When searching for the right hosting platform for use-cases, people find different server types which they can choose but don’t know which suits their use-case the best. In this article, we explain the different server types and compare them side by side.
You already decided you need a server to host your project and not the standard web-hosting package. You see a lot of server types. Which should you choose?
Dedicated (bare metal) server
A dedicated server, also known as a bare metal server, is a physical server hosting providers rent to customers. With a dedicated server, you have control over the physical server in the datacenter.
Dedicated servers are offered with all sorts of specifications. Whether you want 8 or 128 GB memory or multiple disks in a RAID array, this is all possible with a dedicated server.
Virtual Server
A virtual server, also known as a VPS, is a server environment which is virtualized by a virtualization platform on top of a physical server. These type of servers are very popular with website developers and small website owners.
A virtual server can be used for tasks such as a small website, mail server, VPN and much more.
Comparison of the two server types
Dedicated Server
Benefits:
- Dedicated computing power not shared with others
- Cheaper than VPS when using more computing power
- More secure from attacks from outside resource
Cons:
- More expensive than VPS when taking a smaller dedicated server
- Less scalable in the means of instant resource upgrades
Virtual Server
Benefits:
- Low costs to start
- Highly scalable
Cons:
- The computing power is shared with others
- Costs more than dedicated servers when requiring more computing power
Conclusion
When you are looking for a simple environment to host a few websites, run a mailserver or use it as a VPN, a VPS is the best choice for you.
When you need more resources to handle a high load for a large number of websites, data processing or streaming or game servers, then a Dedicated Server is the best choice.
