Tips for choosing a virtual server

Key features of VPS

VPS server is a virtual server, the computing power of which clients take for temporary use to solve their tasks. The provider is the owner of the data center, which is the place where network and server equipment is installed. The server in the premises is divided into autonomously operating parts, which in their functionality have no significant differences from standard servers.

It is much cheaper to place a website or other Internet project on a VPS server than to purchase your own equipment, maintain its performance and periodically modernise it. Therefore, this option is one of the most favourable, while it’s not inferior in terms of the possibilities of setting up a server for a site, resource control and security.

VPS and VDS: differences

Along with the abbreviation VPS (Virtual Private Server), VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) is used. There is no special difference between these terms: both mean a server that runs as a virtual machine. Regardless of whether you rent a VPS or VDS, you get the same set of features:

• server setup;
• operating system (OS) installation;
• database management;
• file uploading.

But still VDS and VPS have some differences:

• Virtual Private Server or VPS refers to a virtual machine on which only an OS with the same kernel as the mother OS can be installed. In fact, such virtual machines are just OS in containers that share the OS kernel with the mother system and also share the CPU, RAM, hard drive and network connections. This method of virtualisation is suitable for many tasks and does not require OS modification. 
• Virtual Dedicated Server or VDS is a virtual machine with paravirtualisation — a type of virtualisation in which the mother OS and the virtual machine can have different kernels thanks to a special program called hypervisor. In this case, not all OSes can be modified to work with the hypervisor: you need to have open source code. Windows has closed code, so Linux is the main OS for paravirtualisation.

How to choose a VPS server

Internet providers offer a wide range of different tariff plans for renting servers, which differ in their technical characteristics. To competently choose a VPS server, you should be guided by the following criteria:

1. Data centre location.

The country in which the company providing VPS/VDS rental services is located is important. So, if the bulk of users of your resource is located in Ukraine, it is logical to purchase a server from a Ukrainian provider, which will reduce delays in data transfer.

Also, when choosing a virtual server, it is worth paying attention to how long the company has been on the market. Often companies that have been on the market for less than 3 years can close down, leaving you alone with your problem. 

2. Quality of technical support.

This is also one of the most important factors when choosing a virtual server. After all, despite the fact that VPS assumes that the owner has sufficient technical competence, in case of a problem on the server side, the speed of resource recovery will largely depend on the quality of work of technical specialists of the provider.

Now you can proceed to the evaluation of VPS configuration parameters.

3. Volume and type of storage.

You need to calculate the maximum amount of data to be stored on the server. Focusing on the possible expansion of your project in the future, it is important to take into account the need for a reserve. 

It is also necessary to decide on the storage type: SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The speed of SSDs is much faster than that of conventional HDDs, so SSDs are more in line with modern requirements.

4. The amount of RAM.

It should ensure fast loading of resource pages even in case of a significant number of visitors (for example, if it is an online shop).

The appropriate amount of RAM depends on the type of site for which the virtual server is purchased:

• 1 GB — for lending and one-page business cards;
• 2-4 GB — for small online resources where no large influx of visitors is planned;
• 8-16 GB — for a large portal or online shop;
• 24-32 GB — for official resources of government agencies and financial institutions.

5. Processor characteristics.

The performance of the rented server largely depends on the processor, or rather, on its characteristics, the main of which are the number of cores and clock speed. From the number of cores depends on the number of requests on which there is simultaneous work. 

6. Virtualisation system.

Virtualisation is the basis for VPS hosting: it adds virtual layers to the physical server, dividing it into several separate virtual machines. Depending on the virtualisation system, ranging from the simplest Virtuozzo, OpenVZ, XEN to the more complex KVM, Vmware, you will have different operating systems of the Linux or Windows family installed on your server.

7. Server control panel. 

When looking for a server, pay attention to the pre-installed server control panel. The most popular panels are C-Panel and DirectAdmin.

8. Uptime and performance.

Uptime is a measure of a virtual server's ability to operate without interruption. The higher it is, the more likely it is that the site will be available to potential customers.

The performance of the virtual server is responsible for how well it copes with the load and responds to user requests. To ensure that the site from the start loaded quickly and worked smoothly, it is necessary to provide it with the right amount of server resources. To do this, the appropriate VPS tariff is selected, and then practically measure the performance of its work with the help of load testing.

9. Required bandwidth.

It is important to clearly assess the bandwidth, which is provided by the provider for different tariffs. This parameter is responsible for the reliability of the Internet connection for end users.

You can estimate the required bandwidth by using the formula:

Optimal throughput = number of average page views x average page size x average daily traffic x number of days in a month x additional reserve parameters

10. Protection from DDoS attacks and other security measures.

Evaluation of the hosting provider's ability to protect its clients' virtual servers from DDoS attacks is another important factor influencing the choice of a VPS hosting buyer. A good sign is the presence of free basic DDoS protection combined with individually customisable paid DDoS protection.

It is not superfluous to ask whether the provider's base tariffs include such features as regular software updates, protection from unauthorised access with a reliable firewall, data encryption with SSL, automatic backups, etc.

The list of criteria of how to choose a VPS server for the site, you can continue. But at the initial stage, the above recommendations will be quite enough for you to get a favourable service that meets the needs of your business.