A cloud server is a virtual server which is a large pool of multiple servers built, hosted and delivered by cloud computing. Thus a cloud can run multiple OS using the same resources. It is available to the users for their access. Cloud server allows the user to use applications and store data in the remote cloud server. It also provides access to various devices such as desktop, phone or other devices. Cloud server does not depend on any centrally installed software because it contains all the software which it requires to run. A cloud server may also be called a virtual server or virtual private server or virtual dedicated server.
What is a Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server is designed to serve the needs of the whole network which contain thousands of computer connected to each other and communicate with each other. In a network, it is a single computer which is set aside to serve the need of the system. It indicates the server allocated to you only for hosting your website i.e. dedicated to the client site only to serve its need.
Cloud Servers vs. Dedicated Servers
- Cloud servers use a dedicated operating system which provides support to many other operating systems also, dedicated server use dedicated os.
- The cloud server can install the remote operating system, but a dedicated server cannot install a remote operating system.
- The cloud server can reinstall the remote operating system, but a dedicated server cannot reinstall the remote operating system.
- Cloud server may access remote server console, but a dedicated server cannot access remote server console.
- Cloud server performance is better than an average dedicated server, and a dedicated server is costly, so their performance is better than Cloud server.
- Server snapshot feature is available in Cloud server but not on the dedicated server.
- If a physical server fails, Cloud server will switch to other servers, but if a dedicated server fails, then you are required to build a new server, reinstall the os and store the data again.
- While the server is running, Cloud server can add CPU power and disk space, but the dedicated server must be shut down.
- When you are updating Cloud server to a new server then no need to reinstall the operating system and device drivers but when you are updating dedicated server to a new server, then there is a need to reinstall the operating system and device drivers.
- Cloud server are not very costly they costs $29/month to $199/month, and you need to pay the bill on the hour basis and for only those resources which you consume but dedicated server are quite expensive they cost from $99/month to $1500/month, and you need to pay on a monthly basis.
- If your cloud server fails and is unrecoverable, you can power on the cloud server backup image, and you see that your cloud server is back and start running in few minutes. But in the case of a dedicated server, you need to reinstall an operating system, store files and data again which is a time-consuming task.
- Cloud server does not meet the highest compliance standards but if we talk about dedicated server, then their hardware and software are very dedicated, and thus it meets the highest compliance standards.
- A Cloud server runs on software called hypervisor which is not having an own collection of hardware, but a dedicated server is having an own collection of hardware.
- A cloud server is easy to scale up and down. Hard drive space, RAM, CPU power can be increased and decreased by using software interface, but dedicated server requires fussing with hardware to scale them up or down.Cloud server shares the computer with others but a dedicated server does not share the network with
- others Management, and Provisioning of Cloud Servers will usually provide users good experience if compared with of dedicated servers.
- Regarding reliability, building a high-availability solution is much easier and less expensive on a cloud server as compared to the dedicated server.
- In Cloud server resources are equally distributed, but in a dedicated server, resources not evenly distributed, as they are used by a single client only to host its website on the dedicated server.
- Cloud server has a lack of control, but dedicated server provides full control.
- Cloud server has valuable disk space and SQL storage, but the dedicated server has inexpensive disk space as well as SQL storage.
- A cloud server not recommended usually, but a dedicated server is a reliable and highly recommendable way of hosting whether it is highly interactive websites, web apps or anything else.