing 98%.
Also, evaluate the Service Level Agreement (SLA) of the VPS provider. It defines the level of performance you can expect from the host. Additionally, it mentions the compensation you will receive if the host fails to honor its commitment.
Checking hardware infrastructure and data center locations
Your VPS hardware and the server location also significantly determine your website performance. Look for a hosting provider using the latest hardware that is powerful enough to handle your application.
The top hosts utilize enterprise-grade hardware solutions like RAID10 SSDs, NVMe storage, and the like. They help them deliver excellent server performance.
In addition to the host's infrastructure, look for the availability of different server locations. Choosing a VPS closer to your website visitors will lead to faster page load times. According to Google, slow load times lead to higher bounce rates, so aim for a faster loading site.
Importance of fast page load times
Reading customer reviews and testimonials
The most potent method of evaluating the reliability of a hosting provider is reading customer reviews. The existing users of a VPS can better testify to server performance. Thus, consider reading customer reviews and testimonials before finalizing a VPS host.
Online review sites like Trustpilot and G2 are good sources to gain insight into user experiences. A company with higher ratings on such platforms is more reliable than the one receiving lower ratings.
Analyzing ratings on review sites
Security Measures
Security is one of the major reasons for choosing a hosting VPS provider over a shared host. Having a secured website is very important to prevent financial and reputational losses. Keep in mind the security aspects listed below during the selection of a VPS plan:
Reviewing security protocols and measures
Your VPS provider must take all necessary measures to protect your server from online attacks. The use of firewalls, availability of SSL certificates, and DDoS protection are a few things to look for.
Looking for VPS security features
It is best to review and compare the security protocols and measures that different hosts follow. This will help you select the most secure VPS for your application.
Assessing backup and disaster recovery options
You must assess the backups and disaster recovery options of a VPS provider. Having a reliable server backup will ensure to prevent any data loss during unforeseen events.
Evaluate your options when assessing the backup feature for different VPS plans. You need to check the frequency, retention period, and automation of backups. Additionally, it is good to have easier recovery options for faster restoration of data.
1Customer Support and Service
Having reliable customer service and support comes in handy when troubleshooting issues on your website. Choose a VPS provider offering 24/7 customer support. Also, look for the following customer service aspects:
Testing response times through pre-sales inquiries
Response times play a major role in determining the total time that a host takes to resolve your problem. Go for a VPS provider with quick response times to receive faster solutions.
You can check user reviews specifically related to customer support to assess the response time of a host. Additionally, consider first-hand testing of response times by raising pre-sales inquiries.
2Evaluating support channels (live chat, ticket system, phone)
The availability of different support channels is another aspect to compare when selecting a VPS host. It is good to have more options to contact your hosting provider when in need.
Some hosts offer customer support only via live chat, email, and ticket system. However, other VPS providers might provide phone assistance as well. Additionally, you might also come across hosting providers maintaining a community forum to help you connect with fellow users.
Checking support options
3Checking the availability of technical expertise and documentation
Checking the availability of technical expertise is extremely essential before purchasing a VPS plan. You might face technical issues during website building or maintenance even if you are an expert. Receiving quick technical support will solve your problem and prevent any website downtime in such a case.
Many top VPS hosting providers also maintain documentation containing all frequently asked questions. Generally, such a knowledge base also includes ways to troubleshoot different errors. Therefore, you must check the availability of documentation for finding solutions to your problems on your own.
Pricing and Value
Pricing is among the most important factors when choosing a hosting VPS provider. Investing in a high-priced plan with more server resources than required will lead to a waste of money. On the other hand, a cheaper plan with limited resources might not be sufficient for your needs.
4It is, therefore, extremely important to select the right VPS based on your resource requirements. Also, you must assess the value that a plan offers or perform a cost-benefit analysis.
Look for the following pricing-related aspects when selecting a virtual server:
Comparing pricing plans and features
Compare the features and pricing of different plans available with VPS hosting providers. It will help you get the best value for your budget. Having more hosting features at a lower plan cost should be your goal.
5Many VPS hosting providers offer promotional discounts to new customers. These are usually available on yearly plans with discounts getting deeper with longer hosting term lengths. Take advantage of these introductory prices if you plan to keep your website for years to come.
Example of introductory discounts
Identifying any hidden costs or renewal fees
6In addition to the plan prices, you need to identify any hidden costs that your host might charge. Go through the terms and conditions page of the VPS provider to avoid any shock later. Contact the customer support team of the host if you have any confusion related to the costs involved.
As discussed above, a host might provide you with an introductory discount on a VPS plan. You must check out the plan renewal fees in such a case. Lower renewal costs will help you save a lot of money throughout the life of a website.
Conclusion
Choosing a hosting VPS provider might look like a daunting task. However, thorough research will make it easy to select the best host for your application. It will ensure optimal website performance while remaining within your budget.
7Evaluate different VPS hosts on all the parameters we discussed above. The success of your business depends significantly on the server you choose. So it is best to make an informed decision when selecting a VPS plan.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
When should I choose VPS hosting?
A VPS offers more server resources than a shared server. Therefore, choose VPS hosting when your site outgrows shared hosting.
8Additionally, if you plan to build a performance-demanding application, it is better to start with a VPS plan itself. VPS is also suitable for applications requiring server customizations. Also, choose it when server security is among your primary concerns.
Does VPS hosting offer scalability?
Yes, VPS hosting offers scalability for your application. The majority of VPS hosts have multiple plans with different server resources. You can quickly and easily upgrade your VPS plan when your website grows.
9Some hosting providers also allow you to purchase individual resources. So you can also consider investing only in the resources you are about to exhaust.
What are the different types of VPS?
You will majorly find two types of VPS with most hosting providers. One is managed VPS where the host handles all the technical aspects. The other is unmanaged VPS where you need to take care of all server-related technicalities.
0A managed VPS allows you to focus on growing your business. So it is costlier than an unmanaged one.
Does VPS hosting provide better security than shared hosting?
Yes, VPS hosting provides better security than shared hosting. The host isolates each instance on a virtual server. It creates a secure space for your account separate from the remaining server environment.
1Creating an isolated environment protects your website amidst attacks on other sites on the same physical server. It also allows adding VPS-level firewalls for strengthening security.
What are the benefits of choosing VPS hosting?
The biggest benefit of choosing VPS hosting is getting root access to your server for performing customizations. Additionally, virtual servers are fast, secure, and scalable. They provide you with dedicated server resources for your website.
2A VPS plan is capable of improving your website performance. You will also experience better uptime than shared hosting because of server isolation.
