If you are involved in the Internet or
IT
industry, you may have heard the term VPS at least once. However, even among those working in these industries, there may be many who do not understand the overview of VPS.
Therefore, in this article, we will introduce the overview and mechanism of VPS. We will also explain the features, benefits, and precautions to take when using VPS, so please refer to it.
What is VPS?
VPS (Virtual Private Server) literally translates to “virtual private server.”
As the name suggests, it is
a server that
is provided as a virtual dedicated server, and you can freely install the OS and applications on that server.
Because it is easy to install a dedicated server, it is widely used by individual business owners, freelancers, and small and medium-sized businesses.
How VPS works
I used the ambiguous expression “virtual dedicated server,” but what exactly does that mean?
The mechanism of VPS is hidden in this ambiguous expression.
First of all, a “dedicated server” refers to a single physical server.
Have you ever seen a server room with many large computers installed?
Servers are becoming smaller these days, but each server machine is a physical server.
By adding the adjective “virtual” to it, it becomes possible to indicate that one actual physical server is a server that is made to look like multiple servers.
In other words, VPS is a virtual server created by constructing multiple virtual servers within one physical server.
Features of VPS
VPS can also be described as a service that rents server resources.
There are many ways to rent a server other than VPS, but what is the difference between them and VPS?
Next, let’s consider the characteristics of VPS.
There are many features of VPS, but the following four points can be mentioned first.
Let’s take a closer look at each feature.
A guest OS is provided for each user.
The biggest feature of VPS is that each user has their own guest OS.
For example, it is common to rent a server to publish your own website.
The rental server will be rented out in the form of a so-called “shared server,” where many users will share the software (web server) that runs on the same OS.
In such a case, for example, if one person launches a super popular site and the server load increases, other users’ websites sharing the same server will also be affected by slow response times. There is a possibility that it will be stored away. (The above issues can be avoided by considering redundancy mechanisms.)
However, with VPS, a guest OS is prepared for each user, and the guest OSes do not interfere with each other.
Therefore, unlike a shared server, there is basically no problem with failures or slow operation due to the influence of other users, and the advantage is that stable service operation can be achieved.
Additionally, since you can freely install applications on the guest OS, it can also be used for purposes other than a web server for publishing websites.
Highly customizable
This is an extension of the advantage of having a guest OS prepared for each user, but another big advantage of VPS is that it is highly customizable.
As with a dedicated server, users can freely install the OS, applications, etc. on a server, allowing for a greater degree of freedom in operation compared to rental servers.
Application software can be freely installed
The fact that application software can be freely installed means that it can be used for any purpose.
for example,
You can freely introduce applications, including proprietary applications, without any major restrictions.
High quality construction at low cost
Although it is virtual, you are renting a dedicated server, so the price is a concern.
However, the price of VPS has become really cheap, and anyone can easily start using VPS.
Basically, the monthly fee will vary depending on the allocation specifications below.
Since you can choose a plan for each usage purpose, you can build a stable and high-speed environment at a low price (from a few hundred yen per month).
Difference between VPS and cloud
Cloud
is a service similar to VPS, but what is the difference between VPS and cloud?
In short, it is flexible and expandable.
In the cloud, you can build a single system by building a network with dozens, dozens, or more servers, but with VPS, it is difficult to achieve such a configuration. (It’s not impossible depending on your VPS provider.)
VPS is more like renting a single virtual private server.
Disadvantages and precautions of VPS
We have thought about the advantages of VPS so far, but what are the disadvantages?
The first thing to point out is that because there is a high degree of freedom, there is a lot of work required on the user’s side.
For example, if you rent a server to publish a website, you can publish the website by simply storing
the HTML
file in a designated location, but this is not the case with VPS.
All settings and operations for the OS and applications must be done by the user, making them difficult to utilize.
Scenes where using VPS is recommended
VPS is low-priced, and anyone can easily start using it in terms of cost, but depending on the purpose, there are cases where you may not be able to take advantage of the benefits of VPS.
Next, we will introduce situations in which the use of VPS is recommended.
An example is the following scene.
Let’s take a look at them one by one.
I want to use a virtual OS
With VPS, you can select a guest OS and make advanced settings at the OS layer.
You can choose the OS from the ones provided by your VPS service provider, or you can upload your own ISO image and install it manually.
Depending on the application, the supported OS is determined, so if you want to freely choose the type of OS or even configure the OS layer, VPS will meet your needs.
I want to develop (use) my own app
It can be used as a development environment for your own applications or as a server for providing applications.
Most applications these days can be accessed from a web browser, and a VPS is the perfect server for publishing such web applications.
I want to use Windows apps while they are running
VPS is not limited to just server use.
For example, there may be games, automatic FX trading tools, or other applications that you want to keep running 24 hours a day.
If you run your PC at home 24 hours a day, your electricity bill will skyrocket, and when you go out, there is a risk of fire.
On that point, with VPS, you can create an environment where you can run apps all the time in an inexpensive and stable operating environment, and use Windows’ remote desktop function to remotely log in and use them from your home PC when needed.
I have a system that I want to develop using Ruby or Java.
Some people may think that web applications can be published on rental servers, but in most cases web applications developed with Ruby or Java cannot be published on rental servers.
There are various types of web applications, some of which operate on the client side and others on the server side.
Rental servers that serve as shared servers basically do not allow the use of applications that run on the server side such as Ruby on Rails or Java servlets, so if you want to publish such full-fledged web applications, you will need to use a VPS. there is.
I’m looking for an expensive and inexpensive cloud service.
As mentioned above in the “Difference between VPS and Cloud”, cloud services are a more flexible version of VPS, and in other words, they are an evolved version of VPS.
Therefore, cloud services are generally more expensive than VPS.
Cloud services are expensive, so if you don’t require that much flexibility and are looking for something inexpensive, VPS may be more suitable.
How to choose a VPS?
There are many companies offering VPS services, but what should you consider when choosing one?
When choosing a VPS, we recommend checking the following points first.
Let’s take a closer look at each.
Support system
With VPS, the contractor must manage the operation of the virtual server himself.
Since there is a high degree of freedom, there are bound to be some areas where you don’t understand or have trouble at first.
At that time, the big difference is whether there is no support desk and you have to solve the problem on your own by referring to the manual or FAQ, or whether you can ask the engineer in charge and get an answer.
It is also a good idea to check whether the only way to contact the company is via email, whether telephone or chat support is available, and whether technical support is available at night, on weekends, and holidays.
When publishing your company’s website or web service, ensuring stable operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is a very important factor.
If a potential customer accesses your site and the server happens to be down at that time, you could lose the opportunity and trust.
It is extremely important to have a support system that allows you to contact us immediately in the event of such a failure.
Is the price within your budget?
Prices also vary widely depending on the VPS service provider.
You need to choose the best company that fits within your budget by comparing service quality, support system, and price.
Contract period
Contract periods often range from months to years.
Be sure to check to see if the service provision will suddenly end, and if the provider has stable performance and quality.
summary
Previously, the only way to set up a freely configurable server was to set up your own server at home, called a “home server.”
Nowadays, you can set up a virtual server called VPS for a few hundred yen per month.
By using VPS, freelancers, small businesses, and even individuals can easily build a server and use it for a variety of purposes.
Why not use this article as an opportunity to build a VPS?