VPS (or VDS, or virtual private server) is a virtual computer. It is configured and used in the same way as a regular computer, which is located in the point of the world you need and connected to the Internet.
Like a regular home computer, a VPS has:
- the amount of RAM specified by the plan,
- processor (with a given frequency and number of cores),
- a certain size of data storage (HDD or SSD, depending on the plan).
Shared hosting is a service for hosting your site or project. In this case, the user does not know what hardware resources are provided to him and how the server's capacity is distributed among everyone who is connected to the server. This option is perfect for small projects and sites or for those who decided to try to create their own resource. In the future, almost all users of the shared hosting move to a VPS or dedicated server.
VPS has the following advantages
- more options for configuration and administration (access to the server with root rights),
- independence from other sites and applications located on the server,
- the cost is much lower than renting a dedicated server,
- the ability to easily change the configuration (you can quickly increase/decrease the size of the disk, RAM, and processor).
Using a VPS, the user gets a virtual server with a limited amount of RAM, which is used not only for applications but also for the operating system. Therefore, choosing a plan, consider the consumption of all software that will be installed on the virtual server. Applications may slow down or freeze if there is insufficient RAM. You can also order additional dedicated IP addresses.
When renting shared hosting, on the one hand, there are no hard restrictions on resources. On the other hand, the hosting owner can block for exceeding the load. Also, shared hosting often has limited traffic.
VPS only has resource limitations according to your plan.