Guides
VPS vs shared hosting: which do you need?
Shared hosting is the cheapest way to put up a simple website. A VPS costs more, but gives you a whole server of your own. Here is how to tell which one fits.
The short answer #
- Shared hosting is enough for a small website or a blog built with a common tool such as WordPress, when you do not want to look after a server.
- A VPS is the right choice when you need to install your own software, run something all day (a Discord bot, an API, a game server tool, a VPN), or when a busy site has outgrown shared hosting.
What each one is #
Shared hosting puts many customers' websites on one server. The host runs the server, the web server software and the database for you. You upload your site's files through a control panel and that is all you can change.
A VPS (virtual private server) is a server of your own, carved out of a larger physical machine. It has its own memory, storage and processor share, its own IP address and its own operating system. You log in as the administrator (root) and install whatever you like.
Side by side #
| Shared hosting | VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| What you control | Your website's files | The whole server, as root |
| Software you can run | What the host has installed | Anything that runs on Linux |
| Programs that run 24/7 | Usually not allowed | Yes |
| Resources | Shared with every other site on the server | A set amount of memory, storage and processor |
| A busy neighbor | Can slow your site down | Has much less effect on you |
| Your own IP address | Usually not | Yes |
| Upkeep | Done by the host | Mostly yours: updates, firewall, backups of your data |
| Skill needed | Very little | Comfortable typing commands over SSH |
When shared hosting is enough #
- A personal site, a portfolio or a small business site with a few pages.
- A blog or a shop built with a one-click tool, with modest traffic.
- You never want to see a command line.
When you need a VPS #
- You need software the host does not offer: a particular version of Node.js, Python, Java or a database, or a tool of your own.
- Something has to run all the time. Shared hosting stops long-running programs. A Discord bot, a background worker, a websocket server or a VPN needs a server that keeps it running. See Host a Discord bot 24/7.
- Your site has outgrown shared hosting. Slow pages at busy times, or warnings about using too much of the server, mean you need resources that are yours alone.
- You want your own IP address, for example for a mail server or for a service that only lets in addresses it knows.
- You run several projects and would rather have one server you control than several hosting accounts.
What a VPS asks of you #
A VPS gives you more freedom, and with it more of the work:
- Keeping the operating system up to date.
- Turning on a firewall and keeping the logins safe.
- Installing and setting up the software you run.
- Backing up your own data.
None of it is hard, and most of it is done once. First steps on a new Linux VPS walks through the first half hour.
Choosing a VPS size #
Start small and move up when you need to. As a rough guide:
- 1 core and 2 GB of memory runs a small website, a few bots or a personal VPN.
- 2 cores and 4 GB runs a busier website with its database, or several small projects side by side.
- 4 cores and 8 GB or more is for heavy databases, many sites, or software that says it needs that much.
The exact plans are on VPS hosting. Not sure? Ask us what you want to run and we will suggest one.