Type: Dedicated Servers
- Cost: From $ 450 / month
- Suitable for: Sites and applications with high traffic
- Level of difficulty: Medium/high
- Rating: Hosting with robust features and great freedom of customization. Therefore, it has much higher costs to a common hosting (shared).
- Where to hire: Get to know the companies that offer Dedicated Server
What is Dedicated Server?
If you own or manage a site that has a high volume of traffic, you have probably encountered some problems such as slow loading of the site or website off the air. This scenario, which would already be terrible by itself, can be aggravated when your company is launching a new campaign or promotion, because just when you most need your site to "hang in there", it can leave you in the hand.The above is usually because the features and technical specifications offered on the shared hosting or VPS hosting servers are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of your site, which has grown and is demanding, among other things, greater server processing power. It's time to think about a hosting plan upgrade, and you'll probably need a dedicated server to take care of you in this new reality.
Speaking strictly of the machine itself, a dedicated server is a computer used for hosting websites and it has the same features and capabilities of a shared hosting server. The (big) difference, in this case, is that the server will be yours and no one else's, unlike shared hosting, in which you will share space and resources with hundreds of other clients. This fact is what gives you much (but much) more power in comparison to a standard hosting.
How does the dedicated server work?
If we compare a shared hosting with living in an apartment with several neighbors, a dedicated server is like having a house just for you. When you choose a dedicated server in the hosting company, you are renting your own physical server, reserved only to host your website, applications, and files. You can use all the space on your site or share the resources and rent the spaces to anyone you want.As we know, owning a home imposes a number of commitments. Just as a homeowner is responsible for choosing the furniture and decorating the home as he or she wishes, dedicated server customers need to choose the software and hardware settings they want for their machine. And if you still want help keeping everything in order, you need to invest a little more to have the management service.
A dedicated server is one of the most expensive hosting options on the market, but items such as security, customization, and flexibility are often worth the cost for those with high traffic sites.
For whom is the cheap dedicated server indicated?
As mentioned above, the dedicated one can be indicated for any site, blog, store or application that has high traffic, that is, many daily visitors, but its use is not limited to that. Digital agencies and hosting resellers can also rent a dedicated server to host their own clients or resell the web hosting service to third parties.Also, companies wishing to set up an intranet (internal corporate network) can rely on a dedicated server to run their systems and provide information to all its employees, regardless of geographic location.
How to configure a dedicated server?
The configuration of the server will depend on how it is provided by the hosting company. For example, the server may or may not be delivered with an administration panel. In unmanaged dedicated plans, the contractor will be responsible for their maintenance, installation of additional services and upgrades. In this case, the server administrator must have at least some knowledge in operating command-line servers.Already in managed dedicated plans, the server is delivered with a control panel that will help you in various system configurations. On dedicated Linux servers, usually, cPanel is the panel used. On Windows servers, the Plesk panel usually is the option.
Regardless of the choice, a dedicated server offers numerous configuration possibilities. You can install almost any system compatible with the server operating system and also use equally compatible databases.
How to choose enterprise dedicated hosting plan?
Before choosing the best-dedicated server for you, it is important to determine what your (purpose) use will be, including the level of resource utilization. In the case of sites with a large audience, it is also important to make a forecast of how the audience will grow. This information will help you scale the amount of resources you will need in the medium/long term.With this information in hand, consider the following aspects before hiring your dedicated server:
1 - Features and Specifications
Check the operating system required to run your application, whether Windows or Linux. If Linux, which distribution should I choose? Is the distribution offered is the right one for the system I intend to host?Also, pay attention to the basic server items: storage space, amount of RAM, processing capacity and maximum monthly traffic offered by the company. Make sure the limits of these features will have some impact on your application. Also, in the case of the amount of RAM, check if there is a possibility of increased memory and how much this upgrade will cost. Depending on its usage, a memory upgrade may be required in a few months or years.
2 - Price
The price range is great and the high cost of a dedicated one can impact directly on your business. Therefore, it is important to evaluate, among the amount of resources desired, whether the investment will be worth it. Look for the same specifications in different companies and make a price comparison. However, the lowest price should not be the deciding factor.If a company offers the same server at a higher cost than the others, find out if there is a delivery differential that might be worth it.
3 - Technical Support
As with other types of website hosting, find out what the support channels are offered by the company and its opening hours are. Does the company support you? Is the support 24h? Do they have a telephone? Take these aspects into consideration before deciding.Also, check to see how dedicated your technical support goes. Many companies offer no support for your application, limited to network-related issues and availability, but you can find companies that offer support for hosted systems on your server. Having skilled and trusted technical support can be the salvation of your business at times, especially if you do not have a reliable industry or vendor.
4 - Refund and Cancellation Policy
It is true that no one wants to hire a service to cancel it then but unfortunately this can happen therefore it is something that we should consider before hiring the dedicated. If the service is canceled and there is still some credit, will it be returned by the company? Is there a full refund (satisfaction guarantee) in the first month? Consider these questions for comparison among the companies you are inclined to hire.
Advantages of a Dedicated Server
Choosing a dedicated hosting will bring you numerous advantages over a traditional website hosting. Here are the main advantages you will have when choosing this type of service:
- Configure the operating system, hardware, and software according to your specifications;
- Make reboots, upgrades or updates according to the day and time you wish;
- Manage the server as administrator (root level), facilitating the maintenance of the server, site, and applications;
- Host one or more high traffic sites, controlling and defining the resources of each one;
- Organize, make available and store a large volume of data;
- Host other websites and create your own reseller hosting.
Dedicated servers also have the advantage of being physically located in your hosting provider's data center. In it, you are better protected from power outages, slow downs, and other performance issues as your server will use the company's protection infrastructure, which includes power redundancy (redundant power) and high-speed network cables.
Plus, you still save in the long run because you do not have to buy any hardware, software or invest in the infrastructure needed to maintain the server. If necessary, upgrades can be made according to your demand.
Limitations of a Dedicated Hosted Server
There is no doubt that dedicated servers offer the best features and performance available on the market, but they also have some limitations:
- Cost - hiring a dedicated server will surely cost you a good deal every month. It is no wonder that this type of hosting is among the most expensive options on the market;
- Downtime - As you are solely responsible for your server, if there are software or hardware issues that knock the server down, your site will go offline as well. Of course, data centers have redundancy and data access, but nothing is 100% problem-free.
- Need for technical knowledge - Dedicated servers require a minimum level of technical knowledge, as many plans come with only the operating system installed. Unless you're familiar with server management, have a technical team, or hire the separate management service, you'll probably find server setup and management a challenge.
You must take into account the possibility of extra costs for hardware upgrades and support part for dedicated servers. Be sure to read the terms of service before hiring and make the best choice.
We hope to have helped in your choice of server. If you still have any questions, leave a comment and we will do our best to help you!
Katheryn is a corporate attorney and finance specialist, conducting research daily to get you closer to financial security and freedom (even if you're just getting started). Her +600 articles published in Collaborative Research Group have already helped thousands of readers on the internet. .