Virtual Private Server – What "Private" Here Means And How Secure is It

In simple terms, a server is a super-powerful computer that stores all sorts of files and data that your site is made up of.

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When a user types your domain name into the web browser, that powerful computer "serves up" the site to their browser window. For the virtual aspect, VPS puts into use virtualization technology to split one server into multiple virtual servers.

It is only a single piece of the physical hardware that works like various separate servers. Therefore, the word 'private' simply means what it implies. Your intended virtual server has already been reserved for you, so you won't necessarily share CPU, RAM or any other form of data with other users.

VPS Approach

VPS hosting enhances the general experience of a specifically dedicated server despite the fact that you will still be sharing the physical server with outside users.

Your respective hosting provider installs the virtual layer on top of the OS (Operating System) belonging to the server using virtual technology. When the server is separated into individual components with virtual walls, the layer will allow every user to install their own software and operating system.

The fact that VPS separates your files from others on the OS level means that it is a private server. With a private server, it means that your site operates within a secure container with ensured resources (CPU cores, disk space, think memory, etc). You will not share any of these resources with others.

Virtual Private Server Security: How it Works

The Virtual Private Servers (VPS) tech enables you to share server costs with other site owners but gives you control over your site or application. The VPS servers run as isolated processes within a website server and provide root access for utmost privacy with the ability for assured bandwidth, disk space, and CPU power. There are many VPS providers offering an innovative, complete and fully featured virtual server available anywhere on the internet. One of the smart ones, like Hostinger, gives you access to a complete range of virtual services including full root access to the server system with your own dedicated web, telnet, and email servers. There is also full access to all server configuration files, support for unlimited virtual hosts and domains.

The platform offers a legit VPS system as a lot of other providers don't have technical expertise or resources to create and maintain their own systems. They instead turn to provide weaker configurations through using control panel software packages that are available such as cPanel and Plesk.

Every virtual private server looks and operates exactly like a real dedicated server system complete with your own set of user logins, UNIX scripts, system processes, file systems with unlimited root access. You can select and install your preferred OS depending on the server’s architecture, which is normally either Microsoft Windows or Linux-based.

Here you can install application software like the Apache webserver. The VPS servers give the highest levels of security just like dedicated servers do. It comes with customizable firewall protection and secures isolated disk space. The only potential downside is that you’ll need to configure additional safety measures yourself, as the control you get with a VPS extends to security as well. This is great for more experienced users who want to integrate their own custom solutions.

VPS is a way of dividing a tangible server computer into multiple servers in such a way that each has the capabilities and appearance of running on its own dedicated server. Additionally, every server can be rebooted independently.

The act of dividing one server to appear as multiple servers has always been a common practice in hosting computers but have seen a reoccurrence lately with the development of virtualization software and technology. Virtual Private Servers are designed for customers looking for more control rather than they would get by using a shared web hosting account.

The private servers include guaranteed resources, root access, fully-featured control panel, the ability to install your preferred OS and control through a CLI, along with web hosting technical support. Although it’s worth mentioning, that typically support is only extended to control panel and server related issues. What and how you build on your server is up to you, and you may not receive support if let’s say, your WordPress site crashes due to a mistake you made in the setup of a LAMP stack.

That being said, with a VPS you can set up whatever site you want securely – e-commerce, blog, or otherwise.

When's the Best Time to Switch to VPS

The best method of assessing whether or not to upgrade to VPS is through taking stock of your site. Here are a few signs that signal it is time to go virtual.

1. Security Concerns

If you are in need of highly advanced security features, enhanced monitoring capabilities, improved site reliability, more backup space or improved speeds, then you should go for VPS. With these servers, you will be able to get reliable resources and can expect the best security features.

2. In Case of High Traffic

When your site is just new and not experiencing high traffic flow, then the shared hosting plan is the best option for you. But if your site's audience starts growing, you should upgrade. Failure to upgrade might lead you to experience slow page loading and in worse situations, your server might crash because of the traffic. If you want the best plan to handle such heavy traffic, switch to VPS.

3. Slow Website

The shared hosting plan is not designed for sites that use up large volumes of RAM. As your site grows and more content is added, you will see an increase in your site's load times. As soon as it happens, it will be an indication that you're beyond your limits in terms of RAM. When you upgrade to VPS, you will be able to scale your site without necessarily having to worry about the load times.

Conclusion

VPS is the best hosting plan for any site and as a site owner, you should think about upgrading if you haven't yet. VPS hosting is a blend of both dedicated and shared hosting. When working with VPS, there will be other sites hosted on the same server as the one your site is.

The huge difference with VPS is that your site will be the only domain allocated to your virtual compartment. This means you will get your own operating system, dedicated storage, scalable RAM as well as unlimited bandwidth.

The pricing of VPS is also affordable and users will get more value for their money. The platform gives a higher return on investment and has a remarkable customer experience.