A virtual private server (VPS) is used for hosting websites (e-commerce, content, visual media) and software applications (portals, extranets, collaborative solutions, wikis, CRM). Unlike shared hosting, the data is isolated onto a virtual machine which is dedicated to the user. The VPS is a perfect compromise between web hosting plans and physical servers, combining reliability with the high performance of a dedicated server — but without the difficulty of managing a server’s physical hardware.

Using a VPS is the next logical step up from using a web hosting plan. Virtual private servers offer a wider range of options, and more flexibility in terms of configuration, access and features (root access, Apache PHP.init). You can also install an SSL certificate and any other software you want. However, we would like to emphasise the importance of choosing the right VPS for you. A VPS needs to be configured in a way that suits your application requirements, and the growth of your business.

The advantage of a VPS is that you don’t have to worry about hardware management — so you would not need to monitor the status of hard disks, RAM, and CPU. They are adapted to host most types of web projects that are moderately sized. We recommend using a dedicated server if you want to manage the hardware aspects yourself, build more elaborate architectures, create an infrastructure that includes a private network (vRack), and deploy other complex solutions that are not web services. As a general rule, users with a growing volume of web activity either move up to dedicated servers, or Public Cloud solutions. These services offer more complex, flexible infrastructures that can adapt to a high level of growth.

A VPS is a solution adapted for pre-production and production environments that don’t need constant performance. The OVHcloud Public Cloud offers a multi-server infrastructure, with high availability for servers. vRack, a private network service, is also available with this service.