Virtual Dedicated Servers

GoDaddy offers excellent virtual private hosting at affordable prices

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Called either a virtual dedicated server or virtual private server, this hosting approach uses a special partitioning technology to create multiple "virtual" servers out of one physical server. Each account on the virtual server has its own operating system and its own web serving software — in effect, the server behaves as if its one single server for that hosting client, isolating each client in a completely separate space. The virtualization technology allows hosting companies to create multiple virtual servers on one physical server, thus reducing the costs to each hosting client while providing most of the benefits of a full-on dedicated server. Virtual dedicated servers meet the needs of web sites that have outgrown garden-variety shared hosting, but which don't yet justify the expense of their own dedicated server.

With most web hosting companies offering virtual private hosting, you have full root control over your server. That means you have the ability to change server configurations, install software, update packages, shut it down, reboot it, host multiple sites — essentially, anything you could do with your own dedicated server you can do with a virtual dedicated server, for a fraction of the cost.

Advantages of Virtual Dedicated Hosting

• Full root access
  You can install any software you wish and change any server configurations you with. You won't be told by the hosting company, "Sorry, we don't permit that."
• Greater security than shared hosting
  None of the other virtual hosting clients on the machine has any access whatsoever to your files, your databases, or any of the processes that run in your hosting space.
• Support
  Web hosts that provide virtual dedicated hosting generally offer excellent support — usually better support than that provided by webhosts that only provide shared hosting.
• Price
  Virtual dedicated hosting is significantly less expensive than dedicated hosting. If you've outgrown shared hosting but don't quite need your own dedicated server, a virtual private server is an excellent and affordable alternative.
• Easy upgrade path
  Nearly all virtual hosting is easy to upgrade, usually requiring less than a minute of downtime to upgrade your hosting account to one with more drive space, memory, and bandwidth. As your site's needs grow, it's easy for your hosting to grow with it.
• Easy server management
  Most virtual hosting packages include a control panel that allows you to easily restart services, upgrade software, add additional domains, and perform other server management functions through an easy point-and-click interface.

Disadvantages of Virtual Dedicated Hosting

• Full root access
  It's possible for you to bring your entire virtual server down.
• Less security than a physical dedicated server
  Virtual private servers are generally very secure, but they don't provide quite the same level of security as a full-on dedicated server. If security is mission-critical for your web site, a dedicated server may be a better choice.
• System overhead
  The software that powers the virtual hosting environment uses a certain amount of server resources. Some websites on some virtual servers may actually run more slowly than the same website would run in a shared hosting environment.