Online projects, whether it’s a landing page or a full-fledged online store, are always located on the server. And always, before launching an online project, its owner faces a choice between renting a virtual server and buying a physical server. This issue is usually decided taking into account the future development of the project. And each option has its pros and cons. Therefore, the choice must be approached wisely.
Differences between physical and virtual servers
In general terms, in terms of the main workflow, there is practically no difference between a physical and a virtual server. But the devil, as always, is in the details. And these very details are important to know and understand in order to choose the right type of server for your website.
Physical server features
In fact, the physical server is the computer on which the server is located. But this is a very simplified description. Since the server requires specialized equipment, without which the website will not work correctly. A full-fledged server provides the website with high bandwidth, provides the necessary disk space and hardware performance. In this case, the webmaster will have to monitor the server not only through the network, but also physically. That is, the webmaster will need to monitor the state of the server and the stability of its operation. But such a server can be upgraded if the website needs more resources.
Virtual server features
A virtual server, in fact, is no different from a physical one. Only in this case, the website owner leases disk space, hardware resources and network bandwidth from the server owner. It’s cheaper than buying a physical server. But only if you are talking about a small website and there are no plans for a significant expansion. Because the ability to upgrade a virtual server is limited by the provider. In addition, the same server is usually rented by several users. And the “neighbors” of a website can be resource-intensive or unreliable.
How to properly monitor your website and server
Monitoring the various functions of the site, as well as the performance of the server (physical or virtual) is an integral part of the webmaster’s work. But in order to do this as efficiently as possible, conventional means are often insufficient. In such cases, the ideal solution that does not require the purchase of expensive equipment is the use of special monitoring services. And HostTracker is one of the best in its class.
This service systematically collects information, instantly reports incidents. And, if necessary, provides recommendations for improving server performance. By monitoring the CPU, RAM and hard disk, all possible problems and leaks of server resources are identified. It will also be possible to check the presence of the server IP in the DNSBL lists to avoid blocking.
In general, HostTracker monitoring service provides a wide range of checks. From checking the site by HTTP, ping, to checking the database and server parameters. All of this allows you to gather the most complete information about the performance of the resource. This means you can quickly find the source of problems. You can also set up API and POST requests to initiate automatic scheduled maintenance.
