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Managed vs. Unmanaged VPS Hosting - Which is Best For You?

Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:00 AM PST

Selecting a hosting plan is among the first steps you need to take when creating a website. A hosting plan is what allows your site to be viewed on the internet. The hosting provider you choose will store your site on their servers, and those servers will then display the necessary data to visitors. There are a variety of different hosting plans available. When you first get your site up and running, you will probably use a shared hosting plan. However, as your site grows and you begin receiving more visitors, you will need the capabilities of a virtual private server (VPS).

A VPS hosting plan hosts your site on a server that has been segmented into several virtual servers. Each VPS is entirely separate from the rest of the virtual servers. Every virtual server has its own copy of the operating system, functions independently from the other servers, and has its own resources. With a VPS, you can quickly scale resources such as CPU, RAM, and disk space to accommodate increased traffic. This is why growing sites choose VPS hosting over shared hosting.

The Two Types of VPS Hosting

There are two types of VPS hosting: managed and unmanaged. With managed hosting, the web host provider handles all server-related issues. By contrast, unmanaged hosting leaves all the heavy-lifting in your hands. You will be required to do everything from setting up the server to configuring the applications to monitoring the VPS.

Advantages of Managed VPS Hosting

Ideal for non-technical customers who have little or no knowledge of setting up and configuring a server and its applications.
Perfect for customers who want to focus their time on their website's front-end rather than the back-end.
Customers receive 24/7/365 monitoring by the web hosting provider, providing peace of mind and guaranteeing reliable uptime.
Users can quickly scale their website with server resources like CPU, RAM, and bandwidth, whenever they want them.
The hosting provider will tweak your server, boosting its performance and ability to accommodate traffic.

Disadvantages of Managed VPS Hosting

The cost of managed VPS plans tends to be higher.
Users have less flexibility concerning software and plugins.
There is limited access to account configuration options.

Advantages of Unmanaged VPS Hosting

Tech-savvy users have the freedom to do whatever they want with their VPS.
These plans tend to be cheaper because the customer does the bulk of the work.
You can customize and manage the security level of your server.

Disadvantages of Unmanaged VPS Hosting

It requires a high degree of technical knowledge, so it isn't ideal for beginners or non-technical users.
It requires an enormous amount of time to set up, taking time away from other tasks like marketing.
This plan requires users to be continually monitoring their applications and server, which can be strenuous.

Weighing Your Options

When deciding between managed and unmanaged VPS hosting, you need to consider your abilities and your budget. If your budget only allows for unmanaged hosting, you can always teach yourself the basics of server management. However, you have to remember that managing the server will take time away from other aspects of your business. So you have to ask yourself, can I afford to put time towards the server, or will other things suffer? For this reason, even if you have the technical know-how, you may choose to go with managed hosting. Managed hosting takes a huge load of work off your back. Selecting this option may cost more, but it will save more in time.

Additionally, you need to consider the security of your site. If you choose managed hosting, your provider will keep your server secure. However, if you choose unmanaged hosting, you will have to make sure your server is secure. This will require a lot of knowledge and time. You will need to be comfortable configuring features like SSL certificates, CDN, site backups, firewalls, and DNS settings.

Conclusion

If your website is growing, you need a VPS hosting plan. You can either get a managed or an unmanaged VPS plan. With a managed plan, everything is taken care of for you. Your hosting provider will monitor and take care of your server's resources. They will also make updates and upgrades accordingly. This is an ideal solution for users who lack the time or the knowledge to manage a server themselves. Unmanaged plans, on the other hand, require that you manage the server yourself. This means that it will be up to you to monitor your server's resources and make upgrades and updates as necessary. This can be time-consuming and requires a fair amount of technical knowledge. Therefore this plan is best for users who have the time and the experience for server maintenance.