This is a virtual server buying guide. Buying a virtual server can be a good choice for people who own a growing site and face a decrease in uptime and slowness of the site at the same time as the number of users and content increases. Also, if you as the owner of an online store need a secure space to manage customer transactions, you can consider buying a virtual server.

People who decide to use hosting services for the first time may use shared hosting at first, but over time they will need more hardware resources. At this time, one of the options before them is a virtual server. In this virtual server buying guide, we will review the important points that you should consider when choosing and buying a VPS; But before that, it is not bad to mention the concept of virtual server and its features.

What is a virtual server or VPS?

Virtual server or Virtual Private Server, also known as VPS for short; It is a part of a dedicated server that is separated from the virtualization software and is provided to you as a dedicated environment with full access under the Linux or Windows operating system. A virtual server provides all the features of a dedicated server at a lower cost and allows you to have dedicated resources, high security and full control over your server environment. In the virtual server, the RAM memory and SSD are dedicated and the CPU is shared.

Virtual machine, or VM for short, isolates the server completely so that your partition has its own processor core. In other words, when you buy a virtual server, you basically get a virtual machine (VM). Server virtual machines are commonly known as hypervisors. Most servers that are equipped with virtual machines provide a set of management tools to administrators. For example, they provide the possibility to increase or decrease the allocated resources, manage the number of connections or touch basic settings that include operating system, hardware and software installation.

What are the advantages of a virtual server?

1. Have complete management of your server

The difference between a virtual server and a shared host is the administrative access of the site. In Cloud Hosting, an access to the direct admin panel is given to the user, and the infrastructure settings of the panel are done by the provider, but in the virtual server, the server management access is provided to the user.

2. save money

A virtual server provides you with all the capabilities of a full server and is less expensive than a dedicated server, so you can use it as long as the hardware resources of the virtual server are sufficient for you.

3. Monitor resource capacity

A user who uses a virtual server selects hardware capacities such as CPU processor, SSD space, and RAM memory according to his needs, and whenever he needs to change these resources, he can change them instantly.

Who is the virtual server suitable for?

At the beginning of the virtual server buying guide, in order to find out whether it is time to have a VPS or not, it is better to check your conditions with the factors that we mention below;

1. How do you evaluate the security situation?

If you feel that you should have more and more complete control over your website management, it’s time to choose a virtual server and take over the management of your website from zero to one hundred. In cloud hosting services, due to shared space, security may not be sufficient or sometimes a site may slow down neighboring sites by adding a lot of load to the service. But in the virtual server, you have your own private space and your server will not be affected by other servers in any way.

Of course, it goes without saying that because the security of virtual servers is the responsibility of the site administrators themselves, the use of virtual servers requires sufficient knowledge and skills. So when you go to buy a virtual server, you must either be a professional site manager or hire a professional site manager.

2. What is the traffic volume of the site?

If you are just starting your website and don’t get a lot of traffic, shared (cloud) hosting is the right option for you. However, if the audience of the website is constantly increasing or you anticipate that the number of users may increase dramatically after the implementation of campaigns and advertisements, you should consider buying an independent server. Because a virtual server is an option between a cloud host and a dedicated server, as mentioned, it does not cost much compared to a dedicated server, but it easily supports your traffic increase and prevents your site from going down.

3. How fast does your website run for users?

Cloud (shared) hosting is not suitable for websites that use a lot of RAM. As your website grows and the content you provide through it becomes more and more, the loading time of your website for users will also increase, indicating that you need to increase the capacities you use. . Buying a VPS is a great solution for you.

4. You are the owner of an online store or you want to be

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, if you have a store site that handles users’ financial transactions through online payment portals, you definitely need to provide a safe space for your customers’ online payments. The moment you plan to start an online store is the moment you should think about buying the right virtual server. With VPS, you have a secure and dedicated server that gives you peace of mind about a safe environment for financial transactions.

So, if you want to do all you can to ensure the security of your customers’ financial information, but your turnover and income are not enough to choose a dedicated server, it is better to buy a VPS and choose its hardware resources according to your needs. When your site grows and the number of users increases, upgrade your server resources.

5. Want to install a custom software?

Shared hosting is great for first-time website owners building their site with WordPress or other popular content management systems. However, as these sites grow, they reach a point where they need to install custom software, use a custom server configuration, or engage in advanced programming. So it’s time to get a virtual server for them.

6. Want to hold an online class or webinar?

In order to hold webinars and online classes, we need a secure server that does not crash when a large number of students log in at once and has an acceptable speed. In this case, it is recommended to use a virtual server because it can provide the necessary conditions for holding a high-quality online class. Of course, if the number of your participants is very large or you hold many classes and webinars, so that the VPS resource limit is not sufficient, it is better to buy a dedicated server.

Some sites record their online classes and webinars and make them available to class members after the class is over. In this situation, it is better to have a download host in addition to a virtual server, which provides a wide space for uploading and downloading, so that you can provide users with videos and class files easily and at high speed.

virtual server purchase guide; What points should we pay attention to?

Now that you know what VPS is and under what conditions you should choose it, it’s time to take a look at the important things to consider when choosing and buying a VPS. How can you find an excellent virtual server that perfectly suits your needs? Where did you get this server?

Linux or Windows operating system

The differences between the virtual server in Linux and Windows operating systems are:

graphic appearance; Windows servers work through a graphical user interface (GUI), which provides an environment similar to normal Windows for the server administrator, and is suitable for beginners, those who need the server for web browsing, trading, gaming, etc. Linux servers do not have a graphical interface or appearance, they work through a command line. Of course, it is possible to set up user interfaces to make them easier to use.

Programming language; Linux is generally used by those who use C, C++, Perl, and PhP programming languages, and Windows operating systems are used for sites written in ASP.NET.

database; Various databases are used for Linux and Windows operating systems, for example MySQL database for Linux and SQL Server for Windows.

Connection; In the best Windows virtual servers, you access your server through the FTP protocol, but in Linux, secure SSH protocols are used.

Resources needed to purchase a virtual server

When buying any hosting service, you need to determine the hardware resources you need, such as RAM, SSD hard drive and processor core, and choose the service that suits your needs. Each of the service companies have specified plans for providing servers and allow customers to increase or decrease their resources whenever they need to increase or decrease their resources while using the plan.

• RAM memory; The most basic factor for choosing a virtual server is that it has the greatest impact on the price of the server, and you should choose it according to your activity.
• SSD space; It should be chosen according to your storage, which greatly affects the speed of the server.
• CPU processor; As we mentioned before, in virtual servers, cpu is shared, and you should choose its amount depending on the speed and quality you expect from your server.

Virtualizer used in VPS

Virtualization is done by a software on the server to isolate and customize the server. Server sites use various software for server virtualization, which are mostly based on Linux, including:

• VMWARE
• KVM
• XEN
• ESXi
• Hyper V (not very common now.)

Virtual server management

Site management access in Linux virtual server, Root user access is through SSH protocol, and if your VPS is a Windows virtual server type, Administrator user has access to site management with Remote Desktop protocol.

Since a virtual server can be difficult to operate and secure, some users use a managed virtual server. Control Panel programs are installed on managed virtual servers, which make server management easier. Hosting companies use different control panel programs, including: Webmin, Virtualmin, Directadmin, Cpanel, and Plesk.

Cpanel is the most famous and popular Linux web control panel and has high default security. Also, the Plesk control panel is not free, but it has the lowest license fee among its competitors and has a good default security, but you need to add security by installing security modules and appropriate settings.

Regarding the Plesk program, I must mention that it is the most famous and popular control panel under the Windows operating system and has a very high level of security.

VPS server security

In virtual servers, most of the responsibility for security rests with the site owner, and server providers can guarantee the security of your network and server hardware. So, to use a virtual server, you must hire an expert or at least use the managed servers mentioned earlier.

Additional virtual server services

Different companies offer different services in addition to their virtual server, such as backup, storage and one-day server.

Where to get a virtual server?

The company providing the virtual server is very important and it is important that you research all or at least the most important companies providing hosting services and measure the quality of service, support and satisfaction of their previous customers before choosing and buying. It is not bad to talk to the previous customers of these companies to make sure about the good work of these companies.

Conclusion

In the guide to buying a virtual server, we tried to mention all the points that you should consider to choose the right VPS, buying a virtual server is suitable for all those who want to experience a professional and unlimited hosting and not pay a lot of money. You just need to acquire the necessary expertise in securing and managing it or hire someone who is an expert in this field.

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read the article and we hope that this article about buying a virtual server will help you to choose a hosting service with more complete information and an open view. Again, visit the Softhost blog to read the latest articles in the hosting industry.