VPS is – Website is not a foreign term for all of us, at least if you are an active internet user, you must have heard of this term. When we surf the internet to find various information, we often visit various websites that appear in Google search results until we get the information we are looking for.
So, for ordinary people who only often surf the internet, a website is a familiar term, especially for those of you who are studying or working in the IT field. Those of you who fall into this group certainly don’t just frequently visit from one website to another, more than that you also learn to make these websites.
Creating a website is not an easy thing to do. For ordinary people, at least you have to learn the basics first. Apart from that, usually, a website uses several programming languages such as HTML, PHP, to JavaScript which for ordinary people or those who are just learning can seem confusing.
In fact, the website we have created doesn’t mean our work is finished. The next step is to make the website appear online. To do so, we need to do hosting. Most people usually use shared hosting, which costs only hundreds of thousands of rupiah. However, because the price is cheap, shared hosting also has limitations, such as a certain number of website visitors.
So, for those of you who have websites with lots of visitors, there’s nothing wrong if you switch from cheap shared hosting to VPS. The question is, what is VPS? Here’s the meaning of VPS that you need to know!
Definition of VPS
Basically, Virtual Private Server, or what is commonly shortened to VPS is actually a type of web hosting that can be used to make a website appear online and can be accessed by many people out there. But unlike shared hosting, VPS is a private server that is only used by one user.
Apart from being more flexible, this web hosting is obviously safer to use because all resources will only be used by your website without the need to share them with other people. Even so, VPS is actually not really private. This is because even if you have personal resources, the physical servers used are still shared with other people. This division is carried out by the VPS provider using the software.
If compared, this physical server is a house while the VPS are the rooms in the house. When you use a VPS, it means you are renting the room for your own interests. And considering it’s your private room, you have privacy and can use it for whatever suits your needs.
Usually, people who are hosting a website for the first time will prefer shared hosting. One of the reasons is that shared hosting is much cheaper. However, as time goes by, the traffic on a website will increase so that shared hosting can no longer accommodate it. Now, this is where you need a VPS because VPS is indeed more widely used by popular websites that have lots of visitors.
4 Main Functions of a Virtual Private Server or VPS
From the explanation above, you must have a clear picture of the meaning of VPS. Basically, VPS is web hosting like shared hosting which will make your website appear online and accessible to everyone. The difference is only in the resources and also the security that you have.
However, displaying a website online is not the only function that a Virtual Private Server or VPS has. More than that, VPS also has various other functions that are no less important than just “launching” a website. What are the functions? Here are some Virtual Private Server functions that you need to know!
1. Web Hosting
Ok, let’s start with the main function of VPS. As previously discussed, VPS is basically web hosting. However, what makes this type of web hosting different from the shared hosting we usually use is the services provided.
Unlike shared hosting, VPS provides personal resources to its users. In addition, Virtual Private Server can also accommodate more visitors than ordinary shared hosting. However, because the service is special, the price offered is also more special.
It is undeniable, the price of renting a Virtual Private Server is indeed much more expensive than shared hosting. So it’s no wonder that web hosting is more widely used by websites with hundreds of thousands to millions of visitors. But on the other hand, the services provided by VPS are actually very commensurate with the price. Especially if the website you have already has a lot of visitors, then VPS can be the right web hosting choice.
2. File Hosting
Normally, commonly used web hosting such as shared hosting cannot be used for file hosting. This is because file hosting will take up too much disk space on the server. However, this does not apply if the web hosting you are using is VPS.
Yup, apart from being safer and being able to accommodate many visitors, one of the other features of Virtual Private Servers is that they provide file hosting facilities. However, of course, the disk space capacity used is also determined by the type of VPS you are using.
VPS web hosting providers themselves usually provide several package options. The more expensive the cost you spend, the more facilities you can use, including larger disk space.
3. VPN Service
Apart from VPS, VPN is also a familiar term in our country. It is not only familiar to those who work in the IT world but also to those who are new and only use the internet for their daily needs. The term VPN is familiar because many of us often use it to access social media or websites that are blocked by the government. The easiest way to use a VPN is to install a VPN application that is widely spread on Google Play.
Now by using a Virtual Private Server, you can also get services using a VPN. Of course, a VPN is not only useful for opening sites or social media that are blocked by the government. More than that, a VPN is also useful when we want a private connection that is safer and more difficult for others to hijack.
4. Back-Up Server
Another benefit that you can use when using a Virtual Private Server service is that you can use it as a backup server. As we know, no matter how good or how great the server we use for our website is, the threat of hacking will still exist. Especially if the site you are running is large and has many visitors, the threat to website security will also be even greater.
Advantages Owned by VPS
Sumber: unsplash.com/Clint Patterson
It is undeniable, compared to shared hosting, the price of web hosting like VPS is slightly more expensive. Even so, VPS also has several advantages that shared hosting doesn’t have. What are the advantages?
1. Personal Resources
As the name implies, when we use shared hosting, we will share resources with other users. But by using a Virtual Private Server, even though the physical server we use is shared with other users, the resources we use are private property. This is certainly safer than you sharing the same resources with other users, which will obviously affect the performance of the website you are running.
2. Performa Website
Website performance is everything, both for the owner and those who access the website. For visitors, the information on the website is indeed everything. However, if the website takes a long time to load, they will quickly get annoyed and eventually move on to another website.
If only one person does it, it might not be a problem, but if a hundred people experience it, after a while the website you are running will be abandoned by visitors. By using a VPS, you don’t need to be afraid of experiencing this. Because VPS produces faster server performance than other web hosting.
3. Scalability
In a way, this is one of the most special advantages if you use Virtual Private Server type web hosting. In contrast to shared hosting, using a Virtual Private Server, you only need to pay according to the server power you are using, now this is normal.
But what’s extraordinary is, when your website grows and requires additional resources, you can easily increase disk space, bandwidth scale, or other resources that can support your website to remain stable.
4. Total Control of Resources
The physical server on the VPS is divided between several users. However, each user has its own resources. With private resources, you automatically have full control over root access to the server and also SSH access.
Another advantage of having full control of personal resources is that you can also determine the operating system that you will use according to what you need.
5. Safer and Protected
As previously mentioned, a physical server can indeed be used by several users. But just because you share a physical server with other people doesn’t mean that the security of your VPS should be compromised. On the other hand, VPS really guarantees data security and also the privacy of its users.
Never mind other people, other users who share their server with you will also not be able to get access to view your data. Likewise, you, will not be able to get access to data belonging to other users. Another advantage is the data backup feature that shared hosting doesn’t have. By using this one feature, your files, and data will be protected. Even if there is a security breach, and your data is lost, with the data backup feature, you can always restore it quickly.
Things to Consider Before Using a VPS
Source: Pixabay
It is undeniable, using a Virtual Private Server as web hosting does have many advantages. However, that doesn’t mean you can just switch to a VPS right away. So you don’t regret it, before moving from shared hosting to Virtual Private Server, it’s a good idea to consider the following points!
1. Price
One of the main reasons why many people choose shared hosting is because the price is cheaper. However, actually, when compared to shared hosting, the price of web hosting like VPS is also not too expensive.
However, what you pay is in accordance with the various advantages that you will get. Moreover, VPS providers also have several packages that you can choose according to the costs you have.
Even so, before moving to a VPS, it’s a good idea if you do a lot of searching about other web hosting service providers so you don’t regret it in the future.
2. Disk Space
One of the advantages that we will get if we use VPS as web hosting is file hosting. But of course, before that, you also have to see the disk space they provide.
Is the capacity that you get as needed? Apart from the problem of disk space that must be adjusted, you also have to look at the system disk space they use because it will greatly affect the strength of the server and website that you run later.
3. Backup System
Running a large website with lots of visitors makes you aware of the website security system that you are running. The reason is, no matter how good the server is used, security system problems will always exist.
To minimize data loss, web hosting such as VPS also provides data backup services. You can actually do the settings alone, but before doing so, there’s nothing wrong if you first ask the VPS provider, do they provide data backup services or not.
In addition, ask whether all data will be backed up or only the latest data. Finally, does the backup occur at that time, aka real-time, or is it only done a few times at a certain time?
Questions like this are often forgotten by many people, especially those who are beginners. As a result, when a security breach occurs on the website and the data is lost, they themselves will be confused.
4. Location
Considering that this VPS has something to do with the server, then you also have to consider the location taking this into account, at least you know which server can be used. Is a local server better or would it be better if you used a server from abroad?
However, the server you choose will greatly affect your website. Choosing the wrong server will make the performance of the website you are building not good and that will obviously make visitors annoyed and give up on returning to visit your website.
For those of you who have just run or started a website, and only have a few visitors, a Virtual Private Server, aka VPS, is not a good choice. For starters, you can use shared hosting like many people out there. However, if the website you are building is large, you can switch to VPS. Although the price is a bit more expensive, the price is at least comparable to what you will get.
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Author: Siti Mariah