What Is a VPS? Uses, Benefits and How It Differs from Shared Hosting

What is a VPS?

A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a slice of a powerful physical server, separated by virtualization so that it behaves like an independent machine. Each VPS has its own operating system, CPU, RAM, disk and IP address, and you get full root access (Administrator on Windows) to install whatever you need.

Put simply, a VPS is an always-on computer in a data center that you can reach from anywhere and fully control.

VPS vs. shared hosting vs. dedicated server

• Shared hosting: hundreds of sites share one server and one operating system; you only control your site's folder, can't install your own software and have no guaranteed resources.
• VPS: CPU cores, RAM and disk are reserved for you, you choose and manage the operating system and you have root access, at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated server.
• Dedicated server: a whole physical machine is yours; more power, but more expensive and slower to set up and upgrade.

For most projects a VPS is the best balance of price, power and freedom, and you can upgrade the plan as the project grows.

What people use a VPS for

• Websites, online shops and WordPress with dedicated resources
• Telegram and Discord bots running 24/7
• Application back ends, APIs and databases
• MetaTrader and trading bots on a Windows server
• Development, testing and deployment environments
• Scripts, cron jobs and automation
• Learning Linux, networking and server administration

Which specs matter?

• CPU and RAM: 1 core and 1-2 GB of RAM are enough for a bot or a small site; busy sites, databases or Windows want 2 cores and 4 GB or more.
• Disk: space for the OS, applications and data; in locations that offer volumes you can add extra storage later.
• Traffic and port speed: the monthly traffic allowance and the network speed.
• Location: put the server close to your users.
• Operating system: Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and other Linux distributions, or Windows Server.
• Billing: monthly for long-running servers, hourly for short jobs.

Running a VPS with ServerStellar

Every ServerStellar server comes with full root access and a dedicated IP, usually within a few minutes. From the server page you can start, stop or reboot it, reinstall the OS, change the password, get a new IP for free, check your traffic and upgrade the plan. The same actions are available from the Telegram bot and the API, and you can top up your wallet with cryptocurrency.

See the VPS locations and the pricing page to compare plans.