Author: MyDataKnox

In order to help you find your way around the names of the services and the differences between them, we’ve prepared a comprehensive description below.
WEB HOSTING
Web hosting, sometimes known as shared hosting, is the most common form of hosting on the market and meets the requirements of most users regarding website hosting.
By leasing a web hosting account, you’ll get access to your own separate account on a server which hosts many other users as well, and all of you share its complete resources. Hosting websites using shared web hosting has a few crucial advantages in comparison to VPS or a dedicated server:

• when you get an account, everything is ready for use
• you can easily install web applications using the cPanel interface
• you can easily open e-mail addresses
• the server is prepared solely for a web hosting service and is especially optimised for premium performance
• general simple management
• affordably priced web hosting packages.

Web hosting also has a few drawbacks, such as:

• no advanced system configuration (e.g. MySQL)
• resource limitation (every account has a specific amount of resources – CPU/RAM)
• more advanced users, such as web shops with a large number of visitors, soon outgrow the options provided by a shared environment.

DEDICATED SERVER
Dedicated hosting, or a dedicated server, is the complete opposite of a web hosting service.

Instead of using server resources together with other users, in a dedicated server, you have total access to the system and you can configure and use the server any way you want. Sounds great, and it is, however, it costs considerably more than an annual subscription to a hosting account. This type of hosting is intended for specific users, those that require dedicated resources, such as:

• users with complex web applications with a large number of visitors
• companies that use the servers for business applications and databases
• users that require specific settings or virtualization.

VPS SERVER

VPS servers are a type of service which falls somewhere between web hosting and dedicated servers. It’s a service which enables you to use dedicated resources (CPU, RAM, storage) and it’s intended for users that outgrow a web hosting environment, but still don’t require the power of an entire dedicated server. VPS offers you many of the same advantages as a dedicated server at only a fraction of the price of one. Therefore, VPS gives you full administrator access and you can configure the server any way you like, just like with a dedicated server.

In order to present the similarities and differences of the aforementioned MyDataKnox services in the form of a clear overview, we’ve prepared a small table of their basic features.

	Web hosting	VPS server	Dedicated server
IP address	Shared with all accounts on a shared hosting server	Public IP address solely for your VPS	Public IP address solely for your dedicated server
Your own choice of OS	No (all hosting packages are Linux-based)	Yes	Yes
Service control	Limited	Full control	Full control
Dedicated resources	Only with Advanced web hosting packages	Yes	Yes
Installing your own applications	No	Yes	Yes
Server resources	Limited to user accounts	Full leased resources	Full server resources

Generally speaking, content migration is your responsibility, however, our support team will execute the migration for you if it involves transferring content from one cPanel to another, or from one CentOS Web Panel to another. You are free to contact our support team regarding anything else and if your need specific answers.

Yes. You can change your server configuration at any time. All you need to do is send a request to our support team regarding the necessary adjustments.

VPS servers are delivered without add-ons, but you can lease cPanel and other licenses from us. MyDataKnox support team will help you prepare the server and install cPanel or a free CentOS Web panel.

VPS management requires basic server administrator knowledge. You’ll need it to administrate the operating system you’ll install (Linux or Windows) and configure the applications. If you require VPS, but feel that you lack the technical skills needed to manage a server, we recommend that you take a look at our Premium support service.

If you require a specifically configured server or your websites have a large number of visitors, then VPS is the right solution for you. VPS can be completely adapted to meet your needs and provide you with a lot more control over your hosting environment than a web hosting service. On the other hand, if your require an installation of a special software such as CRM, ERP or similar systems, VPS provides you complete freedom of installation and configuration of such applications.

There are a few factors that indicate that it’s time to get a VPS:

• YOU’RE CONCERNED WITH SECURITY
  If you require additional security options, such as improved webpage stability, autonomous firewall management, privacy for online payments or similar needs, it’s time to consider VPS hosting.
• THE NUMBER OF VISITORS OF YOUR WEBSITES IS RAPIDLY INCREASING
  When they’re still new, most websites require only the existing MyDataKnox web hosting packages. It often happens that the number of visitors of a website increases so much that the limited resources of a web hosting package become insufficient for interrupted site functioning. That’s definitely a time to transfer to VPS.
• WEBSITES ARE NOTICEABLY SLOW
  It should be pointed out that the web hosting service is not intended for web applications that require more resources, such as increased RAM. As the amount of content and the number of users on your websites increase, the performance is bound to diminish, despite the option of buying more memory capacity and an additional CPU core, since there are still limitations in place for every user in order to ensure the stability of the service for all users on the shared hosting. Transferring to VPS solves all the aforementioned issues, since you’re using dedicated resources, and in case you need extra resources, you can easily upgrade your VPS with a greater number of CPU cores, more disk space or more RAM. MyDataKnox VPS servers are located at our Tier3-category data centre and driven by hardware based on next-generation Intel Xeon processors.
• YOU HAVE A WEB SHOP
  If you run a web shop, especially if it’s visited by a large number of users, you should consider a VPS server. In case you’re wondering why, it’s simple – a VPS server provides you with a secure environment that you can manage yourself. Online payment in itself is something that requires privacy and full control over the service.
• YOU NEED TO INSTALL YOUR OWN APPLICATIONS
  Web hosting is a great choice for website owners, but what happens when you need a server where you can install business applications such as ERP, or specialised databases? To initiate those kind of applications, you need a server with its own OS. Many companies need to install a professional software on a server which their employees can access via a remote desktop, but they don’t find the price of a dedicated server cost-effective. In that case, a VPS server is a great solution, since it enables the installation of the necessary applications on the server, including full control over the server and its resources.
• YOUR BUDGET IS LIMITED
  Even though dedicated servers are ideal for businesses, the price is also an important factor. If you don’t require the full power of an entire server, a VPS server is the ideal choice, while also being considerably cheaper than a dedicated server.
• YOU DEVELOP YOUR OWN SOFTWARE
  The users of VPS services are often developers who require a private work environment which can be accessed from any part of the world. VPS server development enables simple and smooth work according to your own rules, especially with our cloud backup service which safeguards your data on a daily basis.

VPS is, simply put, an acronym that stands for Virtual Private Server. In short, VPS utilizes virtualization technology which enables “fragmentation” of a single powerful server into several virtual ones. Each of those virtual servers acts as a complete physical server and that’s what makes VPS such an important service. The word “private” indicates that those resources are reserved for you, therefore, you’re not sharing memory, CPU power or data with other users.