What a VDS (VPS) is in plain English, how a cloud server differs from virtual hosting, when hosting is enough, when you need your own server and how to choose resources.
Contents
VDS and VPS are the same thing: a virtual server with its own operating system, guaranteed CPU, memory and disk, and full root access. We call it a cloud server. Virtual hosting is space on a shared server with a ready-made control panel, which the hosting provider sets up and looks after.
The main difference
| Virtual hosting | Cloud server (VDS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets up the server | the provider | you |
| Control panel | cPanel — already there | none; you install what you need |
| Access | to your own account | root — full access |
| Software | PHP, MySQL, email, cron | anything: Node.js, Python, Docker, your own services |
| Operating system | nothing to choose | Linux, FreeBSD or Windows |
| Resources | shared server with limits | guaranteed CPU, memory and disk |
| Updates and security | taken care of for you | your responsibility |
When hosting is enough
If your website is built on PHP — WordPress, Joomla or an online shop on a CMS — and you don’t need your own software on the server, choose hosting. It is cheaper, email and SSL are already set up, and you don’t have to look after the server.
When you need your own server
- your application isn’t written in PHP: Node.js, Python, Go, Java, Docker containers;
- a Telegram bot, a queue worker or another program that has to run all the time;
- custom web server, database or PHP settings that can’t be changed on shared hosting;
- your website needs more resources than hosting offers, even on the largest plan;
- your own mail server, a VPN for staff, or test environments;
- working with your own IP addresses and autonomous system over BGP.
How many resources to choose
| Task | Where to start |
|---|---|
| a bot, a small website, testing | 2 vCPU, 2 GB of memory |
| a website on nginx, PHP and a database, a few Docker containers | 2 vCPU, 4–6 GB |
| a shop with a noticeable load, several projects, Windows | 4 vCPU, 8 GB or more |
If you get it wrong, it doesn’t matter: you can add CPU, memory and disk in your control panel, with no need to move to another server. CPU and memory can also be reduced, but not below the plan’s allowance; disk can only be increased. To work out what your server is struggling with, see Slow server: how to find the cause.
Where to see the plans
Our cloud servers run in our own data centre in the UK, on NVMe disks, with a public IPv4 address and root access.
Didn’t find the answer? Ask our support team — we’ll help.