VPS: An Upgrade from Shared Hosting
Tags: cybersecurity, webdev, beginners
Published: 2021-10-25 18:44:06

When creating a website, you’ll need a couple of things: a [domain name] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name), a website builder, and a web hosting provider. 
You’ll then need to choose what type of hosting you need for your website, as web hosting makes your website available online.

This article will mention two of the most popular hosting types – shared hosting and VPS. I’ll also make a quick comparison between the two and give you the reasons why VPS is better and when you should consider upgrading.

**Let’s get started.** 

##What is Shared Hosting?


As the name suggests, shared hosting means sharing a server and its resources with other users. Because you share almost everything, shared hosting is the most affordable option among all hosting types. It’s also the most beginner-friendly hosting type.

But because the resources are shared, you do get a few disadvantages. If other users are experiencing high traffic or encounter any issues, your website is likely to be affected too. Plus, you also get limited storage space and [bandwidth] (https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth_(computing)).

**You should use shared hosting if you:**

- Have a small company website.
- Are on a limited budget.
- Want to create a personal website.
- Are still new to the industry.

##What is VPS Hosting

As for VPS, you still share a server with other users. 

However, the main difference is that each user has their dedicated space and resources. As the name suggests, a virtual private server creates virtual partitions in a server and divides them among the users. 

VPS solves the main disadvantage of shared hosting, which is other site’s performance affecting yours too.

Since you get dedicated resources for yourself, the price will be higher compared to shared hosting. But if you have the budget, this is the option to go for. If you want to look for great web hosting plans, you can try [Hostinger] (https://www.hostinger.co.uk/web-hosting). 

**You should use a VPS hosting if you:**

- Have more budget to spare and want to invest in your website.
- Plan to scale your business in the future.
- Expect high amounts of traffic to your website.

##VPS vs. Shared Hosting

Of course, choosing VPS is the better option because it solves all the disadvantages of shared hosting. But there are other reasons why VPS may be the right choice for your business.
 
**Some of them include:**

- Increased Flexibility – You get access to the [root level] (https://www.ssh.com/academy/iam/user/root) of your server, giving you the freedom to control the resources and architecture of your website.
- Improve Performance – Since it's easily scalable, you can easily upgrade your resources to match your website’s growth, thus improving your performance.
- [Dedicated IP] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address) – You get easy access to your website and have a higher level of control compared to sharing an IP.
- Improved Security – You can adjust your site’s security on your own, like adding multi-layer security and firewalls. 

##When to Upgrade from Shared Hosting to VPS

It may be a good idea for you to start with shared hosting and upgrade to VPS later. However, how do you know when the time is right to make the change?

Here are some pointers that will indicate when you should seriously consider an upgrade in web hosting.

###1. Your Traffic Count is High

![Website Traffic](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/axka910wqy3q9tdtb9gs.png)
Image is taken from [vectorstock.com] (https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/web-traffic-internet-icon-flat-isolated-vector-7407277).

As your website grows, you’ll receive more traffic. You’ll need a server that can accommodate this increase in traffic without affecting your site’s performance. So if you see your website struggling to load quickly because you have many people accessing your site at the same time, it’s time to consider VPS.

VPS is straightforward to scale. It allows you to upgrade your resources as much or as little as you want without encountering any significant downtime or technical issues. 
This is possible because VPS is hosted on a virtual environment called a container. The container will be filled with the resources you’ve picked but also let you deduct or add resources quickly and effortlessly at any time. 

###2. Upscaling the SEO Strategies

As mentioned before, shared hosting provides one server for multiple sites. When one website encounters any issues, other sites will be affected too. So since you all share the same IP address, when one website has a bad reputation or conducts [SEO black hat techniques] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamdexing), your website’s SEO ranking might suffer as well.

Using VPS means your website’s ranking is only affected by your [SEO strategies] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization). You don’t have to worry about how other websites conduct their SEO, as they don’t affect your website.
 
###3. Need to Store More Data

![Data monitoring](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8bda3ei6nm16mty4h62a.png)
Image is taken from [istockphoto.com] (https://www.istockphoto.com/search/2/image?phrase=bandwidth).

When you reach the limit of your shared hosting resources, the only way to grow is to upgrade your hosting plan. 

By using VPS, you’ll be getting dedicated resources, including vCPU, bandwidth, and storage space. You can freely adjust the resources based on your needs without worrying about how much the other users are consuming.

VPS is like receiving a dedicated server’s benefits but at a much more affordable price. With this type of hosting, you’ll also be able to handle more traffic without having to spend more. 

###4. Need More Security

Shared hosting is secure and well protected. You can trust the web host to provide maximum security for your website.
 
However, there will always be data from other websites stored on the same server. This may pose a security gap if one of these websites gets breached by hackers or [malware] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware).

With VPS, you can set up your own security, install additional firewalls, input additional security rules and restrictions. You're in control of who can access your website’s dashboard and root level.

###5. Website Customization

![How to customize your website](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/v0lsk7l13suk56cxgftc.png)
Image is taken from [Unsplash.com] (https://unsplash.com/photos/DuHKoV44prg).

As I mentioned before, using VPS lets you access the root level of the server. This means that you can freely customize your website, and you don’t need to contact your hosting provider to do the customizations for you. 

**With VPS, you can customize various things such as:**

- Choose an operating system of your choice.
- Add more complex web applications.
- Install custom web server stack.
- Install a custom software package.

###6. Running an E-Commerce Site

Even if you decide to run a small eCommerce website, a VPS will always be a better choice and investment for your business. You’ll get a dedicated IP address which means more freedom, as well as better reliability, security, performance, and uptime.

You’ll also get easy scalability so you can quickly upgrade your website’s resources on demand.

##Conclusion

VPS hosting is significantly better than shared hosting.

You’ll get increased flexibility, better performance, improved security, reliability, dedicated resources, and an IP address. Provided you have the budget and need more resources, VPS will always outperform shared hosting.

Remember that while VPS is better, it does require you to have more technical knowledge of the operating system and the server. 

You will also be responsible for the safety and security of your website and your visitors’ data, which should not be taken lightly. 

**Good luck!**