Buying VPS hosting is considered by experts a profitable investment. After all, the consumer gets to use a virtual server, identical in a number of parameters to the allocated counterpart, but for less money. And this tool provides trouble-free operation of the website. VPS hosting is recommended for those who open an e-commerce website, information, or game portal – any web resource with high traffic and high-performance requirements. However, there are different providers offering their services on the market. What to look for before buying a VPS?
What are the features of VPS?
A virtual private server is a limited disk space of a physical server. The user is offered to create a comfortable working environment using the resources provided. Taking into account the plan, examples of which can be viewed here, the user receives a certain amount of memory, and a fixed CPU power. Sharing them with other sites, as in the case of shared hosting, does not take place. This is important for the following customers:
- owners of large online stores;
- companies that provide remote access to databases for employees from different branches;
- popular authors, whose notes and articles daily attract up to 1000 readers;
- small gaming portals, which do not have the opportunity, and the need to rent a dedicated server.
That is, a virtual private server is suitable when stable power and performance, reliability, and affordability are important. And how to choose the best option out of dozens of proposals? To analyze the VPS on several criteria.
Important parameters of a virtual private server
How to manage a VPS
Providers offer managed and unmanaged VPS hosting. Those customers who choose a managed server, as support receive services of technical specialists, who will further service the host. In the case of an unmanaged server, its service, as well as the installation of software, configuration and protection is transferred to the buyer. They will have to pay for the services of an administrator, who will take on these functions.
Which option is preferable? Each has its pros and cons. Full autonomy is good, but it requires paying for the services of an administrator. A managed server is more expensive because it includes additional services. However, in this case, all the technical aspects are regulated without the participation of the tenant.
Conclusion: Unmanaged server is suitable if the staff is an experienced system administrator. For ordinary business owners, unfamiliar with technological processes, the best solution is a managed VPS.
Reliability
Every provider promises server stability. However, do not believe their words. Clarify the time of uninterrupted server operation in numbers. It should be understood that if the physical server where you buy disk space shuts down, your site will also stop working. Choose the one that is 99.8-99.9%.
Control Panel
Quite often providers offer virtual private servers with a disk environment, i.e. with an operating system already installed and with a control panel. Check what tools the hoster offers, because with their help it will be necessary to carry out the settings and administration.
Cost of services
The price of the service varies from provider to provider. It depends on different factors – controllability, capacity, performance, reliability. But it’s not just the price itself that matters. It’s good if there are several payment options and methods. This allows you to pay for the service from anywhere in the world.
Some providers offer good discounts if you pay three to six months in advance. If you are confident in the quality of service, this is a good option that allows you to save a lot of money.
Additional IP addresses
Check if your ISP provides additional IP addresses. When and what are they needed for? If you have several sites, you can assign a personal domain name to each of them. Separate names are often assigned to foreign copies of the main site. If several web resources have a common address, search engines trust them less. Also, a separate IP is required for installing SSL certificates.
Configuration
This VPS figure indicates the performance of applications. More precisely, the configuration combines the amount of memory, the number of cores, and CPU frequency – all those resources that will ensure the operation of a virtual trading site, game portal, or database on the server.
Backup
Ask your ISP if the web resource codes are backed up. This is important. After all, if there is a failure, in case of an unforeseen situation, the main site can go down. In order to quickly resume the work of the resource or game portal, backups are useful.
Traffic
If the provider does not provide full bandwidth to the VPS tenant, there may be failures during traffic peaks. Some hosters do that deliberately. And they charge extra for bandwidth expansion. Before you buy a virtual private server, check with your provider to see if you have to pay extra.
Scaling
If the capabilities of a plan become insufficient, the provider offers the site owner a scaling option. As a rule, the transition procedure itself goes unnoticed by the tenant. The sites hosted on the server simply start working more stably, faster, and more reliably. When giving preference to a particular provider, be sure to clarify how scaling is carried out at that provider.
Where the data center is located
A data center is the physical location of that large and powerful server, some of whose disk space you rent. Unfortunately, not all states legally guarantee and ensure the safety and inviolability of private property. Not uncommonly, when due to commercial and political squabbles, the hardware was seized. In order not to lose your website, databases, and customers, choose a provider who installs physical servers in data centers in Europe and the USA.
Tech Support
In the high-tech field, high-tech problems sometimes arise. To ensure that they are resolved quickly and affect the site’s performance as little as possible, it is important for the provider to provide 24-hour technical support.
Talk to representatives of this service in advance, so that you understand whether you speak the same language. Check the communication channels with technical support, as announced by the hoster. If you choose a managed server, with the guys from the technical support you will need to communicate often. It is important to establish this contact.
Trial period
It is not bad if there is an opportunity to test the service before buying a VPS server. It will give an opportunity to make sure of the right choice or refuse from an inappropriate variant.
As a summary
Before you sign a hosting contract, test the proposed option on the proposed checklist. This will not take much time or effort. But it will give you a clear understanding that you are not buying “a pig in a poke”, but exactly the service that you originally aimed at.
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