Linux VPS Hosting
Linux VPS Hosting
Linux VPS hosting is the cheapest form of VPS hosting available due to the fact that there are no licensing costs involved when it comes to the operating system being used, this being one of a number of advantages of using open source server operating systems. Linux VPS hosting is reliable meaning that it is perfect for businesses wanting to host mission critical websites as well as individuals wanting a bit more than what shared web hosting is able to offer them. Although the management of a Linux VPS may seem like a daunting task, you should be able to opt for a web hosting control panel such as cPanel from which you can manage a majority of the different factors that can affect server performance and security. As Linux is an open source operating system many different versions of it have been created by various developers to meet different needs, all of which retain the same core; a majority of these operating systems are open source meaning that your web hosting provider should be able to offer you a wide variety of Linux distributions to choose from during the order process – if a certain distribution isn’t featured then you should contact your web hosting provider as they should be able to offer you any open source distribution of your choice. To achieve the highest level of reliability with Linux VPS hosting it is a good idea to use two VPS servers in a mirrored setup to achieve a fully redundant setup that is capable of offering you more or less 100% uptime; as the technology improves some web hosting providers are starting to offer this kind of setup as standard. For the most reliable Linux VPS hosting service possible you should consider a high specification VPS server that may be offering something that is slightly higher than what you actually require, but this is better for the long term as it provides you with more room for expansion.
What does Linux VPS hosting have to offer?
Linux VPS hosting has a lot to offer both in terms of features and reliability which will allow you to get the best value for money possible from your web hosting package. Even a low specification VPS server is going to be more reliable than a Windows VPS server or Linux shared hosting package meaning that you really don’t need to spend much to get a VPS server that can offer you an acceptable level of reliability that should be up to your requirements; however, to make your Linux VPS server as reliable as possible you should take measures to optimize the applications that you are running on your VPS server to reduce the amount of resources that they are using. Linux VPS hosting also has a lot of variety to offer; as there are many different Linux distributions available you can customize your VPS server right down to the operating system that you are using – if you have the necessary skills then you can even develop your own Linux distribution! There is also a large number of applications available for Linux for free, the reason for this being that a majority of Linux applications are open source meaning that they’re free to use; open source applications can also be modified as the source code is freely available in all cases which allows you to modify an application if you want it to do something it doesn’t. You will find that Linux VPS hosting has the following features to offer all users:
- Value for money – as low cost Linux VPS servers are of an acceptable specification and are able to offer a good level of reliability then you can be sure that Linux VPS server hosting can offer you value for money, regardless of what your requirements – higher specification Linux VPS also represent good value for money as many web hosting providers are now being much more generous with their resource assignments allowing you to purchase a VPS server with a good amount of guaranteed RAM and hard disk space for a price which is only slightly higher than that of a reseller web hosting package
- Distributions – there is a wide variety of open source Linux distributions available for your use, and since they are open source your web hosting provider should be able to provide you with a VPS server using any open source Linux distribution around for no extra cost – there are Linux distributions for many different tasks as some have been produced to be used for one function such as for use in a server environment or in a desktop environment and although this can make choosing the right Linux distribution just that big harder, you will find that you can get more out of your Linux VPS server if you are using the right distribution
- Open source applications - there are many more open source applications available for Linux servers than there are for Windows servers meaning that you can configure your VPS to function in the way you want without having to pay a penny for any applications which may be required – the main advantage of open source applications is that you have full access to the application’s source code meaning that you can modify the application to function in the way you want it to as well as to add or remove features that you may feel would be helpful for the situation in which you are trying to use the application concerned.
In summary, you will find that Linux VPS hosting has a lot to offer for the relatively low amount of money that you are going to be paying for a Linux VPS server. The fact that Linux is open source means that there are many different versions or distributions to choose from, as well as a number of open source applications that you can then use on your server once you have it setup. To get the best value for money from Linux VPS hosting you should opt to have a web hosting control panel installed on your VPS which you can then use for web based management of your VPS server.
Advantages of Linux VPS Hosting
There are several different advantages to using Linux VPS hosting that will benefit you in one way or another. The main advantage offered by using Linux VPS hosting is the fact that Linux VPS hosting is very cheap meaning that you can get a good quality Linux VPS server for a low price; this means that if you may be looking for a high end reseller web hosting package, you may find that your budget could get you a low cost Linux VPS server with a web hosting control panel such as cPanel which will be able to offer you everything you need plus more! Linux web hosting control panels are also readily available which means that it is potentially very easy for you to make a small return on your investment in a Linux VPS server; if you are able to manage a Linux VPS correctly and know how to use your chosen Linux web hosting control panel then there is nothing to stop you from creating your own web hosting packages that you can then sell on to others who require web hosting services. Most Linux web hosting providers make use of the Virtuozzo VPS daemon to manage their VPS hosting provisioning; for you as the consumer this means that you will be able to manage a majority of the factors that can affect the performance of your VPS server from a web based interface. All in all the main advantages of Linux VPS hosting include:
- Cost – Linux is an open source operating system meaning that it is free to use, and because of this there is no licensing cost for your web hosting provider to pass on to you in what you are paying for your web hosting package which saves you money – that coupled with the fact that many web hosting providers use the open source virtualization platform OpenVZ to manage their Linux VPS infrastructure means that you are only really paying for the resources that you are using with your Linux VPS rather than any software or operating systems that may be required to make your VPS server run smoothly
- Control panels – many web hosting providers offer a variety of web hosting control panels that you can choose from to either offer your own web hosting services or just to take advantage of the server side features to help you with the management of your Linux VPS server – the main control panel of choice for Linux VPS users if the cPanel control panel as in a majority of cases this is a cheap and easy to use add-on that their web hosting provider supports, but cPanel is geared more towards the web hosting market, but if you are after a control panel just to help you manage your server then you can take advantage of Webmin as this is a free Linux control panel that can help you with most Linux VPS management tasks
- Web based management – if you choose a reputable web hosting provider that offers Virtuozzo based Linux VPS servers then you should be provided with access to the Virtuozzo Power Panel from which you can manage the different aspects that can affect the performance of your VPS server, and if it happens to crash then you can also reboot it from the web interface – some OpenVZ VPS hosting providers utilize the HyperVM control panel to allow them to offer web based VPS management to their customers, and although HyperVM offers similar features to the Virtuozzo Power Panel it is an unproven solution and does have reliability issues.
The advantages offered by Linux VPS hosting show just how easy it is to manage a Linux VPS if you feel that you don’t have the necessary skills to take on managing your VPS server via SSH as is the recommended way. Your best bet would be to go with a reputable web hosting provider that can offer fully managed Virtuozzo Linux VPS hosting services; not only will you get the reliability of Virtuozzo VPS hosting but you will also be able to make use of your web hosting provider’s highly experienced support team if you find that there is a certain task that you are unable to complete yourself.
Disadvantages of Linux VPS Hosting
There can also be several disadvantages to using Linux VPS hosting which may or may not affect you depending on how you use your Linux VPS server. The main disadvantage to using any VPS hosting service, but more so with Linux VPS hosting, is the level of stability that is on offer; since a VPS hosting node is going to be hosting many VPS servers at the same time there is the potential for one of the hosted VPS to overload the hosting node which would cause it to crash, and although it is a rare occurence it is still something that you need to be aware of. The main thing to be aware of with any VPS hosting service is the level of management that is involved in keeping a server secure and running smoothly; although web hosting providers offer fully managed Linux VPS hosting services, they still expect you as the consumer to have some basic server management knowledge. You may also find that the restrictions that your web hosting provider has put in place in terms of how many processes you are able to run at one time are limiting; in the event of this you will have no choice but to upgrade to Linux dedicated server hosting. In summary, the main disadvantages of Linux VPS hosting include:
- Stability – this can be an issue for most VPS hosting services as there are so many VPS servers hosted on a single node that it is sometimes inevitable that one of these VPS servers will accidentally overload the hosting node – although web hosting providers have measures in place to prevent this from happening there are also other hardware related issues that can affect VPS stability such as the fact that VPS hosting nodes have a reduced lifespan when compared to other servers because of each VPS server is constantly reading and writing to and from the server’s hard drive
- Management – whether you choose to purchase a managed Linux VPS server or an unmanaged Linux VPS server you will find that your web hosting provider will have some expectation of you when it comes to server management knowledge as you can’t expect them to do everything for you – if you feel that you don’t have any skills to manage a Linux VPS then you can always use search engines such as Google to find the relevant resources that you can then use to help you learn the appropriate skills that you can then make use of to correctly manage a Linux VPS server
- Limitations - as part of their efforts to minimize the stability issues which users could face, many web hosting providers have put limits in place on how many processes each VPS server hosting on a Linux node will be able to run at any one time – this could cause a problem for users who may be using their Linux VPS server for more than one function or for those who are using several applications to ensure that their VPS server is able to meet their expectations in terms of what they can use it for – if you find such limitations a problem then your only choice is to upgrade to Linux dedicated server hosting.
The few disadvantages that there are with Linux VPS hosting are only going to be experienced by those who are inexperienced with server management or who are very fussy about their web hosting service and demand the absolute best. Most people won’t be running too many applications or processes on their Linux VPS at any one time to experience any problems with the process limit set by their web hosting provider. However, stability is something that all users should be able to take for granted and because of this you should always read available web hosting reviews for specific web hosting companies prior to ordering a Linux VPS from them just to ensure that you know what you are getting in terms of stability and value for money.
In conclusion, Linux VPS hosting is a reliable form of web hosting that represents good value for money for those who find that it meets their web hosting requirements. Linux VPS hosting services can be used in many different ways, whether that be for the hosting of a single website or for you to offer your own cPanel web hosting services to those who require them. The idea of open source offers many new paths for businesses and individuals who wish to take their development skills just that bit further; by making use of an open source Linux distribution you can modify the code to work in the way you want it to, or if you have an open source application then you can make ammendments to the code which you can then release back into the open source community. To ensure that you get the best value for money from your Linux VPS server it is recommended that you choose a reputable web hosting provider offering Virtuozzo VPS hosting.
