VPS Hosting Packages

Purchasing a VPS Hosting package, can be a hard and time taking process. There are a lot of web hosting providers out there and almost all of them, offer virtual private servers. And the bigger the quantity of the companies that offer a certain service, the lower the chance of you actually finding a web hosting company that provides a quality service. However, it is always better to take a little more time in searching for a stable service, than to sign up for something that you cannot actually use. So,

What should one look for in a VPS package?

First of all- the price. It is important to remember that virtual servers are usually rather cheap. Of course, not cheaper than a shared hosting account, but still rather cheap when compared with the dedicated hosting. Therefore, compare what are the normal fees for a Virtual Server accounts and determine whether or not, the fee of the package you have chosen is reasonable. If it's too high, or too low, then there is definitely something not quite right and you should probably look somewhere else. The second thing to look for is the plan's features. Note that there is no possible way, for a VPS to offer any unlimited feature, except for the number of hosted domains. Because of the nature of the virtual private server system, every VPS account is completely independent and cannot be merged into a cluster system, as in shared web hosting accounts. Therefore, if a VPS package offers unlimited hosting features, such as disk space, monthly traffic etc., then it's either a scam, or a very serious overselling of the service. In both cases, such offers and companies should be avoided. A serious company will always have their hosting plans presented in a balanced and reasonable fashion, in terms of both features and prices.

The Control Panel factor

Since the VPS services work on the same principle as the dedicated servers, the virtual server packages usually do not include a web hosting control panel. This means that the user has to manually type the commands, through a command console. This can be rather hard for an intermediate hosting user and almost impossible for a person no or limited technical knowledge. Therefore, when choosing a VPS package, always check if it includes a control panel. If it doesn't, then check if a control panel is support as an additional service and what the price for that service will be. Note that some control panels, such as the cPanel, for instance, are paid by default. Therefore, if you wish to have a cPanel on your VPS, you should be prepared to pay an additional fee, of around 10 USD/month, for it. Since web hosting providers purchase the cPanel license from the cPanel developers, even if this control panel is offered for free with the package, then note that it is nothing more than a marketing trick and the actual price for the VPS plan is around 10 USD cheaper. Some companies, however, offer free control panels, as additional service for their VPS offers. Usually, such control panels are created by the hosting company itself, thus allowing them to offer it for free. For instance, Lonex.com have a custom, in-house built control panel, called the Hepsia. The good thing about going with such a control panel is that it was built especially for the services of the specific hosting provider, therefore, it should work much better with their system, than any of the other control panels out there. Of course, it is always a matter of personal preference, however, if you are not used to using cPanel, or DirectAdmin, then it is always recommendable to go with a custom built control panel.

VPS server location

It is always good to have your web hosting service, VPS or otherwise, as close to your location, as possible. This will ensure for a better connectivity to the website and to the hosting server itself, meaning that not only your website will be loaded faster, but you will also have lower loading time, when using the web hosting control panel, or the command console for your VPS. Most web hosting providers have servers in more than open location. For instance, Lonex.com have four data centers throughout the world- one in the US, one in the UK, one in Sweden and another one in Australia. This is also one of the factors that separate the experienced web hosting providers, from those who have fewer resources.

Ordering a VPS

Before placing an order online, always make sure that the payment page is secured, otherwise you risk getting your personal postal and credit card information stolen. Be aware that the Web is full of scammers, who would love to get their hands on your credit card details. There are several ways of protecting yourself, while shopping online. The most certain method, however, is to always go with companies who work with at least one of the major payment processing companies- WorldPay, 2CheckOut and PayPal. Those three payment processors have a strict payment verification policy and also, they work with the banks directly and penalize the vendor, if a fraudulent payment appears.