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In one paragraph
A virtual private server slices one physical machine into isolated virtual machines, each
with its own operating system and a guaranteed allocation of CPU, RAM and disk. You get
root access and a genuine resource guarantee for a fraction of the cost of dedicated
hardware — and you inherit responsibility for keeping the operating system patched,
unless you buy a managed plan.
Managed or unmanaged? Decide this first
Unmanaged VPS
The provider keeps the hardware and hypervisor running. Everything above that — the OS,
the web server, PHP, the database, the firewall, the backups, the security patches — is
yours.
Choose it if you or someone on your team is comfortable
administering Linux and will keep doing so every month, not just in launch week.
Managed VPS
The provider also patches the OS, configures the stack, monitors the server and responds
to incidents. Typically $20–$60 a month on top of the base plan.
Choose it if you want VPS-grade resources without hiring a
system administrator. For most small businesses this is the correct answer.
What a VPS gives you that shared hosting cannot
- Guaranteed resources — your RAM is your RAM, whatever the neighbours do
- Root access — install anything: Node, Python, Redis, a queue worker, a custom daemon
- Your own OS — pick the distribution and kernel you want to standardise on
- Real isolation — a separate kernel space per tenant, which is easier to defend at audit
- Custom networking — private networks, additional IPs, your own firewall rules
- Cron and background jobs without the process limits shared hosting enforces
Sizing a VPS honestly
The recurring costs people forget
The monthly plan price is rarely the whole bill. Budget for off-server backups (often
priced per GB), monitoring, a control panel licence if you want one, and — most
importantly — the hours someone spends patching. An unmanaged $25 VPS that consumes four
hours a month of skilled time is not a $25 VPS.
A minimum hardening checklist
- Create a non-root user, disable password login, and use SSH keys only.
- Enable a host firewall (ufw or firewalld); expose only 80, 443 and your SSH port.
- Install unattended security upgrades and check that they are actually applying.
- Add fail2ban or equivalent for SSH and application login endpoints.
- Configure off-server backups and restore one, end to end, before you go live.
- Set up monitoring and alerting that reaches a human — disk full at 3am is a classic.
- Document the build, so the next person can rebuild it without archaeology.
Indicative pricing
VPS 2
A single app or small site
$24.95 /mo*
*Indicative example pricing
- 2 vCPU / 2 GB RAM
- 50 GB NVMe
- 2 TB transfer
- Root access
See offers
Recommended
VPS 4 Managed
Business workloads
$64.95 /mo*
*Indicative example pricing
- 4 vCPU / 8 GB RAM
- 160 GB NVMe
- OS patching included
- Monitoring + backups
See offers
VPS 8
Databases and agencies
$119.95 /mo*
*Indicative example pricing
- 8 vCPU / 16 GB RAM
- 320 GB NVMe
- Private networking
- Snapshots
See offers
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