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What is VPS?

Here at Canspace, other than providing excellent hosting services, we also like to keep our clients and readers informed about the web hosting industry. The topic of discussion today is what is VPS, and how it came to be. VPS is an abbreviation for a virtual private server, which combines server virtualization and hosting services.

Server virtualization is based on a time-sharing model that allows the sharing of resources between servers, but at the same time, it provides security on a larger scale. Depending on the type of virtualization, each virtual server is individual and mostly isolated from the others, which allows for a separate operating system that can be independently rebooted as a virtual instance.

In reality, we have one single physical server that acts as multiple virtual servers. The physical server itself works as a hypervisor, which allocates and manages resources to the virtual machines “living on it.” As a user, you are granted superuser-level access, which allows you to install any software compatible with the OS of the physical server. The one limitation of the VPS is that it features limited processor time, RAM and disk space.

What is VPS, and how does it connect to hosting? Many hosting companies are utilizing the technology by providing the psychical server, and the virtual one as a middle ground between shared hosting and dedicated servers. This means that you, as a user, will be part of a shared bandwidth pool, but that it is regulated under a fair usage policy, and you will get more control over the hosting server.

What is VPS hosting?

Now, let’s move on to the next question — what is VPS hosting? As we started explaining above, VPS features a physical server that acts like a data centre, a home for the other virtual servers located on there. The main difference for the user is that this way, they get a lot more customization options that allow them to configure the hosting. A high-quality VPS hosting will have the features of a dedicated server, but not the costs of maintaining one.

What is a VPS server?

There’s more, what is a VPS server? We’re going to use the definition from Technopedia to explain this:


The best way to describe this is through a simple example. Imagine the virtual server as your personal computer, and you as one of the users. Even if someone else were using the computer with a different user profile, they still wouldn’t be able to use or affect the files stored in your profile. The only thing you’re sharing is the space!

Each of the virtual servers installed on the physical server functions as a stand-alone server with its own operating system, which can be modified and upgraded, according to the needs of the user.

Benefits of using a virtual private server

We figured you would like to know the benefits of using a virtual private server, and not only the definitions of the terms. Even though VPS is a relatively new technology, it has taken the web hosting industry by a storm. The fact that VPS created a bridge between shared hosting and dedicated hosting is a reason enough for anyone who needs hosting for business to consider it.

Security and control – If you have been using shared hosting so far, you’re probably aware that there are some security risks when you share your server and your resources with other websites. Hence, VPS is a game changer on that front. Because you gain full access to the root access of the server, you can manage and upgrade the software in any way you see fit. You can tweak it to the needs of your website without having to worry about “imposing your rules” on anyone else.

Reliability – Imagine if you had to share your hosting with a very popular e-commerce store that is sucking up all the resources from the “common pool,” and your site is left with lagging issues and poor uptime. That would be devastating for a start-up store that is still trying to build its reputation and gain a solid customer base.

What you need to acquire (or consider the website migration option) is VPS, because of the increase in consistency. It’s logical if you share your space with other websites, their traffic may affect the performance of your site, and this way you won’t have to worry about that. Instead, you’ll know that you have a designated space on the physical server that is designed according to your needs, and it’s virtually separated from the other virtual machines installed on the server.

Scale your e-commerce business – As your e-commerce business grows, so will the need for resources. You need to find a hosting provider that can offer you precisely that, a scale option that won’t affect the uptime on the site or cause you any technical difficulties. When you’re using VPS hosting, your environment is hosted within a container. This container has allocated a specific amount of resources, which depends on the package you purchased from the provider.

However, as your business grows, it’s extremely easy to switch to a larger package without encountering any problems. All you have to do is click on a button, and you’re done!

Price-value ratio – The most compelling argument or benefit of all is the excellent price-value ratio you’re getting when you use VPS. As we said above, VPS acts like a dedicated server, but for half of the price. This is a hosting solution, which provides you with the best of both worlds. Because it’s a sharing concept, the fee is smaller, but because the virtual machines act as individual units, you get to host your website as if you are alone on the server.

We hope we clarified the terminology for you, and that we gave you a detailed answer to the question — what is VPS.