Current Provider Offers:

Top 10 VPS

Price Comparison Of Virtual Servers

vServers (virtual servers) have become more and more popular in the last years, not least because the prices for a vServer have become attractive for private users.

There are many VPS providers on the market. Nevertheless, a Vserver comparison of the many offers and providers has become an obligation. Peer-Server offers one of the best price comparisons of VServers.

In a vServer comparison you will quickly notice that there are sometimes very big differences between different Vserver providers. You should therefore consider in advance what demands you make on a VPS and whether it is really the right choice. Reading different test reports can also help to get a first overview of the prices. A price comparison of the several providers for VServer (Virtual Server) is therefore obligatory.

Top 3 VPS Hosting Providers:

60 Days Money Back Guarantee
  • max RAM: 6 GB
  • max Storage: 75 GB
  • max Bandwidth: 2 TB
Control Panel, Root Access
price from $4.49/mo
View Offers
Good Price-Performance Ratio
  • max RAM: 32 GB
  • max Storage: 320 GB
  • max Bandwidth: 10 TB
CPanel, Root Access
price from $5/mo
View Offers
$50 30-Days Free Credit!
  • max RAM: 912 GB
  • max Storage: 3.8 TB
  • max Bandwidth: 12 TB
Control Panel, Root Access
price from $5/mo
View Offers

One of the most important criteria are the resources that a VPS gets or can allocate.

Resources are the allocation of CPU time or memory by the physical host system on which more or less many virtual servers are running.

A distinction must be made between real and virtual resources; while the former are permanently assigned to a vServer and cannot be changed by the vServer owner, the virtual ones are intended for temporary load peaks and are not permanently available. Here a price comparison also makes sense.

Anyone who can therefore estimate from the outset in a vServer comparison that system resources are more important to him than a large transfer volume included in the price (traffic volume) should have this as the first item on his wish list.

10 best virtual private servers

In addition, factors such as contract duration or follow-up costs for exceeding traffic limits should also be examined more closely, as otherwise the VPS pleasure can quickly become a block on the leg, which you can’t get rid of so quickly thanks to a long contract duration. Since there are a lot of providers for VServers on the market, one should only get involved with very good references on contract terms of more than 12 months.

The mentioned points are of course only a few of many, which one should consider with a vServer comparison. Tip: Some providers also submit individual VServer offers on request. Ask your webhoster!

A big help for the selection of a suitable vServer is our price comparison of VServer providers, which uses a form to search for different parameters such as desired hard disk size, traffic flat rate or operating system.

Definition Of A VServer

Virtual servers run on a shared server hardware. The VServer does not communicate directly with the server hardware, but uses the server operating system. Each VServer receives at least one unique IP-V4 address on the Internet and one or more IP-V6 addresses, making it suitable for hosting domains.

General Information About Virtual Servers

Depending on the configuration of the vServer, the root can be accessed via telnet, ssh or vnc. Since the virtual server is accessed via the Internet, secure connections and secure passwords are recommended. Root in Linux refers to the system administrator. Windows uses the term administrator for this. Many vServer providers provide images of the server versions of some Linux operating systems without a graphical user interface for installation on the virtual server.

software installationYou should therefore be familiar with the basic administration of a server without a graphical user interface. With virtual servers running under OpenVZ, the customer can set up the basic system himself within a few minutes. For VPS running under KVM or XEN, the provider’s support takes over the installation of the server, which increases the price for the server.

Root access is only granted to the customer on his own VServer. He thus has all administrative possibilities on the server, such as the possibility to install software or create users with the appropriate rights. However, various VServer providers also offer managed VServers, where only SSH access is available.

Basic Considerations Before Renting A Virtual Server

If you want to run a virtual server, you should ask yourself the following questions before you buy:

  • Which server operating system is used on the virtual server?
  • What virtualization options are available for the guest operating system used?
  • Purpose of use of the VServer (mail server, web server)?
  • Requirements of the software used for processor and main memory?
  • How much time can and should be spent on the operation of the server?
  • Is root access to the server necessary?
  • How high is the expected traffic?

The intended use defines the hardware equipment of the VServer. An nginx web server under Linux has much lower requirements than a Windows server with a content management system or a web shop. If you do not want to worry about the operation of your server, you can use a so-called “Managed vServer”. The VServer provider of the server takes over the installation of updates or the setup of the back-up for a corresponding monthly fee. A price comparison of the different offers is also advantageous here.

Fundamental Differences Between VServers

– All VServers Look The Same, But Show Big Differences

From a technical point of view there are two ways to run a virtual server:

  • Hardware-oriented
  • As software solution

Advantages Of The Hardware Solution Of A VServer:

  • Faster
  • Special functions can be used
  • Many different guest operating systems available
  • Available for all guest operating systems

Disadvantages:

  • Higher installation and maintenance costs

Overview Hardware Solution:

Advantages Of The Software Solution Of A VServer:

  • Easier installation
  • Easier maintenance
  • Up and running faster

Disadvantages Of A Software Solution:

  • Slower
  • Consumes additional resources
  • Not every software solution works with every guest operating system

Overview Software Solutions:

  • VMware Server
  • Virtual box
  • Virtual PC
  • OpenVZ / Virtuozzo

Virtualbox and VirtualPC are not offered in the professional sector, but are well suited for private testing of operating systems or updates. The VMWare products, which are subject to a fee, are aimed more at data center operators who want to consolidate their servers. Support for the free VMWare server was discontinued in 2011. Virtuozzo is the paid version of OpenVZ without the disadvantage of not allowing Windows operating systems as guests.

KVM and XEN

best vps server comparisonXEN and KVM require processors that support hardware virtualization. A Linux operating system with special drivers is required for operation. Many providers offer XEN HVM as a virtualization option. The provider provides the hardware and the operating system provided with the special drivers. For example, the customer creates an image of his web server or Windows server and loads this self-created image onto his virtual server.

This solution is interesting for customers, who want to operate several similar servers, because they must provide the virtual machine with all adjustments only once and can install these then problem-free and fast on several virtual servers.

XEN and KVM offer the possibility to virtualize Windows servers with low speed losses, because they work very close to the hardware. The XEN and KVM machines do not have their own BIOS.

Virtuozzo / OpenVZ

Both systems work at the operating system level. So they are not pure software solutions. XEN and KVM require processors with hypervisor capabilities. Virtuozzo and OpenVZ require special operating system kernels (kernels) to work. The virtual machines do not have their own BIOS. Hardware access is performed by the host operating system. A disadvantage is that both the guest operating system and the host operating system use the same kernel. It is not possible to change the kernel in the virtual machine.

OpenVZ is suitable for everyone who wants or needs to use a root server. Only then can you install and use a “Virtual Drive” (a virtual hard disk) on the root server, for example. OpenVZ has the advantage of effective and fast scalability for the provider of the VServer and the customer. If a customer needs more RAM, a higher processor performance or more hard disk space, the virtual server can move from one hardware server to another during operation.

As the server does not have to be shut down, the customer is not aware of the move. During the move there are delays in the response times of the server. However, these are hardly noticeable. This is also the reason why people who want to build their own cloud should look for a provider who works with OpenVZ.

Who Controls The Market?

OpenVZ offers hosting providers the advantage of simpler installation and configuration and very good extensibility. Most of the configuration work can be transferred to the customer. The customer can install and restart an operating system within minutes. XEN and KVM require more installation effort and are not so easy to scale. The operating system has to be installed by the support because adjustments have to be made. Also the restart of a system must be carried out by the support. The support can be paid by the providers in the form of higher monthly fees.

The availability of qualified support also makes it possible to offer a “managed server” where the provider takes over certain tasks for the customer. If you want to use Windows on a VServer, you must ensure that Virtuozzo, XEN or KVM are used when comparing the offers. OpenVZ will prevail in the private and semi-professional sector due to the cost advantage, XEM and KVM will be able to assert themselves in the professional sector.

Tips How To Find The Best Package For Your Needs Among The Top 10 VPS Providers:

  • Determine what is really needed
  • Not only pay attention to the price when comparing prices
  • Compare the services offered
  • Pay special attention to the guaranteed values for RAM, number of processors and hard disk space
  • Pay attention to customer ratings

Depending on the virtualization software used, the customer has different advantages and disadvantages. The emulation offers the possibility to virtualize Linux VServers (e.g. Ubuntu) as well as Windows VServers on a root server.

Therefore, a VServer is especially useful for persons and companies who only want to use applications with a low computational intensity. Depending on the computing power of the underlying server, this can of course vary.

Images: top 10 © d_grutz; server room © Cybrain – Fotolia.com
Do you have questions or comments? Share your experiences: