What’s the Difference Between VPS and Cloud Servers? (VPS vs Cloud Server)

VPS vs Cloud Server – There is a lot of talk these days about cloud computing or cloud hosting. Many companies are using these terms loosely to discuss either VPS or cloud servers (public or private). But, what do these terms mean? You will definitely see a difference when you look at the price tag, so understanding what each of these services are will help you in your quest to determine the best option for you or your company.

To help you out, here is a description of each and even some of their pros and cons

Virtual Private Server

Definition: One physical server, divided into several smaller server slices that each act as their own virtual server environment.

If shared hosting is like sharing a flat with noisy neighbours, then VPS is like living in a nice house with the ability to change furniture and fittings and even add extra rooms, and it’s all yours, no sharing.
Because VPS is an implementation of IAAS you get full virtual Servers with your choice of operating system i.e windows server or linux flavours. The servers usually come loaded with web app dev tools, databases and in some cases email servers as well. In most cases you get assigned an i.p address but you can optionally request for more, additionally because you are getting a full virual server with root access, you can remote in and install whatsoever you wish and host as many websites as you want.

Advantages of VPS Server

VPS hosting has been one of the most popular options for a long time. Look at the key benefits that make it so attractive:

• Exclusive access to resources: Your website is assigned a set amount of disk space, central processing unit (CPU) utilization, memory, and other resources so that other accounts won’t impact it on the same server.
• Ability to customize: Since you’re given full access to your virtual server, you can configure it in any way you want, which is generally impossible with shared hosting.
• Affordable: You get many of the same benefits associated with dedicated servers but at a fraction of the cost.

Who Should Use VPS Hosting? 

A VPS can be a great choice for website users who have outgrown their shared hosting plan. However, it’s not perfect for every kind of website out there. Virtual Private Server hosting is great for users looking for more control over their website, with the technical skills to set up a customized environment.

Specifically, VPS may be right for you if:

• You’re planning a website that has complexity, and your programmer will want more power over customization.
• You have too much traffic for a shared web hosting plan to make sense, but your traffic numbers are typically consistent month to month, so you have a pretty good idea of how much bandwidth you’ll need.
• You have a specific type of software (or more than one) your website will require, and you expect to need direct access to the server to install and maintain it. 
• You expect to run custom scripts and plugins on your site—the customization power VPS plans provide often work better for this. 

Cloud Server

Definition: Cloud servers utilize multiple servers connected together in a cluster which is backed by SAN storage. Customers utilizing a cloud platform will benefit from the multiple servers because they will receive unlimited storage, maximum bandwidth, managed load balancing and no ties to a specific piece of hardware. The basic difference between public and private clouds are in public, the cluster is multi-tenant and a private is a single client.

Cloud hosting is when your hosting plan taps into a network of potentially unlimited virtual machines. All of these virtual machines rely upon an underlying network of connected physical servers. With all of these virtual machines connected together, cloud hosting functions somewhat like one big VPS. 

Advantages of Cloud Hosting

• Because your website is hosted on a virtual partition that utilizes numerous physical networks, cloud hosting is relatively reliable. When one of the servers goes down, the cloud’s resource level drops significantly, but it has no effect on your website. There isn’t any inaccessibility or anything like that.
• Many physical servers defend cloud hosting against third-parties attempting to gain access to their facilities or disrupt their services.
• Cloud hosting is adaptable, scalable, and expandable. It is not constrained in the same way that a single server is. Resources are available in real time and in response to your demands.
• Because you only pay for what you use, cloud hosting is cost-effective.

Who Should Use Cloud Hosting?

Cloud hosting is a great choice for website owners who need the flexibility that the cloud provides to enable increased performance to meet surges in traffic.

Specifically, cloud hosting may be the best choice for you if:

• Your traffic numbers vary considerably month to month, such as with an eCommerce store with seasonal products or a media site with the occasional viral article. 
• You anticipate a lot of growth in the coming years and want to choose a web hosting plan that can grow with you. New startups or companies implementing a growth strategy are likely to prefer cloud hosting.
• You like the idea of only paying for what you need. That can mean inconsistent billing month to month that’s harder to plan for, but it could result in overall savings for some websites. 

VPS vs Cloud Server

Features	VPS SEVER	CLOUD SERVER
Scaling	VPS can also be scaled, but hardware upgrades are usually required for resource expansion. This is because performance and scalability are limited to the host server’s physical components and capacities. On the other hand, cloud services offer a larger network of physical and virtualized components. Renting additional VPSs is often associated with more effort.	When it comes to scalability, cloud server is the better option. In fact, easy scalability is the main argument in favor of cloud servers. Unlike VPS options, you don’t need to contact your provider to change resources or configurations. Changes can be made directly in a dashboard. If you need more storage capacity, more applications or more computing power, you can just extend your subscription plan or adjust the resources accordingly on your dashboard.
Data security	VPS is in a league of its own when it comes to security. Independence and encapsulation are the main advantages of virtual servers. Every VPS segment on the host platform is shielded from the VPS segments of other customers on the server. This means that your data remains invisible to other users, and it is also not affected by failures or errors in other segments. This is because your operating system is independent, and you have your own configurations. Nevertheless, it is important to check the host’s security standards and the server being used.	Data security in cloud computing also depends on data center security, the cluster structure in a cloud guarantees higher reliability and fault tolerance. Since workloads are distributed flexibly in the cloud, when a physical server fails, it does not mean that every segment fails. A private cloud offers the best protection for highly sensitive data if you are choosing between a private and public cloud.
Cost	VPS and cloud hosting don’t differ greatly in terms of costs. Typically, you can choose from a set of monthly subscriptions that offer different services and storage capacities. These start at just $4 to $5 per month. VPS is good value for money if you are a small or medium-sized company and need independent resources for projects with calculable workloads.	cloud hosting is suitable for both small and large projects with a lot of traffic and performance peaks. The fees for cloud services are usually based on performance requirements. However, hosting companies like IONOS cap costs by guaranteeing a maximum monthly fee. This prevents additional expenses resulting from high storage requirements.
Individualization	Individualization and customization are VPS hosting’s other main strengths. However, it requiresin-depth knowledge of network administration. Root access will allow you to configure your virtual server as required, just like you would a dedicated server. This includes installing the operating systems, software and applications of your choice. Although VPS hosting is limited to physical components such as memory and network cards, you can make individual configurations for your performance capacities.	Cloud hosting customization is also possible. However, this depends on the cloud package and the range of services offered. You can create the virtual networks or install the operating systems and services that you require with IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) models. Virtual network devices with cloud hosting perform like individually configured, physical network components and offer huge scalability. Some companies also provide microservices as building-block modules. These also let you customize your functions.
Provision	VPS: A VPS requires renting a virtual private server from a hosting provider. Although a VPS is a segment or partition on a physical server, a VPS functions as a closed, independent server system. VPS offers better value for money than many dedicated physical servers, which can be an important factor when deciding whether to choose a VPS or dedicated server. A VPS is created and managed by a hypervisor. A hypervisor is software on a physical server, which manages VPS segments and allocates resources such as memory, computing power and network components to customers.	Cloud: Unlike VPS, cloud hosting is not limited to physical resources with fixed partitions. This is in line with cloud computing. Instead, a networked pool of hardware and software resources is used. Computing power, storage capacities and network components are provided flexibly through a server network of clusters and nodes. Additional resources can be distributed dynamically as required and according to workload.
Reliability	Varies depending on the provider, but generally, good reliability and uptime with the option to add redundancy and backup systems	High reliability with multiple servers, backups, and automatic failover systems
Security	Secure, but may require additional security measures to be implemented by the user	Generally secure with multiple layers of security, firewalls, and data encryption

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