VPS or dedicated server: what is the best solution for your needs?
When you launch new web projects, the question of hosting arises.
Does your project require performance, responsiveness or flexibility? Is it best to choose a VPS or a dedicated server? Learn about the benefits of each solution to make the right choice for your needs.
What is a server?
An IT server is a computer that runs a series of services and applications accessible from the network. It can be physical (dedicated server) or virtual (created using a physical server). Below are some useful definitions to help you choose the best option for your needs.
- Dedicated server: A machine that is fully managed by the customer. All the resources of this physical server are allocated to the user. We only manage the hardware maintenance, power and network connection.
- Cloud (or cloud computing): A solution for accessing IT services via the internet. Your data — or the data for the websites you visit — is no longer hosted on a single server, but on remote server groups that are accessible through the network. There are several types of cloud, including public cloud, private cloud and hybrid cloud.
- Datacentre: A space for physical servers and computing setups. They are responsible for storing and distributing data via an internal network, or via the internet. OVHcloud has more than 400,000 servers in 32 datacentres around the world.
- Processor: A server component that runs computer programs and performs all kinds of calculations. It can be thought of as the brain of the machine. This means that the more powerful the processor is, the higher its computing capacity and load speed.
- Bandwidth: The volume of data transmitted over the network in a given time. Calculated in bits per second, the bandwidth can be adapted to optimise a website’s availability. When it is increased, it can handle traffic spikes and resource-intensive requirements, such as streaming.
What is a VPS?
A virtual private server (VPS) is a virtual environment created on a physical server, and it uses a portion of the host server’s resources. Memory and processor workloads are shared with other independent VPSes. This way, you get the advantages of a dedicated server without having to manage its hardware. VPS solutions come with a much lower price tag than a dedicated server, which makes them perfect for hosting websites, deploying sandbox environments, or gaming. They are also highly scalable, so you can add more resources if required. From disk space and RAM to processor power, adapt your server to suit your needs.
You can host your virtual machines in one of our datacentres. By choosing a datacentre that is as close as possible to your users, you can optimise the loading time for your webpages. Doing this will also ensure that your hosting infrastructure is compliant with local data protection regulations.
Choose from a range of options to deliver the best possible user experience:
- Failover IPs to ensure continuity of service for your systems and applications.
- Geolocated IPs for international SEO optimisation.
- A Load Balancer to distribute loads, with scalability for a more flexible, highly available infrastructure.
- Additional external storage, to make your infrastructure more scalable.
- Automatic or manual backups to protect the integrity of your data.
How much does a VPS cost?
A virtual server is an affordable alternative to a bare-metal server. You can get high performance in a dedicated, scalable environment, with unlimited traffic and up to 2Gbit/s bandwidth.
From £4, excluding options.
What is a dedicated server?
A dedicated server is a physical machine, the hardware resources of which are fully allocated to you. You are in control of the machine’s configuration and administration, the operating system it runs on, and the software used. You can also choose your storage and network capacity, as well as your security level.
Whether your project involves big data, AI or online game hosting, customise your dedicated server with our ranges and options. A dedicated server gives you the freedom to adapt your web hosting space in a way that fits your needs.
All of our dedicated servers have common features:
- Anti-DDoS protection against distributed denial-of-service attacks.
- Public bandwidth with unlimited ingress and egress traffic for controlled billing.
- A service level agreement (SLA) of up to 99.99%. This is our best availability rate for your server.
- IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. You can attach up to 256 IPs to a server.
- A range of operating systems, distributions and databases.
- Technical support.
- An external disk space for backing up and storing your configuration files.
Depending on the range you have selected, you can add a number of options to your server. Some features will be essential to carry out your project successfully, or optimise your infrastructure’s security and redundancy. Below are the included features and additional options available with our ranges.
| Rise From |
Advance From |
Storage |
Game From |
Scale From US$449.55 ex. GST/month |
High Grade From |
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| Additional IPs |
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| Additional backup storage |
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| Additional private bandwidth |
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| Additional, guaranteed public bandwidth |
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| OVHcloud Link Aggregation (OLA) For maximum redundancy and zero downtime |
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| vRack private network: OVHcloud private connection for optimal security |
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| SGX — hardware memory encryption | ||||||
| Hot-swappable |
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| Double power supply |
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We recommend using a dedicated server if your business requires very high levels of power, performance, and high availability. Choose a server that offers redundancy, resilience and security for your infrastructure.
How much does a dedicated server cost?
Our ranges cover all your needs. The Rise and Advance ranges offer servers at affordable prices. For projects related to AI or the creation of large-scale infrastructures, you can opt for the Scale and High Grade ranges. Then add the options you need to configure a hosting space that is tailored to your business requirements.
What is the difference between a VPS and a dedicated server?
A VPS is a virtual machine created from a physical server. A dedicated server is a physical machine without a virtualisation layer.
The advantage of a VPS is that the virtual resources can easily be scaled to suit your project’s needs — and this is beneficial in terms of both cost and flexibility. For this reason, we recommend a virtual private server for projects that do not require an exceptionally high level of performance, resilience or infrastructure upgrades.
For other cases, if the project requires a specific configuration such as multiple disks or a RAID, a dedicated server is the best choice. With its raw performance and customisable hardware configurations, you can create the server that meets your goals — and you are the root user. As with a VPS, you decide on the operating system and technical configuration for your machine.
In short, a VPS is perfect for starting a project at a very affordable price. Once the project is mature and growing quickly, you can migrate it to a dedicated server.
| VPS or dedicated server? | Why? | |
| For gaming |
Are you a gamer?
Are you hosting a game, or are you a streamer, or editor? |
Few resources are needed for an optimal gaming experience with friends, so our VPS ranges are perfect for this use case. Please note that the anti-DDoS protection on our VPS does not include protection for video games.
To host a game or gaming platform, organise e-sports events or design your video game, you need more resources. If this is the case, switch to our Game dedicated servers. They benefit from our powerful anti-DDoS protection, which is specifically designed for online gaming and e-sports. |
| For web hosting | VPS or dedicated server | Depending on your needs, both options could be suitable. If your e-commerce website needs more resources than those offered by our shared hosting packages, opt for a VPS. You can then choose a dedicated server for higher-level hardware resources. |
| For trading | Forex VPS | Need an average level of computing power for your financial activity? Opt for the Forex VPS range. If you want to predict market trends using machine learning, or use more complex algorithms, opt for a dedicated server. |
| For streaming | Dedicated server | Streaming requires high availability and resources that are capable of running your applications. To offer your users high-quality entertainment, we recommend our Game dedicated servers. |
| For mobile and internet applications | VPS or dedicated server | Depending on your web or mobile applications, your IT resource requirements will vary — so both options could be suitable. |
VPS or dedicated server: Which server to use for your needs
Each solution has its own features, which can be used to meet specific needs. Here is a non-exhaustive list to help you choose the best solution for your project.
| VPS | Rise dedicated server | High Grade dedicated server | |
| Performance | 1 vCore | Intel Xeon E3-1230v6 — 4 c/8 t - 3.5GHz/3.9GHz | AMD Epyc 7402 - 24 c/48 t - 2.8GHz/3.35GHz |
| Traffic | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Bandwidth | 250Mbit/s unlimited | 100Mbit/s | Public: 1Gbit/s Private: 10Gbit/s |
| Availability | 99.90% SLA | 99.90% SLA | 99.99% SLA |
| Backups | Automated and manual backup options available |
500GB storage space Additional storage option available. |
500GB storage space Additional storage option available. |
| RAM | 2GB | 32GB | 128GB |