A server of your own: VPS, dedicated or colocation?
You need a server of your own when shared hosting gets in your way: because you want to run software that does not fit a control panel, because you need shell access, or because your site keeps hitting its limits even on the largest plan. If none of that applies, shared hosting is the cheaper and simpler choice.
If you do need your own server, there are three forms. They differ less in what they can do than in who supplies the hardware and who manages it. Below you can compare them side by side.
The three options
All three run in our Belgian data centers. The difference lies in how the work is divided between you and us.
Managed VPS
For growing webshops, your own applications and anyone who prefers to outsource server management
You manage
- Your own software and configuration, with SSH access
- What runs on the server and how you use it
We manage
- The operating system and its updates
- Monitoring of the server
- The underlying hardware and the network
Dedicated server
For heavy, sustained load or applications that need a complete machine
You manage
- The operating system and everything that runs on it
- Updates, monitoring and backups, unless you entrust them to us
We manage
- The machine itself: newly purchased, with hardware warranty
- Placement, power and connectivity in our data center
- Full management too, on request
Colocation
For anyone who already owns hardware or holds licenses tied to a machine
You manage
- The server itself, the operating system and the software
- Updates, monitoring and your own backup strategy
We manage
- Rack space in a Belgian data center
- Power, cooling and connectivity
- Physical security and access control of the building
Which server suits you?
Go through the rows and see which column matches your situation most often. When in doubt between two columns, the left one is usually the sensible starting point.
| Criterion | Managed VPS | Dedicated server | Colocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load | A site or application that has outgrown shared hosting and needs dedicated resources | Heavy, sustained load that needs a complete machine | Up to you: it is your machine |
| Own software | Yes, you install what you need | Yes, up to and including the operating system | Yes, completely free |
| Shell access | SSH access included | Full access, including remote access to the machine itself | Full access, it is your hardware |
| Growth path | Adjust CPU, memory and storage in the configurator | A heavier or additional machine, by arrangement | You replace or expand your own hardware |
| Management | With us: updates, monitoring and security of the server | With you, or with us if you prefer | With you; we take care of the environment |
| Hardware | A dedicated share of our machine | Our machine, entirely for you alone | Your own machine in our rack |
If you do not recognise yourself in any of the three columns, chances are that shared hosting is enough. We will tell you so when you ask: a server you do not need costs money and work.
What every server has in common
Whichever form you choose, the environment around it is the same.
Two Belgian data centers, in Brussels and Ghent, with our own rack space and our own IP range
Monitoring of our infrastructure; with a managed VPS also of your server itself
A backup arrangement that fits the server: as an option in the VPS configurator, by arrangement for a dedicated server, under your own control with colocation
DDoS protection on our network infrastructure
Your data stays in Belgium; a data processing agreement is available on request
Support in Dutch, French and English, from the people who manage the servers themselves
Further reading
Not yet sure what a VPS actually is, or wondering whether you need your own server at all? Start here.
Frequently asked questions about servers
When you want to run software that does not fit a control panel, when you need shell access, or when your site keeps structurally hitting its limits even on the largest hosting plan. One busy day is no reason; a memory limit that fills up every month is. If none of that sounds familiar, shared hosting is cheaper and simpler.
With a VPS you get an isolated part of a larger machine, with fixed computing power, memory and storage. With a dedicated server you get the complete physical machine for you alone. A dedicated server is called for with heavy, sustained load or specific requirements; for most applications outgrowing shared hosting, a VPS is enough.
That we maintain the operating system, carry out the updates and monitor the server. You keep SSH access and decide yourself which software runs on it. With an unmanaged server you would have to do all that server work yourself.
Yes. Managed means that we maintain the server side, not that you are tied to a fixed set of software. You have SSH access and install what your application needs. If you are unsure whether something is compatible with our management, just ask beforehand.
When the hardware itself is a deliberate choice: you already have a server, your software requires a specific machine, or your licenses are tied to that hardware. You place your own machine in our rack and manage it yourself; we take care of rack space, power, cooling and connectivity. If you only need capacity, a VPS or dedicated server is simpler.
That differs per form. With a managed VPS you choose backups and snapshots as an option in the configurator. With a dedicated server we agree the arrangement, and with colocation the backup strategy stays entirely with you because it is your machine. Discuss that in advance: a server without an agreed backup is a risk that only shows when it is too late.
Yes. You expand a VPS by adjusting CPU, memory or storage in the configurator. If you outgrow that, we plan the switch to a dedicated server together, like a move: set up and test first, then switch over. Going from shared hosting to a VPS works the same way.