The adoption of VPS hosting has reached feverish levels now. While it started out as a novel concept, virtual private server hosting has gained in popularity among individual users and small and medium businesses. The world has largely come to recognize the improvements in functionality and overall performance brought about by VPS hosting. However, there still is some confusion on how to go about choosing a good VPS service provider.
The factors explained below paint a detailed picture of what you need to consider before putting your money down for a hosting service. Please be aware that the best VPS hosting provider is one that meets all your requirements and, this is very important, at a price affordable to you. So let’s start with what makes for a good VPS hosting service provider.
- Windows or Linux
Let’s get the most basic out of the way, shall we. The hosting environments of Windows and Linux are completely different and have their own share of pros and cons. You can decide between either environments but in case your website is based on ASP or ASP.net, Windows is your only choice.
- Managed or Unmanaged
With VPS hosting, you are given complete control of your virtual server. Monitoring and maintaining it requires above-par IT knowledge. With managed VPS hosting, the service provider takes care of your server. Conversely, with unmanaged VPS hosting, you are completely responsible for the upkeep of your server.
Needless to say, opt for an unmanaged service only if you possess the skills necessary to maintain a server. If not, you are better off opting for a fully managed VPS hosting service.
- Redundancy & Scalability
In hosting parlance, the feature of actively maintaining a backup resource is known as redundancy. For instance, imagine your datacenter suffering from power or internet outage. Here redundancy is maintained by employing backup generators, UPS systems and alternate ISPs. Similarly, in the event that your server is overloaded, having an additional server on standby would help keep the website performance smooth.
Scalability refers to the deployment of redundant or idle resources to deal with sudden spikes in server load.
A hosting provider offering high levels of redundancy and scalability will result in higher website performance and uptime. Pick a hosting service that offers a good collaboration of these twin attributes.
- Server Configurations
The most important server configurations are the processor capacity, disk size and amount of RAM. For a VPS, you need a minimum of 20 GB storage and 1 GB RAM. You can go higher depending upon your website’s traffic and storage needs.
- Customer Support
Perhaps the most overlooked factor in a VPS hosting comparison, good customer support is non-negotiable when resolving any issues that your server might face from time to time. Poor support hampers your website and thereby, the traffic. Recovering traffic that falls is not easy by any stretch of imagination, especially if you are a small business or even an individual. Examine the support staff of a VPS provider before deciding to buy their service.
- Cost
If you are just starting out with VPS hosting, there might be a temptation to go with a low cost VPS hosting service. However, please remember that at this stage, VPS hosting is priced higher than shared hosting but lower than dedicated hosting. Moreover, a VPS provider with too low a price can skimp on one or more of the aforementioned factors which can severely affect your website traffic. In other words, if you see a provider advertising itself as the best cheap VPS, run away.
By sticking to these points when comparing different VPS hosting providers you can weed out the dodgy and unreliable sellers. It doesn’t matter if you are an individual or business, healthy website traffic is of the essence as it distinguishes you from the competition. Select a VPS provider that offers you a perfect balance of the above factors. The only exception to that is good customer support because as we said earlier, that is absolutely non-negotiable.