What is a Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server, also known as a Bare Metal server, is a physical machine housed in a data centre that is allocated to a single customer, with each one able to configure and manage the server to match their specific needs. Unlike virtual servers, which share the underlying hardware with other virtual servers, a dedicated server exclusively delivers all of its memory, processor and storage resources to a single customer — providing exclusive access to the entire server. This dedicated hosting service model is what defines dedicated server hosting and sets it apart from shared or virtualised alternatives.
Dedicated servers do not run a hypervisor so the customer has complete control over the full performance and hardware capacity of the server, and they can use it for any purpose. This includes hosting their own virtual machines or virtual servers, while safe in the knowledge that the server's performance cannot be affected by other users of the data centre. This dedicated server hosting model means that server resources are never diluted by multiple users, ensuring consistent computing power at all times.
Advantages of dedicated Bare Metal servers
Reliability
Users of dedicated servers don't share their server resources, which means that the underlying server hardware is only used for workloads allocated by the user. Virtual servers share the hardware, which means that if one or more virtual servers experience a huge spike in traffic, it will affect the performance of other virtual servers on the same hypervisor — a problem known as the 'noisy neighbour' effect. With dedicated server hosting, all server resources are exclusive to each user, ensuring consistent performance and reliability at all times.
Control
When a dedicated server is allocated to one user, they are able to customise it completely — from the operating system to the processors, cores, GPU, RAM, storage type and more. If workloads require specific hardware or software applications, then a dedicated server can deliver precisely that. This control over the server extends to security measures, software installations and server management practices — giving organisations full complete control over their server configurations.
Security
Hypervisors are secure, but they still share the hardware with other virtual servers and share the hypervisor layer. Any configurations or coding errors could make the virtual server vulnerable. Dedicated servers avoid all these potential threats because they are not shared. With dedicated server hosting, security measures such as custom firewalls, security patches, and access controls are entirely within the customer's hands — providing a level of secure infrastructure that shared hosting simply cannot match. This makes dedicated hosting services essential for handling sensitive data.
Disadvantages of Bare Metal servers
Cost
Bare Metal servers dedicate all their server resources to one user, whether that user utilises all those resources or not — they still cost money. This makes dedicated servers far more expensive than virtual servers, where the costs are shared between several users. Dedicated server hosting requires a higher upfront investment and ongoing hosting provider fees, but the performance and reliability gains often justify the cost for resource intensive workloads.
IT knowledge
Bare Metal servers are controlled by the user. To make use of a dedicated server, the user needs sufficient technical knowledge to not only configure it, but also to set up the software applications and ensure the specifications match the requirements of the workload. Unmanaged dedicated servers in particular demand strong technical expertise for day-to-day server management, including applying security patches, managing operating systems, and handling server configurations.
Dedicated server usage
Dedicated servers provide customers with complete control over the applications and services they can run, and are commonly used to build the backbone of large companies' IT infrastructures. Typically, dedicated servers are required to build private networks and database services, as these types of applications require special tools that cannot run on virtual servers. For organisations with complex workloads or strict data sovereignty needs, dedicated hosting services are the only viable option.
Dedicated servers provide maximum performance and control
Dedicated servers are usually based on high-end components, use high bandwidth connections and advanced network and security features. Using the dedicated server hosting model, companies can meet specific performance, security, and compliance requirements. Customers that have built their infrastructure using dedicated servers are able to change server configurations and add customisations that would be impossible in a virtual machine environment. The ability to fine-tune server hardware, operating systems and software applications gives organisations a level of agility that shared hosting cannot provide.
Companies can use dedicated servers to build their own private cloud that stretches over geographic boundaries. This means if an organisation wanted to build an application that provided local content in different cities around the world, it would be able to provision dedicated servers located in data centres close to its target cities, and connect them all together. This would allow users of that application to access relevant information from their local server, minimising latency and delivering the best possible user experience — a key advantage of dedicated server hosting over standard cloud hosting or shared server solutions.
Service level agreements (SLAs) and support
SLAs are the contracts that cloud hosting providers offer customers to indicate the guaranteed uptime and availability of their infrastructure. Different hosting providers offer varying SLAs for their server offerings, but dedicated servers generally come with higher guaranteed service levels than virtual servers. Dedicated servers also attract higher levels of technical support than virtual servers. A strong SLA from a reliable hosting provider should cover server uptime, hardware replacement times, network availability and security guarantees — making the choice of hosting provider a critical factor when you choose a dedicated server.
Do I need a dedicated server for my website?
When choosing a server to host a website or web application, customers have a choice of sharing hardware resources with other users — called shared hosting — or reserving the entire server for their own use, which is dedicated server hosting. Shared hosting is popular because it's less expensive than hosting on a dedicated server. Generally, several applications and/or websites can share one server without performance issues.
However, if one or more of the websites suddenly experiences a huge spike in traffic, it can hog a larger proportion of the shared server's server resources and affect the performance for all users. Dedicated hosting avoids this problem because the hardware resources are exclusive access to each user — making it the right hosting solution for high-traffic websites or resource intensive workloads.
Dedicated Bare Metal server hosting - your choice
Customers deciding whether a dedicated server or shared hosting is right for them need to consider the importance of the workloads being processed. For example, if a small company is running a website to advertise its services, then shared hosting will most likely suffice. However, if a mid-sized or large company is looking for somewhere to host its critical e-commerce application or database, a dedicated server will provide more stability and reliability.
When considering hosting options, it's also important to factor in data transfer requirements, computing power needs, and whether you require managed hosting or prefer an unmanaged dedicated server. Hosting providers offer a range of dedicated hosting services to suit different budgets and workloads — from entry-level dedicated server hosting to high-performance configurations with specialist server hardware.
Dedicated server vs managed server
A managed dedicated server is a dedicated server that is managed by the hosting provider. This solution is ideal for organisations that require the performance and security of dedicated servers but don't want the overhead of managing and maintaining hardware resources themselves. Managed hosting removes the need for in-house technical expertise around server management, security patches and operating systems.
The advantage of managed servers is that customers get access to a dedicated server — or a cluster of servers — meaning performance and security are not affected by other people using the same servers in the cloud hosting provider's data centre. Businesses can use managed dedicated servers to deploy their web applications without worrying about server management or the maintenance of the underlying physical machine.
What’s the difference between a dedicated server and a cloud server?
Dedicated servers are located in a specific data centre and customers can choose exactly where they want their server, and their data, to be located. Cloud servers offer less granular control to the customer and their physical location is decided by the cloud hosting provider. If an organisation needs to comply with government regulations that dictate where certain sensitive data must be stored, then they need to use a dedicated server rather than a cloud server.
Beyond compliance, the fundamental difference lies in the server hardware model: a dedicated server is a physical machine with dedicated resources allocated to a single client, whereas virtual machines in a cloud server environment share the same underlying physical server across multiple users. This makes dedicated server hosting the superior choice for workloads requiring consistent computing power, exclusive access to server resources, or stringent data privacy controls.
Dedicated server use cases
The high performance, customisation and reliability of dedicated servers makes them popular among mid–large sized organisations for a range of applications. From building a global content delivery infrastructure to running a busy database, dedicated servers are one of the most powerful tools used by the modern digital enterprise. Below are some of the most common dedicated server use cases that demonstrate why dedicated server hosting is the preferred hosting solution for demanding workloads.
Security and compliance
There are always risks associated with shared hosting environments. It's not always possible to guarantee exactly where data is located, which is unacceptable for organisations that must comply with government regulations. Server configuration errors can cause security vulnerabilities or performance issues that could impact the bottom line of a digital business.
With a dedicated server, your organisation has exclusive access to the server and its controls — including everything from the version of operating system to the choice of applications and who has administrator access. Dedicated servers provide the most secure and reliable foundation for companies that require complete control over their infrastructure, with security measures such as custom firewalls, security patches and encryption all within their direct control. This is why organisations managing sensitive data — in finance, healthcare, or legal sectors — consistently choose dedicated hosting services.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and data science
Organisations are producing more data than ever. With the massive increase in the use of IoT sensors, artificial intelligence, data analysis systems and high-definition video, the demand for processing power has never been higher.
AI/ML workloads are resource intensive. They process vast data sets from a diverse range of sources using different types of media. Crunching numbers using sophisticated mathematical models requires the highest possible levels of performance, and different workloads or input sources can require customised server hardware to operate at peak efficiency.
Dedicated servers are ideal for use in ML and data analysis workloads as they provide the highest possible performance. They can be configured with specialist components — such as additional GPUs for number crunching — and are delivered over high bandwidth connections from the nearest data centre. The dedicated resources available on a dedicated server ensure that resource intensive AI workloads are never throttled by shared server constraints.
Enterprise application hosting
Large companies run a variety of software applications that are critical to maintain their business operations. These can include ERP, CRM, accounting systems and many more. These systems require many server resources and usually contain data that is highly sensitive. In many cases — especially in finance or healthcare — companies will want to ensure data is stored in a specific geographic region.
Basic business applications like this need to run reliably and be accessible to staff and authorised third parties wherever they may be physically located. This makes it vital that they are hosted on an infrastructure that they can control completely. Dedicated servers are a popular choice for large organisations looking for a reliable, high-performance infrastructure where they have complete control — and the technical support of a trusted hosting provider to back them up.
High Performance Computing (HPC)
High performance computing workloads demand the absolute best when it comes to processors, memory, storage, and bandwidth. HPC projects used to only be accessible to government departments and research organisations with extremely deep pockets, but advances in processor, storage, and networking technologies have opened HPC to the masses.
Whether running scientific simulations, financial modelling, or large-scale data analytics, HPC workloads require dedicated resources that dedicated servers provide in abundance. The physical machine's raw computing power — free from the overhead of a shared cloud server environment — is what makes dedicated server hosting the natural hosting solution for HPC.
Gaming
Games render high-definition animations for multiple users. They are required to create detailed 3D models and update them up to 60 times a second for players who could be in different countries — and all of this in real time, where even a few milliseconds of delay can put players at a disadvantage.
Gaming servers require the fastest possible processors and minimum possible latency. Gamers are also commonly targeted for DDoS attacks, so they require the best possible protection. OVHcloud offers dedicated servers designed specifically for gaming, providing the ultimate gaming experience with 1Gbps bandwidth, anti-DDoS protection, backup storage space and a 99.9% SLA.
OVHcloud and dedicated servers
At OVHcloud you can choose from a wide range of OVHcloud dedicated servers. In most cases we can deliver your dedicated server in 120 seconds with unlimited bandwidth, comprehensive security, the best possible performance and a 99.95% SLA.
We work with hardware manufacturers, storage vendors and chip makers to provide cutting-edge components for our range of OVHcloud dedicated servers. OVHcloud can offer a diverse range of server configurations, with AMD or Intel processors, a choice of GPUs, SSD NVMe and SATA hard drives, RAID options, and up to 50Gbps of private bandwidth. Whether you're looking for managed dedicated servers or prefer an unmanaged dedicated approach with full control over the server, our dedicated hosting services are designed to match your exact workload requirements.
Our affordable dedicated servers are completely configurable using the OVHcloud control panel or OVHcloud API, which allows customers to choose a dedicated server with their required operating systems, databases and virtualisation tools. Our hosting provider team provides full technical support and technical expertise to help you get started — whether you're a first-time user or migrating complex enterprise workloads to dedicated server hosting.