Virtual hosting is when the provider provides you with his resources: CPU, RAM, disk space. And you use them to place your projects on the Internet: websites, blogs, online stores.

Compare virtual hosting and VPS/VDS
Performance
The shared hosting provider can not guarantee the capacity, he can only limit it.

For example, your tariff specifies the maximum load on all processors 50%. In addition to you, on the same server, there are 20 other projects with the same tariff. And if at least three projects at the same time will have a high load – no one will get the declared 50%, because all have to share the processor with each other.

This does not mean that shared hosting is very slow and always lags. Not at all. You just can’t be 100% sure that the site will work fast during peak load times.

In a VPS (virtual server), the provider guarantees the promised capacity. He reserves the claimed resources for you and does not give them to anyone else. You can always count on the performance that is specified in the tariff.

Flexible customization
With shared hosting, the provider sets certain programs and services in advance. You can not install any other program or make settings that do not allow the provider. Usually, the most popular web servers, databases, and programming languages are supported. But if you need something special or not so popular – you can’t install it.

For example, the Apache web server and the PHP scripting language are often used to process data from the site and work with the database. But recently the Node.js platform, which allows you to do the same thing, has been gaining popularity. And it cannot be installed on shared hosting, you need a virtual server for that.

In the case of a VPS, you get a complete operating system in which you can do everything you want: install any software and configure it as you need. Provider does not put any restrictions.

Easy setup
Classic hosting does not require deep technical knowledge. Provider gives ready and configured services. You do not need to understand the principles of their work: they just work. Some providers can set up additional services for free: install an SSL certificate, or make automatic redirection to the HTTPS protocol.

For hosting on a virtual server, you may need more in-depth knowledge: if you are going to install and configure programs, you need to know how they interact. At the same time, providers offer for installation and almost ready-made configurations, but you still have to make adjustments for yourself.

Quick setup and maintenance
Classic hosting can be used immediately: all programs are installed and configured by default. You may need to configure something for yourself, but you can work as it is.

Maintenance is done by the provider: updates the programs, does preventive maintenance and makes sure that the services (web server, mail, database) worked without failure.

Hosting on a virtual server takes a little more time to set up initially. By default, you are given a clean operating system, where they install the necessary programs and configure them. However, you can simplify the task and use ready-made software installation kits.

For example, in our application store we have ready-made stacks LAMP, LEMP and MEAN. They are a set of web server, database and scripting language for data processing. They can be installed in a few minutes, then you will need to configure, for this is enough basic knowledge about the work of the hosting.
Service hosting to do yourself, for example to update the program. Provider makes sure that your virtual machine is running smoothly, but everything inside it is your responsibility.

Flexible Fees
Classic hosting rates are predetermined. One tariff contains all the restrictions: CPU load, RAM, disk space, and so on. You cannot change only certain parameters, you have to change the entire tariff.

The cost of
Virtual hosting is cheap. You can find a minimum rate of 100 rubles a month, even with a well-known and reliable providers, more interesting settings, of course, will cost more.

Virtual dedicated server is usually more expensive, depending on the provider and its capabilities, which are usually much more than the classic hosting.

In the case of virtual hosting on a cloud server to calculate use the pay-as-you-go model – pay-as-you-go. At the end of the month, we count how much you actually used and recalculate the amount. This way you’re not overpaying for capacity you don’t need.
What to choose: VPS or shared hosting
Knowing all the possibilities and limitations, let’s try to determine how to choose the technology depending on the task.