Vps Versus Reseller Hosting

By Author: Amy Armitage
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The three letters "VPS" bring a smile to the faces of knowledgeable webmasters and IT people. Standing for "Virtual Private Server," the acronym is particularly cheering to companies and individuals that need their own dedicated server but cannot afford one, or are not ready to commit. With VPS, the physical server space is divided into partitions (the VPS's) that act the same as standalone servers. Purchase the appropriate disk real estate and you can safely isolate yourself from any "neighbors" and keep yourself anonymous despite being "disk-mates."

Now, what is reseller hosting, to which we wish to compare VPS? It can be defined quite simply and straightforwardly as having accounts in a shared server environment, just about the same thing as shared hosting. (The main difference between reseller hosting and shared hosting is that the former lets you create multiple, discrete accounts of shared hosting.) In the VPS versus reseller hosting contest, which one wins? This is an important question and a difficult one, too, as there are definite pros and cons to the decision, whichever choice you make. If we analyze some of ...
... the VPS and reseller hosting features and benefits, it should make your decision at least somewhat easier.

VPS is a dedicated server solution

VPS definitely offers the benefits and features of a dedicated server, although it's one that is shared by a few additional "tenants." Remember the word "few," and don't panic, because the VPS sharing will not involve as many websites as a shared hosting arrangement on a physical server. An extremely valuable feature of VPS is root access. Because all clients will get root access, they can install whatever they wish, from software to different OS's (Operating Systems), so long as there are proper licenses. One can install software that the provider doesn't have or doesn't make available to its other shared hosting or reseller clients.

Peace of mind is an important fringe benefit of a VPS, as one is isolated from other VPS's so that their heavy traffic will not affect one's own websites. Further, a specified amount of CPU, RAM and bandwidth usage is established for each VPS. Others' site traffic will be counted against the bandwidth specifically allocated to them and will not affect other VPS's, although they may be neighbors on the same physical server. All of this sounds good, but remember that you must do the installations yourself, know about server maintenance and be conversant with a wide range of software and hardware. Asking for the hosting provider's help will, of course, result in your being charged, so you should get the right expertise beforehand to avoid this expense.

Will reseller hosting simplify your life?

Is reseller hosting a better solution? This, of course, depends on your goals and abilities. If you don't like being tied down to scheduled activities, limited to your provider's offerings and obligated to others, you might not want to undertake reseller hosting. Reseller hosting has many positives, though, especially as it is well organized with everything set up by the hosting provider. You become the WHM (Web Host Manager) and customize the hosting plans (amount of disk space, bandwidth, etc.) for the accounts you "resell." A "resold" account is the same as any shared hosting account, typically using cPanel for the user control panel on a Linux platform. You sell your accounts at a price you determine, and many hosting providers even offer a "private label" reseller plan where you establish your own brand and company name, with your own nameservers, too.

Unless you divulge the fact yourself, your clients will not know they are dealing with any other company than you. With reseller hosting you can only offer your accounts what your hosting provider offers you, in particular the resident software and applications. This is how you are "tied down," as mentioned above. On the other hand, you don't get involved with installing and configuring this, that and the other thing for various customers. Reseller hosting is a workable option in many situations and remains a competitive option to VPS. It is proven to be reliable and useful, as well as bringing a powerful user-friendliness to individuals and companies that are not expert with hosting-related procedures and applications.

It is broadly speculated that, in the near future, VPS might simply absorb the roles currently played by reseller hosting, but this process is still working itself out, and won't be finished anytime soon. For the time being, then, there are good reasons to pursue both courses of action depending on the circumstances, so think it through if you are faced with the decision.
About Author:
Amy Armitage is the head of Business Development for Lunarpages. Lunarpages provides quality web hosting from their US-based hosting facility. They offer a wide-range of services from linux virtual private servers and managed solutions to shared and reseller hosting plans. Visit online for more information.