Dedicated Server Hosting – Everything You Need to Know (2024)

Feb 15,2024 by Nishant Nath
Dedicated Server Hosting

If you have ever purchased a car before, you are probably good enough to purchase a dedicated server too. Yes, it is that simple.

Once you have decided you want a website, what’s the next step going to be? Obviously, you need a server from where to fetch and store your files, scripts, images, and everything else.

The server is a drive-through. Shoppers stop by, make their orders, get served and set foot in the throttle again.

Similarly, a dedicated server will also serve requests from visitors (site visitors). It will deliver the content from the database to the visitor’s computer. Depending upon how engaging the content is, the visitor will either hang around for some time, or choose to abandon immediately.

If you have never seen a dedicated server before, this is what it looks like.

In fact, every server looks exactly the same, be it – Shared Server, Virtual Private Server, or the Dedicated Server.

What Makes a Dedicated Server a Dedicated Server?

When the hosting company leases you a server, it asks whether you want to share the lease with other users or want to rent the machine all by yourself.

When you choose –

  1. Sharing the server with other tenants will all bear the cost so per head cost is less.

2. To lease everything on your own, though you have more freedom to do what you want, you end up paying more. 

In case 1You are asked to have a Shared Hosting or a VPS Hosting.
In case 2You are said to have opted for Dedicated Server Hosting or simply Dedicated Hosting.

Dedicated Hosting Advantages

If shared hosting can also get the work done, what’s the point in paying 5 times more for a dedicated server?

But it doesn’t work like that. A simple keypad phone is cheaper than an iPhone X but does that mean people should stop buying iPhones? No.

Related Topic:  What is Cloud hosting? What type of websites can be hosted on the cloud?

Here are a few advantages of dedicated hosting to prove they, too, are worth the money.

1. Control –

Sole ownership translates to enhanced controls. You can absolutely do as you wish with your server. This is probably the reason why every developer yearns to own dedicated servers.

2. Security –

Who do you think is more secure among the two?

a. A shared hosting, in which hundreds of websites are hosted on the same server, with malware from one website breaking in to all other sites, or

b. Dedicated hosting, with a lone proprietor, isolated from all other vulnerable websites.

Dedicated hosting, of course.

Websites that store crucial data such as credit card details and payment info need to have a secure hosting and thus only prefer dedicated servers.

1. Performance –

Performance, perhaps, is why everybody wants Plesk dedicated server hosting. Because the entire resource of a server is in your hand, you can not only better manage it, but also effectively handle any surge in your traffic.

Uptime Comparison Among Various Hosting
Shared Hosting99.6% and above
VPS Hosting99.7 % to 99.92
Dedicated Server Hosting99.95% to 99.999%

Note – figures only represent the average estimation. Uptime varies from provider to provider.

Though there are other advantages as well – such as administrative controls, customizability, and reliability – the above three benefits sum them all.

Dedicated Server Types –

Depending upon the services offered and the Operating System used. Dedicated hosting is classified in several ways.

However, the classification based on Operating System is more profound and will be dealt with in more detail.

Linux Dedicated Server Hosting

When you buy a new desktop the first thing you probably consider is the Operating System to configure with it.

And so with every dedicated server you get to choose between a variety of OS, of which Linux and Windows are the most dominant ones.

Linux dedicated hosting is one setup with Linux OS. Now with Linux only, there are as many as 500 distros or the distributions. Linux has open-source code. Meaning, anyone can modify, use and distribute their version of Linux OS.

This allows for even more control over a dedicated server. Feel free to make use of the source code and modify the settings to service your website visitors better.

Related Topic:  Demystifying Cloud Misconceptions to Justify Relevance of Dedicated Solutions

To learn more about Linux, play the video below.

Top 10 features of dedicated server hosting and comparison of windows dedicated server with linux dedicated server.

Windows Dedicated Server

Windows Dedicated Server has Windows as its underlying operating system. Though almost every desktop comes loaded with Windows, developers do not prefer it as much as they prefer Linux.

First off, Windows OS is highly expensive. The home-use licence itself costs a few hundred dollars and the server edition would come for no less than a thousand dollars.

1000 bucks is too much to pay when compared to Linux, which is absolutely free.

We have put things in place in the following table to help you better understand the difference in a more comprehensive manner.

 Linux vs Windows Dedicated ServersWindows Dedicated ServerLinux Dedicated Server
1.Operating System  
a. Source codeRestrictedOpen
b. CostPaidFree. Enterprise level paid version available.
c. SupportAvailableAvailable only with paid version
2. Control PanelPlesk & cPanelcPanel
3. ControlOS does not offer much freedomControl offered by the OS is a plus point
4. CustomizabilityOS-based customization not possibleOS-based customization possible.
5. SecurityBoth servers are more or less equally secure
6. InterfaceGUIGUI and command line
7. ASP and ASP.Net scripting frameworksCompatibleIncompatible
8. Ease to configureEasy to handle the serverServer handling is difficult
9. UpdatesProvided.Not provided frequently.
10. FeaturesOnly updates can add new featuresUser can themselves add features.

Classification based on service type

Except for shared hosting, which is always managed, every other hosting is of the following two types –

1. Managed

In managed dedicated server hosting, the provider will take care of all tasks involving data backups, security, setting up Apache and even routine maintenance. People often have a misconception that managed services lead to loss of control, but this is not always the case. You can do pretty much everything with managed hosting as you do with the unmanaged. The only difference being that the provider will work on your behalf.

2. Unmanaged

Think of unmanaged services as a car. When you buy a new car the salesperson makes you sign papers, and, in turn, hands you the keys. You are then free to run your ride in whatever way you want.

Related Topic:  A Complete Guide When Choosing Dedicated Hosting for The First Time

 Unmanaged dedicated server hosting services are equivalent. The provider will setup the server, connect switches, turn on the lights and hand you the control. You can only reach out to the provider if the server needs maintenance that is not in your hands.

The table below summarizes the difference between the two hosting –

 Managed Dedicated Hosting**Unmanaged Dedicated Hosting**
Automated BackupsAutomatedManual
Performance MonitoringVendor – MonitoredManual monitoring
Software UpdatesAutomaticManual update required
Malware Removal and ScanningDone by providerManual
Control PanelAvailableAvailable
SSH AccessAvailableNot available
Support ServicesAvailableAvailable
On-demand ServicesAvailableNot available

How to choose the best dedicated server?

Not all dedicated hosting is the same. From a technical standpoint, every server is different. So, how do you choose the best dedicated server? Here’s how.

1. RAM

To run your website smoothly, your OS should meet the minimum requirements for your dedicated server. If your OS is not able to meet the compatibility, your website will load extremely slow and ruin the user experience.

Know the amount of RAM your OS dedicated server demands from the OS. It is always advisable to run 1 or 2 GB more than what is required.

2. Amount of Traffic

You are probably not starting to be blindfolded. There has to be some digging you might have done beforehand. It is advisable to have an idea about the amount of traffic your website will have.

A lot of traffic needs a considerable amount of RAM to handle. If traffic is not going to be an issue as such, running the bare minimum configuration would do more than enough.

3. Static or Dynamic, Responsive or not?

Well, if you have not heard of it before, static websites are those not linked to a database.

Static sites will not need as much RAM as they will need storage. Dynamic websites require more RAM to smoothly load and deliver files from the database and cache it.

Responsive pages are those that adjust themselves according to the user’s view port.

For such pages to deliver graphics faster, it will require additional graphic processors and more RAM than usual.

Dedicated server hosting – disadvantages

You might be wondering if dedicated hosting has all the perks and no minuses, why people would use any other server.

As a matter of fact, there are some loose ends with dedicated hosting as well. Read below

1. Single point of failure

If any of your server’s components fail, your website will witness a complete outage, until you fix each and everything again.

The outage is Stage IV Cancer. There is nothing you can do to prevent visitors from abandoning your website.

2. Worn out parts

Choosing a good host is not sufficient alone. As the hardware gets old, the performance dips. Older data centers are bound to have more downtime and inferior performance.

3. Cost

Dedicated hosting involves huge cost upfront. This is perhaps why developers are more inclined towards Linux dedicated hosting – to save any extra penny they can.

We hope the above article on dedicated server hosting has helped you enough. If you have any more questions on Linux dedicated hosting or windows dedicated servers, kindly drop your queries in the comment box below. You shall hear from us in no time.

Or, if there is anything worthwhile you believe is worth sharing, spread the news to our community using the same comment box.

votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Have questions?

Ask us.



    AWS Standard Consulting Partner

    • Go4hosting
    • Go4hosting

    Alibaba Cloud

    Go4hosting

    Go4hosting-NOW-NASSCOM-Member Drupal Reseller Hosting Partner

    Cyfuture Ltd.

    The Cricket Barn
    Tiverton
    Exeter
    EX16 8ND

    Ph:   1-888-795-2770
    E-mail:   [email protected]