Virtual server hosting is a method for hosting multiple domain names on a single server. This allows one server to share its resources, such as memory and processor cycles, without requiring all services provided to use the same host name. The term virtual server hosting is usually used in reference to web servers but the principles carry over to other internet services.
There are two main types of virtual server hosting, name based and IP based. Name based virtual hosting uses the host name presented by the client. This saves IP addresses and the associated administrative overhead but the protocol being served must supply the host name at an appropriate point. In particular there are significant difficulties using name based virtual hosting with SSL/TLS. IP based virtual hosting uses a separate IP address for each host name and it can be performed with any protocol but requires a dedicated IP address per domain name served. Port based virtual hosting is also possible in principle but is rarely used in practice because it is unfriendly to users.
Name based and IP based virtual server hosting can be combined, a server may have multiple IP address and serve multiple names on some or all of those IP addresses. This technique can be useful when using SSL/TLS with wildcard certificates.
Virtual server hosting is often used on large scale in companies whose business model is to provide low cost website hosting for customers. The vast majority of web hosting service customer websites worldwide are hosted on shared servers, using virtual hosting technology.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting consists of a server divided into multiple isolated accounts, and each VPS account has its own independent operating system with its own web server and mail server resources, so there is no sharing of resources even though your accounts are on the same server. It is also termed as VDS or Virtual Dedicated Server and is considered as an opted solution for small to medium sized businesses. Virtual Private Servers are considered as an opted solution for the small or medium sized businesses. This is because it gives access at the same level to a dedicated server but at reasonable rates that are suitable for the users. VPS hosting acts like a bridge between shared and dedicated server hosting.
VPS hosting can be classified into 2 main categories namely Managed VPS and Unmanaged VPS. In the managed version, the web host is responsible for the server management and thus it takes care of installations, monitoring, periodic updates, configuration assistance and much more. In unmanaged version, the users only have the responsibility of administrating their Windows or Linux serve. This unmanaged VPS is very affordable when compared to its managed counterpart and it delivers high privacy and security.
VPS hosting is undoubtedly the next generation of web hosting. By getting into this type of hosting, the customers can save money without compromising the performance and security of the server. Your website type and amount of content are the keys to pick the type of hosting you need to go with. If you are planning for a huge site with wide range of functionalities and with great future expansion plans, then shared dedicated hosting might be a suitable one, but it is much expensive. If you don’t have that much of budget to go for dedicated type, then VPS server is the one that can serve you much better. This is because it offers you almost all the benefits of dedicated server but at a much cheaper price. VPS hosting is an ideal solution for the webmasters who wish to upgrade and use their server administrative skills just by paying lower costs to the service providers.
VPS hosting allows you to host as many websites as you like which depends upon the amount of disk space required by those sites. Each plan of this hosting type permits you to use specific amount of space and you have to make sure that you don’t exceed the limit while hosting large numbers of websites. With a VPS server, you can expect a huge amount of traffic to your website since it can handle up to 50000 visitors per day with ease. Controlling your virtual server can be done easily from your desktop itself. While launching your new website, you may have only minimal operations which bargain only moderate traffic but in future, as your site grows you need to handle higher traffic rate. In such instances, VPS hosting will give you room for easy expansions.