Virtual Private Server Hosting (VPS Hosting) offers a number of benefits including personalization, privacy, and scalability. But after deciding that VPS hosting is the best option for hosting your site, that doesn’t mean you’re done. It’s important to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck. That means understanding the differences between different VPS hosts, and knowing what to look for in a VPS Host.
1. Managed vs Unmanaged
You’ve made the choice for VPS over dedicated or shared hosting, but there’s still the question of whether your plan is managed or unmanaged. An unmanaged plan is one where you personally take care of things like server administration and troubleshooting software/services on the VPS. Whereas a managed plan is one where these things are taken care of for you and you focus more on things like the actual functionality of your site.
Managed plans also tend to take control of things like monitoring for malicious attacks. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are a popular cyberattack that consists of large quantities of junk requests being sent into your server in an attempt to clog it up. If enough requests come through, then a real user may end up experiencing either a slow experience or disconnection altogether. And according to Neustar’s Secure Operations Center DDoS attacks were up more than 200% compared to last year. They aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so it’s best to make sure you’re protected.
2. Technical Needs Over Time
You of course should make sure that all the technical requirements of your VPS are met. This means understanding hardware your VPS is running on as well. Multiple virtual servers can be run completely in isolation with one piece of hardware, but when it’s all said and done that hardware is the root of how your server will behave. So make sure you choose a reputable hosting company with a proven track record of successful hosting.
Furthermore, it’s best to make sure you’ll have the option to either scale up or back depending on how things are going for your site. Finding a company with multiple plans is easy, but it can be equally important to find plans that offer scalability. Maybe you’re running a retail site that expects double the usual traffic during the holiday season. It’s crucial you have your site functioning at full capacity or else you’ll miss out on potential sales, but it also doesn’t make sense to pay for this extra bandwidth during the rest of the year. Having a flexible server can save you money in the long run.
3. Uptime and Support
99.9% uptime. If you don’t see a guarantee of 99.9% uptime then look elsewhere. This is a must when considering things to look for in a VPS host. If you’re going to be paying to set up a server, it’s only logical it should be functional when you need it most. Anything less than this runs the risk of being down during crucial operation hours.
Along with almost complete uptime comes good customer support. It’s always good to understand the level of support you’ll be receiving in case issues do arise. Yet again, the more the better. In the ideal situation you’ll never even need to utilize a customer support hotline, but not having one available puts you up a creek without a paddle.
4. Location, Location, Location
It’s probably not at the forefront of thought when picking a VPS host, but location matters. Yes, your server is virtual, but that doesn’t mean it’s magically floating in the sky and instantly handles requests around the globe. Data always takes time to transfer and must obey the laws of physics, so finding a web hosting service with a location nearby is always beneficial. And if you’re a large enough company it may be beneficial to leverage multiple locations around to globe to make sure all your users experience quick experiences.
5. Disaster Recovery
It’s the last thing you want to think about when setting up a site, but what do you do if things go terribly wrong? No, you shouldn’t just turn everything off and walk away. You should preemptively have a disaster recovery plan in place so that you know what actions need to take place to get things back on track.
When choosing a hosting plan, you should look at what options are available for disaster recovery plans and backing up your data. The cold hard truth is we don’t live in a perfect world. Things will break and things will go wrong, so it’s good to take as many precautions as possible to prepare for when they do.
6. Value
Similar to knowing what your technical needs over time will be, you need to know you’re getting a good deal. The last thing you want to do is lock into a plan where you’re overpaying whether it’s via excess overpriced hardware. Read reviews of different companies you’re evaluating and compare their prices to make sure you’ll not throwing your money away.
Notice that this section is title value though, not price. There’s an important difference. Going with the cheapest option available will usually not yield the results you’re hoping for. It’s best to find a reliable host that you can be confident will take care of you for a reasonable price. All the above factors relate to the price you’re paying to create value. Are you getting a good value?
Final Thoughts:
There are many things to consider when looking for a ovh VPS classic host, but as long as you read reviews and go with a reputable host, odds are you will be alright. These can help ensure the company you go with can and will deliver on any promises they make. It may take a little time to figure out exactly what your needs will be, but understanding what to look for is a good first step.