Cloud Hosting V/S VPS Hosting Which one is better?

Are you still confused about what web hosting means? Well, let me help you understand it a
little better!

Web hosting is a must have thing if you want your website to be live. Web hosting makes the
files that comprises a website, images, codes, blogs and many more that are available for
viewing online. Every website in this world that you visit has a web hosting server.

The space allocated on a server to an individual website depends on the web hosting plan they select.

Web hosting companies rent us the services and technologies so that we can host our websites
on the Internet.

There are many types of hosting services namely- Shared hosting, Cloud hosting, VPS hosting, Reseller hosting, Managed hosting and many more. Selecting the right type of web hosting services is crucial for your business.

The web hosting provider is responsible for your websites up-time, running and traffic as well. Let’s discuss the two most used web hosting services- Cloud Hosting and VPS Hosting.

What is VPS Hosting?

VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. This is the partitioning of a physical server into multiple servers. In fact, each one acts like a dedicated server, you get all the features of a dedicated server but at a lower price.

Each VPS has its own operating system and each one can be restarted separately. These operating systems each receive a specific portion of the physical server resources, no more and no less, they are isolated from each other so that one cannot interfere with the other.

If one VPS encounters problems or tries to use too much memory or CPU resources, it has no effect on the others.

VPS is a more secure and stable solution than shared hosting where you don’t get dedicated server space. However, it is smaller and cheaper than renting an entire server.

VPS hosting is generally chosen by website owners whose mid-tier traffic exceeds the limits of shared hosting plans, but who don’t yet need the resources of a dedicated server. It can be used by companies that have a complex structure of a website and don’t expect instant results or traffic.

Also, if your website needs different plugins or you want to run custom scripts on your website, then VPS hosting is the perfect solution for you. Are you planning on showcasing your photography skills with a website that has blogs and tons of photos that you are posting on a regular basis- then go for VPS hosting.

Advantages of VPS Hosting

There are many advantages of selecting VPS hosting as your web hosting server, let’s have a
look at them-

1. Reliability : When considering a VPS, it’s good to know that each user’s resources are
   isolated from the others. This means that tasks running on another user’s server will not
   affect the performance of your website or application. This is one of the biggest
   advantages of VPS hosting as it is considered to be the most reliable.
2. Full Control: With a VPS, you have full control over your own server. The server works according to the needs of the user and you are free to manage your server as you wish. You can configure the VPS according to your needs. The administration of the VPS is completely in your hands, but if necessary, the technical support is there to help you. You can decide to choose a fully managed service or a server that will only be managed by yourself.
3. Scalability: As your business needs change, with VPS, scaling up and down can be done easily and quickly without interruption.
4. Security: Since the VPS is separate from other users on the same server, they cannot access the resources dedicated to you. The security of your server is under your control. You can install additional firewalls and security tools without worrying about other virtual servers.
5. Cost Effective: Going for a VPS solution is much more affordable than dedicated hosting as it uses the same shared resource base. A basic VPS plan with the resources to launch and run a website is reasonable for any budget.
6. Website traffic: VPS hosting is best suited for people who want to predict their website traffic every now and then.

Disadvantages of VPS Hosting

With a number of advantages, VPS hosting also has some disadvantages that are mentioned
below-

1. Sharing a server: VPS is spacious enough but you are still sharing resources with other
   website owners which means that you are not having full access to all the resources that
   you might need in future. With the fixed resources comes the fixed level of performance
   on your website which is a disadvantage.
2. Technical: VPS hosting can get technical at times, whether you use managed or unmanaged VPS hosting. This is an important point that everyone should consider before selecting the web hosting company.
3. Less reliable than Cloud Hosting: In case of a physical server crash, all the websites on VPS will go down. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of VPS hosting, it is less reliable than cloud hosting.
4. Less scalable: Well, VPS hosting does not scale better than Cloud hosting. Traffic surges can be a problem if you are considering VPS hosting because of the limited resources.

What is Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting employs a virtual server to host websites. In comparison, traditional web hosting services usually house one or multiple sites on one physical server. Under the cloud environment, the website is hosted on a pool of unified computing resources.

This simply means that if one server is reaching its optimum level, then a second server is ready to function.
Similarly, if a server fails, the website will still be running as other servers will continue to serve the incoming traffic. If you want reliability and powerful functionality, then Cloud hosting is a great choice.

Cloud web hosting is hosting that uses the resources of several clustered servers. Basically, this means that your website uses the virtual resources of several servers to accommodate all the aspects of hosting your site.

The load is balanced, security is taken care of and hardware resources are available virtually so they can be used when needed. The cluster of servers is the cloud.

Cloud hosting is best suited for high load web applications. Are you looking for a high degree of scalability and you constantly want to improve the configuration of your server? Cloud hosting is the best option for you.

Pros of Cloud Hosting

1. Scalability and flexibility: One of the biggest advantages of cloud hosting is that it is
   scalable and flexible as it only requires payment for the resources used by the cloud
   host. Cloud hosting makes it easy for companies to add or remove resources as needed.
   The system scales with the business with no additional burden on the business.
2. Performance: The performance of cloud hosting servers is an absolute delight. Under cloud hosting, the host can automatically allocate resources as traffic increases based on your service plan. Some may apply specific limits, but it is possible to upgrade your plan anytime you want.
3. Higher uptime: One of the major advantages of opting for cloud hosting is that it serves higher uptime. Uptime is the amount of time that the services are accessible to its end users.
4. Reliability: In cloud hosting, your website will load faster and automatically adjust to the needs of your resources. It is less likely to face any down time. Unlike in VPS hosting, in case of cloud hosting if one server is clustered, your website won’t go down. As another server would show up.

Cons of Cloud Hosting

1. Pricing in cloud hosting is not always fixed: The prices in cloud hosting keeps fluctuating, this is one of the biggest disadvantages of this web hosting service.
2. Cloud expertise required: Well, we all know that in order to carry your website on cloud hosting we need technical knowledge as it is not that easy to handle. If you have technical knowledge or cloud expertise then you can manage the website on your own. There is always technical support available from cloud hosting companies but some supports require an extra amount of money.
3. Security: As your website is still sharing resources from other websites, it is possible that it may get affected by what happens on the other websites. It is also vulnerable to hackers, that is why it is important to safeguard your website with the necessary steps.

Which is the best server to choose amongst VPS hosting and Cloud hosting?

Making an informed decision regarding the selection of hosting is an important task. If you want to build a small website just for fun or to continue your hobby, then the best option for you is VPS hosting.

For larger companies, social media sites, networks which are going to be a big deal in future, cloud hosting is the best option for them.

Making wise and concrete decisions about the type of hosting server is going to be a little tough
on you. For instance, you may or may not want to go with the smallest or biggest solution.

If you think too small, then it would be difficult to upgrade and if you think too big, you may be stuck with a large bill or resources that are of no use to you.

So, how much you plan on growing your site should be considered when you’re making the choice between VPS and cloud hosting.

It’s also important to note that each hosting company may have their own custom hosting plans. So, it’s best to check with them to find out exactly what you’re getting when you sign up.

When to consider VPS Hosting

In general, when you’re deciding between VPS or cloud hosting, a VPS is the best hosting
option-

• If your business or website is small to medium-sized and you don’t expect to have
  sudden traffic spikes
• You have enough knowledge in VPSs to manage one
• As VPS hosting is highly customisable and you want to experience different
  customisations with your website, then VPS is a better option.
• A dedicated server is preferred, but your site isn’t large enough to warrant it.
• A more cost-effective server.

When to consider Cloud Hosting

On the other hand, when you’re deciding between VPS vs cloud hosting, generally speaking,
the latter is the best option if:

• If you have technical knowledge about cloud hosting or you are planning to go for a
  suitable managed cloud hosting provider.
• Your website is large and you are planning on growing it.
• If your business is growing quickly or you expect it to, then you have to be sure that
  your host can keep up without having to worry about possible downtime.
• One thing that might bug you is that it is a bit expensive.

Choosing the right type of web hosting services is important for your business.No matter which hosting service you go for- VPS or Cloud, stick to your business goals.

With the key difference between cloud hosting and VPS hosting as outlined above- you must get a better understanding of both the options and select wisely. The reason being that every website and business has different needs.