Getting Started With VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting stands for Virtual Private Server hosting and is similar to a Dedicated Server but in a virtual environment; virtual servers are created on a physical hardware node which is shared with several other virtual servers. VPS are generally seen as the next step up from Reseller Hosting; they are also seen as the fill in between Reseller Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting, VPS generally cost a lot less than any cheap dedicated server and just a little more than a standard reseller package. They allow for a reseller to have a lot more freedom than is possible on a standard reseller package because they are given their own dedicated environment in which they can install any software of their liking; they also have the ability to implement any custom server configurations which they feel will suit their needs. For many the step up from standard reseller hosting to VPS Hosting is a big one; the factor of server administration is seen to be the cause of this, because reseller hosts are used to the host taking care of the shared server, but now that they have their own dedicated environment the server administration is up to them.
Where to Start
The first thing most people do when they receive their VPS is make it secure against hackers and virus writers alike; an insecure VPS is a hackers playground since they could be able to install a rootkit on your VPS meaning that they would be able to gather data from it and run malicious applications in the background without you knowing. Once you have secured your VPS you are then able to go on to customizing it. Customizing your VPS to suit your requirements can be a tricky task since there are so many different tasks which you could use your VPS for, simply because it is a dedicated environment which you have full access to.
Customizing Your VPS
Since you have full root access to your VPS, and also because it’s in its own dedicated environment, you are able to install any software that you want; this could be to your advantage since it allows you to create your website or application around your VPS for maximum flexibility. Since you are able to install what you want, you are open to a new world of possibilities of what you could do with your VPS which you would be unable to achieve on standard shared hosting; for example, you could install a component such as FFMpeg and run a YouTube clone on your VPS – that is something which would be impossible on shared hosting unless FFMpeg was installed and it is a rare to find a host which does have it installed within a shared environment. You could simply just use your VPS as a backup server where you can keep copies of important documents and other files; this is a move which is becoming increasingly popular because of the increasing importance of having backups in several different physical locations.
Control Panels and Selling Hosting
If your VPS has a web hosting control panel then you can use it to sell hosting off to customers; this move as well is becoming increasingly popular because of the falling price of both VPS and control panels. Most VPS come with either Plesk, cPanel or DirectAdmin control panels, all of which allow reselling and allow for customers to be able to manage their own sites and accounts. For more information on getting started with control panels and reselling hosting, take a look at this post.
Conclusion
With a VPS, you are open to a whole world of new possibilities and ideas that you could achieve since they would most likely not be possible on standard shared hosting because of restrictions. For example, you could use your VPS to resell web hosting which could give you a nice profit on top of what you are likely earning already.
