In this post, we will go through the steps on what is a dedicated server and an introduction to dedicated server hosting. Let’s say you are setting up your own website. It might be virtually anything. For example, you could be creating a cooking blog or a huge eCommerce store to sell baby products. When you set up your website, chances are you'll purchase hosting from a hosting provider who can make your web pages accessible to the internet and keep your domain active for people to visit and browse your site.

When this happens, the hosting provider uses a large server computer to process all the HTTP requests sent by your visitors - that is, the “client” to be technical - and send the website back to them. This server computer almost always takes care of the requests for other people’s sites. Some servers host thousands of websites and applications, all simultaneously, twenty-four-seven!

Now, buying hosting from a hosting provider and sharing the server and Internet Protocol address with several hundred other websites is all well and good, and it can get the job done for most average websites. The vast majority of businesses use this website, and it’s extremely unlikely that an average person with a personal blog or website will be using their own server.

However, if you want to set up a large eCommerce store, run intensive web applications, or experiment with code online, you may want a lot more computing resources, like Random Access Memory (RAM) and processing power. In this case, it isn’t convenient for you to share a server with many other people, and having your own “dedicated server” is a lot more beneficial.

What is a Dedicated Server? [Definition]

According to Wikipedia: a dedicated server is a hosting type where you rent or lease the entire server for yourself and do not share any resources with anyone. If your ICT knowledge is a bit rough on the edges, this might seem a bit confusing. However, once you have learned the vocabulary and understood the terms, the idea behind web hosting will be crystal clear.

On a shared server, the resources of the computer are divided between many different websites and customers on a shared hosting plan; a dedicated server - just like the name suggests - is all yours.

This means that all the processing power, Random Access Memory (RAM), and storage can be used to keep your website running in optimum conditions. Compare this to your situation if you were to use a shared server on your hosting plan.

At peak business times, or when there is a surge in traffic, the server has to deal with hundreds of websites demanding to respond to HTTP requests. It cannot serve your website as effectively because it is divided across many other tasks to perform.

This can cause your website to run slow or be inaccessible to some customers, which can waste a lot of money, turn away potential clients, and negatively affect your company name.

In its most essential definition, a dedicated server is any web server solely used to keep your website operating on the internet and respond to requests. It is not shared with any other websites or customers.

This type of server is precise, as its name suggests. A whole server is allotted and dedicated entirely to your business and website. On this server, you will be the only one using the resources.

This could be a server computer tucked away in a server cupboard or one on the other side of the country - or in a different country altogether - which your hosting provider operates.

When your hosting provider gives you your own dedicated server, they’ll configure it especially for your needs, whether that be heavy web applications, gaming, massive shopping sites which need to process a lot of customer traffic and running scripts, or anything else which is resource-intensive and requires a full server to handle.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to host your website on the internet. We highly recommend it if you're a beginner. 

connecting the world through the internet

Unlike a shared server, all resources and hardware are at your disposal. You will get higher speeds and reliable data storage with added security options. You will be in full control over the hardware configurations and software installations.

While a server, hosting service, or web hosting functionality is quite similar, a dedicated server is similar but with much more possibilities. In short: they’re all used to connect computers to the internet.

Unlike other hosting services, a dedicated server comes to your discretion for the contracted time. Within this time, you get to choose what hardware to add and what software to install, which can be customized according to your usage (or website).

Why Do You Need a Dedicated Server?

In order to host a website, you don’t “have” to use a hosting provider. Anything with a processor and an internet connection (like your home PC) can be used for hosting. However, resource limitations will likely slow down the process of using your personal computer for hosting.

The biggest difficulty when using a hosting PC will be keeping it ON all the time. Because once it’s turned off, the hosting would go along with it.

In order to maintain a fast and reliable connection, using a dedicated is the BEST option out there. These servers usually never fail, and you won’t lose computational power. The dedicated server is considered the highest performing hosting on the internet.

It's like having your powerful computer with no one to bother you. Dedicated hosting is like living in a house, and shared hosting is like living in an apartment building. Dedicated servers allow:

  • 24/7 uptime
  • Faster connection speeds
  • Lower risk of security attacks
  • Maintenance on the fly

Note that a dedicated server is not set up only to perform one service. You can use it to host your website, turn it into a gaming server, and much more.

dedicated server

How to get a Dedicated Server?

You can set up a dedicated server by yourself. This process tends to be pricy and quite tech-intensive. However, getting your very own dedicated server is possible without going through this process.

You can benefit from a support team's services on the service provider's panel. When you buy a dedicated server on 1gbits, you get a responsive support team to take care of your needs and requirements.

The 24/7 availability of trained professional and renowned experts in the industry provides you with the solution to all your problems with innovative responses.  

The features you will get from 1gbits are:

  • A maintenance team of leading experts
  • 24/7 availability
  • The ability to customize your dedicated server
  • An online interface
  • Stable uptime

Benefits of a Dedicated Server

With a dedicated server, you have all the server computer’s resources and computing power all to yourself. This means it can all be used to run your website and allow it to process exponentially more requests.

When you have your own dedicated server, you have root access and virtually all of its functions. You can install your own software on it and make it yours, optimizing it for your requirements and purposes.

Servers have to be properly configured and engineered to work prosperity for certain demands. With a dedicated server, you will have all the versatility you need to go straight to its settings and make the appropriate changes.

Security and Control

The most beneficial reason most people choose this server for their hosting is security. If you are in a business where there are loads of sensitive information, you shouldn’t choose a shared hosting service. For example, a common threat is DDoS attacks on WordPress sites that are hosted without any security measures. 

With dedicated servers, you can install the highest level of security available. You make sure of the safety of customers' data, your database, and your applications. You have total control over the server without compromising on anything.

No Shared Resources

With a shared hosting server, your website and you are at the mercy of limitations levied. The dedicated server CPU processing power, RAM, and other essential resources are distributed among all the members who have rented the particular server.

If a single website on the shared server is running a bad script, all other members on that server will suffer the impact. You will also suffer the same if any neighbour has a sudden increase in website traffic.

Many scenarios like this consume your bandwidth, and you suffer in return. But when you have your dedicated server, you won’t even have to think about these issues.

Customization Possibilities

One size for all policies is used to provide speed and resources to the tenants in a shared hosting service. But with a dedicated server, you can configure the server to the optimal specifications, which provides the most favourable scenario for your website.

When you lease a dedicated server, it is very easy to upgrade it as per your changing demands.

Save money

You won’t have to purchase all the sophisticated equipment and powerful computers when you get a dedicated server. You don't have to buy or rent an office space to erect this state-of-the-art technology hardware facility.

You also don't need to hire a trained professional team to manage all the resources. You save a great fortune and win the title of owning your dedicated server with just a minimal amount of money.

How to Choose Dedicated Server Plan

Following are the things that you must look for before buying a dedicated server plan:

  • Your website expectations
  • Very high or normal traffic levels
  • Custom features
  • Streaming video or high-resolution images
  • Increased need for security
  • Anticipating growth in the near future
  • How powerful should the processor be
  • How much bandwidth will you need
  • How much memory will you need
  • Do you need a specific operating system

Wrapping up:

We hope this post could answer your question about what is a dedicated server and dedicated server hosting. If you just want to create a small business website, tiny eCommerce store, or personal blog: a normal shared server hosting plan will do just fine. However, if you are a corporation, it is much more cost-effective in the long run and affordable to pay a hosting provider for your dedicated server than to build one in-house and have it constantly maintained.

You also won’t come into any fatal errors you cannot fix and must hire a specialist to remedy them. 1gbits having eight years of experience in the industry, provide the best-dedicated server plans with a responsive and polite support team to cater to all of your hosting needs. We also provide dedicated servers with a Bitcoin option, where you can buy your server using Bitcoin and other digital currencies. 

If you feel that this article helped you clear things out on what a dedicated server is and when you might need one consider sharing it with your friends and business partners. I am sure they will appreciate it.

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