I have received quite a number of questions regarding my move from shared hosting to a VPS, so I would like to take the time to go into a little more detail in how I justified the move and the overall process.

What is a VPS? Virtual private servers enable users to experience dedicated server-like performance, but at a discounted cost. Essentially, multiple VPS’s will exist on the same server hardware, but are each run independently thanks to operating system virtualization. For a more detailed explanation, hit up Wikipedia.

Why did I move to VPS? Cost efficiency and control were the two main reasons for the transition. On a monthly basis, I was paying $12.40 to Squarespace and a combined $11 for my two shared hosting accounts. While I am now paying over double that sum, I have a superior level of control and room to grow. When it comes to control, I am referring to the ability to install applications, enable features and reboot the server on my own. When my shared host of choice could not offer SSH, FFMPEG or Ruby, I knew that it was time to move on.

Read on for a list of things to consider when shopping around for a VPS!

Things to consider when shopping for a VPS

When you start your search for a VPS, you will most likely be overwhelmed by the differences in both resources and cost. Some VPS’s can be found at under $20, while others cost many hundreds, yet they claim to offer the same resources (bandwidth, RAM, processors, etc). The main difference between many VPS hosts is the level of service. This does not just mean responding to trouble tickets. For instance, is the VPS managed or unmanaged? How much do the little extras cost? How many IP addresses are included? Do they own the data centre themselves and where is it located? What SLA (service level agreement) is in place?

Okay, maybe that was a little too much too quickly, so let me break it down.

Managed vs unmanaged. Are you an expert when it comes to running a server from the command line? If not, then managed is the only way to go in my opinion. With a managed server, the hosts’ support staff will take care of software updates and security patching as well as help you install necessary software. Personally, I am very comfortable with the command line and have been using Linux for quite a while, but a managed host that would proactively care for my VPS was the only thing I considered. Managed hosting comes at an increased cost but, in my opinion, it is well worth it for most consumers.

Little extras. Does the hosting plan come with cPanel/WHM or Fantastico? If not, how much do the licenses cost? If you are not given more than one IP how much do additional IP’s cost? These are critical questions when pricing out the true monthly cost of a VPS. If you are looking to run your own name servers you should have at least two IP addresses. From my research, most reputable VPS hosts offer four+ dedicated IP’s with their VPS plans.

Another critical question is how overages are charged. How much is extra bandwidth? Is there “burstable” RAM available? Many hosts are fairly lenient when it comes to first-time bandwidth overages, but ask if you will be warned when you approach your cap and what happens when you do reach the top. Is the service simply disabled or does the tab start running?

Data centre. If you are looking at signing on with a major hosting company chances are that they own the data centres (location where servers are run) themselves, while smaller hosts will lease servers within large data centres. There are benefits to both – for example, a smaller host can generally offer cheaper hosting as they do not experience the overhead involved in maintaining the facility. The benefit of host-owned data centres is generally speed and support – no middlemen are required when it comes to replacing hardware.

Additionally, where is the data centre located? If most of your site visitors are from North America, it is useful to have your server located in a US or Canadian-based facility. If you are serving Europe, consider a server either in Europe or the North American East Coast. Likewise, with Asia and the West Coast.

Service level agreement (SLA). Servers do go down and hardware does fail, but how does the hosting company deal with such issues? You will see hosts brag about 99.99% up-time guarantees, but do they back up their claims? Be sure to read their SLA to see what compensation they provided to downed servers. Some hosts will offer a free month of hosting if your server is down for more than thirty minutes, while others will require the server to be down for a day before compensation kicks in. Once you narrow your decision to a few hosts, read and compare their SLA’s.

Ticket response and overall client support. As I said above, things do go wrong, but how quick is the support staff when it comes to fixing the issue? The speed at which an issue is fixed has become the main selling point for many hosts with most claiming response times of under half an hour. Is the support staff informative and friendly? For me, this is more important than response time. I have asked WiredTree a couple of questions that stemmed from general curiosity and they have been fantastic in their responses.

Before I conclude, I have had two requests to discuss how to setup a VPS. As I went with a managed solution, most of the setup was already done for me, but I do have a few pieces of advice. Updating the DNS can be a bit of a pain if you are not quite sure what you are doing. I was able to figure it out in the end, but this was the most difficult process I encountered. The host should have a control panel, outside of cPanel/WHM, that allows you do edit the DNS records for the IP’s assigned and they will most likely be able to guide you through the process. Remember that DNS updates take up to 48 hours to complete so try to not be as impatient as I was.

When it comes to maintaining your VPS, most work, assuming you are on a Linux-based VPS, is done through WebHost Manager (WHM). If you have used cPanel before you will feel right at home. I have very limited experience with WHM, but I have taken advantage of the various forums and Google Groups that discuss common WHM administration.

To those wanting to share their experiences or information and those with questions, please post your comments below.

Have a great weekend everyone!