VDS vs Dedicated: choosing the best server for a small business

Dedicated server is a sort of hosting in which a separate physical machine is provided to the client (as opposed to virtual hosting). Typically used to run applications that cannot coexist on the same server with other projects or have high resource requirements.

By choosing a dedicated server, you get full control over its configuration. So, it can be configured exactly as you need specifically for your project.

By renting a full-fledged dedicated server, you get a physical machine completely assigned to you. This is usually not the cheapest pleasure, which is why Dedicated is used mainly for large and complex projects. A virtual server or VPS is, by definition, a piece of a physical server. That is, several virtual servers belonging to different clients are launched on one machine. Does this make VPS less attractive than Dedicated?

VDS vs Dedicated server

Depends on the type of virtualization, that is, the technology with which the VPS is implemented. The most popular are OpenVZ and KVM virtualizations.

OpenVZ uses one physical server core. It consumes resources to a minimum and has the ability to upgrade without interrupting work. This virtualization is best suited for website hosting. But OpenVZ has a minus – you cannot change the kernel parameters, although this is usually not required for hosting.

KVM implements a complete analogue of a physical server. In REG.RU, Cloud servers work on this virtualization. You can install OpenVPN or PPTP on them, get full access to sockets and processes. In a word, KVM is suitable for more flexible configuration and changing system parameters to suit your needs.

Cloud servers are billed by the hour and are a good testing ground for your application's performance. With them, you can easily upgrade the server if your project has grown. On dedicated servers, the upgrade lasts from three hours to one business day, depending on the requested configuration.

The philosophy of Cloud servers implies the allocation of separate virtual environments for each service – site, database, file storage. Such isolation increases their reliability.

Is dedicated server a good fit for you?

A dedicated server is suitable for companies that have their own technical specialists – setting up and maintaining the server requires certain knowledge and experience, and also takes some time.

Therefore, most often dedicated servers are used to host sites with high traffic, complex application sites, as well as all projects that require a high degree of security.

Since a dedicated server is usually more expensive than other hosting options, it is usually used by medium or large companies.
Choose a dedicated server for projects that run faster when hosting all services in one environment (for example, when developing monolithic applications) – this will maximize the speed of interaction. Although a single environment can turn into a point of failure – and this is an occasion to think about backup.

Renting a whole machine allows you to completely customize your server environment. That is, if you rent server you can install any operating system on the server, select a processor, the amount of RAM, and so on.

Dedicated servers are definitely worth choosing if you have special performance requirements – for example, you need a high-frequency processor, large disks, a lot of memory, connecting additional devices, or both.