VPS vs Cloud: Which is the best option?

Surely these are two concepts that you have heard many times, especially when you visit a technology company. In this blog we will clarify the differences, advantages and disadvantages of each one, to make it easier for you in the future to choose the option that best suits your needs, since the choice between VPS and Cloud can be complicated, especially if you are not familiar with this sector.

To begin with, let's introduce each of the concepts with a definition;

• VPS: A VPS, or Virtual Private Server, is a virtual server that allows users to host their website or application in a virtual environment. In addition, a VPS is created from a single physical server, which shares its hardware resources.
• Cloud: A Cloud is a virtual server that is created from a "pool" or group of servers, storage cabinets and network electronics, which allows you to distribute the resources between different physical computers. By this way, guaranteeing the non-dependence on specific equipment in order to make Clouds work. Unlike a VPS, Clouds are designed to scale automatically. By this way, they can handle a sudden increase of traffic or demand of resource, without experiencing big drops.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a VPS?

Starting with the advantages, a VPS has 1 main advantage;

• Cheaper: Usually, but not always, a VPS is cheaper than a Cloud. This is because they usually do not have any cabinets or pool of discs behind them. In addition, a lot of human intervention is required, and they do not operate automatically.

• Physical dependence: When the equipment is damaged or has errors, these directly affect the use of the VPS and it does not work again until someone fixes or recovers it. In contrast, the Cloud does not have this dependency, as the equipment can fail, but the Cloud will continue working automatically. 
• Limited scalability: VPS are not as scalable as Cloud servers, which means that they may not be the best option for websites with variable traffic or large traffic peaks. 
• Limited resources: Users are limited to the resources allocated to them and, if they exceed these limits, they may experience downtime or the server may not work properly.
• Lack of flexibility: VPS servers have less flexibility, as they exclusively rely on the resources of the physical machine and human intervention in case of failures.
• Fixed monthly fee: Although it may seem good at first impression, in the long run, depending on the use that is made of it, it can take its toll on you. If you don't use it a lot some month, you still have to pay the same price.
• Weakness to errors: VPS servers do not provide redundancy. However, Cloud servers do provide redundancy. In addition, if the VPS has physical failures with the hardware, most probably, it will be down indefinitely and there will be a lot of downtime.
• Dependence on other users: As you may have noticed, the performance of a VPS depends exclusively on the use made by other users. Therefore, if someone is misusing it, or there are many users connected at the same time, the performance will drop drastically.
• Dependence on human intervention: If the physical server goes down, the VPS goes too. Also, until someone recovers or fixes it, it won't be operational.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Cloud?

A Cloud can offer the same features as a physical server, but with the great advantage of flexibility and scalability. Here we tell you more advantages it offers;

• Physical independence: The Cloud does not have the physical dependence that the VPS has. Therefore, the physical server may fail, have errors or be damaged, but the Cloud will continue to work automatically without the need for human intervention, as the Cloud will put to work the resources of another server that is in the cloud.
• Scalability: Cloud servers can easily handle traffic spikes and grow as needed. This means that your website or application can handle any increase in traffic without experiencing downtime or service interruptions.
• Resource configuration: In a Cloud server you can expand or reduce resources whenever you want and depending on the specific needs you have at any time.
• Flexibility: The Cloud offers greater flexibility compared to VPS servers. Users can customize and configure their Cloud server to meet their specific needs, which means that you can implement customized solutions specific to your website or application.
• Pay-per-use: Cloud users only pay for the time they use the Cloud and its resources. If you only used it for 5 hours during the month, you will only pay for the 5 hours.
• High availability: The Cloud is usually more reliable, as it is designed to minimize downtime. If a Cloud server experiences a problem, the workload is automatically redistributed to another server in the cloud, which means that your website will continue to run smoothly for your visitors.
• Better performance: Cloud servers are designed to provide high performance in terms of speed and processing capacity. This means that your website or application will load faster and run more smoothly, which can improve user experience and customer satisfaction.
• Better security: The Cloud is often equipped with advanced security measures to protect your data and your customers' privacy. This can include automatic backups, advanced firewalls and 24x7 security monitoring.

• Cost: The Cloud is usually more expensive than VPS, as a Cloud has all the resources in the "pool". Above all, since it is completely hardware agnostic, which means that any of the hardware components can fail or have errors, but the Cloud server will recover and continue to operate automatically without the need for human intervention. This is why Cloud servers tend to be more expensive than VPS servers.

VPS vs Cloud, which one to choose?

There is really no right or wrong answer, as it depends on your specific web needs and goals. If you need scalability, advanced security and that in case of an error it continues to function automatically, a Cloud server may be the best option. If you need a lower cost service, a VPS server may be a better fit. Be sure to carefully evaluate your needs and goals before making a final decision.

With the information provided in this blog, you can make an informed decision on the option that best suits your needs. If you want more information about the differences between Cloud and VPS, we have another blog that deals with the subject, click here to read it.

In SW Hosting, we have different Cloud solutions at VPS price, also if you want you can configure it according your wishes and you will have it running in seconds. Also, you can enjoy its payment for real use, flexible, elastic and without permanence. In addition, as we have our own Data Centers, we can offer the most up-to-date and secure Cloud and Hosting solutions.

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