A virtual private server(VPS) is a machine that hosts all the software and data required to run an application or website. It is called virtual because it only consumes a portion of the server’s underlying physical resources which are managed by a third-party provider. However, you get access to your dedicated resources on that hardware.

Dedicated servers provide an exclusive, dedicated operating system with no contention of resources. The server is dedicated to you and you alone. This means your dedicated server will give better performance and faster applications than a cloud server.

A cloud or shared server’s resources are shared between all the users on that particular server. Cloud servers are designed to offer you more storage and virtual resources, instead of providing efficient resources. If it’s a high performing hosting solution you’re looking to set up, a dedicated server to host your website is a better choice.

A dedicated server is the most cost-effective option and the best value for money in the long term. Cloud servers appear cheaper than a dedicated server, but a dedicated server will offer much more in the way of resources and the number of clients that you can serve at any one time.

Your dedicated server provider will handle everything from maintaining the network to supplying and maintaining the server hardware. As you are renting the server from the provider, they are also responsible for resolving any issues if something goes wrong.

Dedicated servers can be used for a number of different applications, as they are very flexible. The most common use for a dedicated server is to run a web hosting environment, while other applications include database storage and access, custom virtualisation setups, VPNs, email servers and more.

A VPS is a virtual machine created from a physical server. A dedicated server is a physical machine without a virtualisation layer.

The advantage of a VPS is that the virtual resources can easily be scaled to suit your project’s needs — and this is beneficial in terms of both cost and flexibility. For this reason, we recommend a virtual private server for projects that do not require an exceptionally high level of performance, resilience or infrastructure upgrades.

For other cases, if the project requires a specific configuration such as multiple disks or a RAID, a dedicated server is the best choice. With its raw performance and customisable hardware configurations, you can create the server that meets your goals — and you are the root user. As with a VPS, you decide on the operating system and technical configuration for your machine.

In short, a VPS is perfect for starting a project at a very affordable price. Once the project is mature and growing quickly, you can migrate it to a dedicated server.