What is a virtual private server (VPS)?
A VPS, or virtual private server (also known as a virtual server, virtual dedicated server or VDS) can be confusing to a web hosting newcomer or even shared web hosting veteran. Let’s start by defining some other terms first, starting with a dedicated server. A dedicated server is simply a computer in which all of the computing resources are allocated (or dedicated) to a single client. Often large websites require one or more dedicated servers to run their website effectively given the site’s traffic, cpu and memory requirements. Next, shared web hosting (also knows as virtual web hosting or just virtual hosting) is a service provided by web hosting firms in which the firm takes a server and leases out this server to many different websites. Each website coexists with many other (possibly hundreds) of websites on the same server. There is very little buffering of resources used between these shared web hosting sites so a single site may affect the performace of all sites on the server
