A Cloud server can often be confused with a virtual private server because both of them use virtualization and can offer many similar advantages. Despite that, there are also quite a few differences between these two types of hosting services. For those that already know what is VPS hosting and what is cloud hosting, but are still not sure about their biggest differences and which one they should pick, this post should help make the decision.
Customization and Scalability
First, let’s talk about what customization options you get and what scalability limitations you encounter when using each of these hosting services. With VPS you have the complete control over your website, OS and various software, you can customize and configure as you desire, like with separate server.
With cloud hosting the customization options will include load balancing, firewalls, IP addresses and such. While a VPS can offer a moderate amount of scaling you are sure to eventually reach the limit. So, the ability to scale up with seemingly no limits is probably the one greatest feature of cloud hosting.
Performance and speed
If you know what is VPS hosting and how it works, then you know that it can guarantee reliable and stable performance. With VPS there is a guaranteed amount of resources dedicated to your server. Cloud hosting also offers high uptime and availability. It is so, because of multiple servers in a redundant system, which means that in the event of server failure its functional responsibilities and files can be instantly migrated to another server with no downtime.
Security Issues
Those who know what is VPS hosting have probably heard that it is also an extremely secure option. Your VPS will operate independently of any other sites sharing the same physical server. Cloud hosting can also be pretty safe, but having your host entirely web-based can make it more vulnerable to attacks.
Prices
If prices are a concern, keep in mind that cloud hosting tends to be much more expensive than VPS hosting mostly because you need to pay for a lot of hardware and complex networking. VPS hosting can offer better prices than a dedicated physical server and is less expensive than a cloud server.