Managed vs. Unmanaged VPS: Which One Fits You?
Once you're ready for a VPS, you'll quickly run into the terms "managed" and "unmanaged". The difference determines how much technical knowledge you need and how much control you get. In this article we explain the difference, so you can make a well-informed choice.
What's the difference between managed and unmanaged hosting?
With unmanaged hosting, you get a bare server (or VPS) and handle everything yourself: installing the operating system, updating software, setting up security, and solving problems. With managed hosting, the hosting provider takes this management off your hands. You focus on your website, they handle the technical side.
Unmanaged VPS: full control, self-managed
With an unmanaged VPS you get your own, isolated slice of a server with guaranteed processing power and memory. You decide which operating system you install (Linux or Windows) and which software runs on it. This fits:
- Developers and system administrators who want to decide exactly how their server is set up.
- Businesses with specific technical requirements a standard hosting package can't meet.
- Anyone who values maximum control and performance over convenience.
The downside: you're responsible yourself for updates, security and troubleshooting. That requires technical knowledge and time.
Managed hosting: everything arranged for you
Would you rather have someone else handle the technical management? Then managed hosting fits you better. You get a ready-to-use hosting package where the provider takes care of:
- Installing and updating the server software.
- Security, monitoring and backups.
- Support when something goes wrong.
This is exactly how our regular hosting packages work: we manage the server, you focus on your website or webshop. For most websites, from a simple blog to a mid-sized webshop, this is more than enough and a lot simpler than managing your own VPS.
Which one fits you?
| Unmanaged VPS | Managed hosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical knowledge needed | A lot | Little to none |
| Control over the server | Full | Limited, but enough for most sites |
| Maintenance and updates | You handle it | Taken care of for you |
| Suited for | Developers, specific technical requirements | Most websites and webshops |
| At bHosted | VPS hosting from €10.00/month | Web hosting from €1.33/month |
Tips if you do choose an unmanaged VPS
Going with an unmanaged VPS yourself? Keep the following in mind:
- Plan for updates. You set up or manually run security updates for your operating system and software yourself.
- Arrange your own backups. With an unmanaged VPS, you're responsible for making and testing backups.
- Monitor your server. Without monitoring, you only notice something's wrong once a visitor reports an outage.
- Build up knowledge or hire expertise. Unsure about configuration or security? Bring in a developer or system administrator.
VPS at bHosted: unmanaged, with full freedom
Our VPS hosting is unmanaged: you install and manage your own operating system and software, and get guaranteed processing power and memory in return. Not sure you have enough technical knowledge to manage a VPS yourself? Then a regular hosting package is often the easier and safer choice, we'll handle the management for you.
Still not sure which option fits you?
Take a look at our VPS packages or our hosting packages, and feel free to get in touch if you're unsure. Our support team is happy to think along with you.
