Virtual Private Servers | Selecting a Good VPS Web Hosting Provider
Before plunging into the nitty-gritty of VPS web hosting, let me interject on behalf of those who might not have the time to pore over each and every page .. by saying » after considerable research, and after comparing the plans of many web hosting providers .. (drum-roll, please), I came to the conclusion that » WiredTree offered the best VPS web hosting package. (For me.)
MINI-UPDATE » After posting this guide, I've noticed attractive plans for a number of VPS providers contained in the ads hosted throughout these pages.
Might be worth investigating, if you have the time and inclination to compare features. So keep your eyes peeled for bargains.</update>
No, WiredTree didn't have the prettiest website, or the coolest name. And it's quite possible your web hosting priorities may differ from mine.
But nothing I've seen in the months since our move has made me regret my decision. (No buyer's remorse here.) In other words, WiredTree continues to exceed my expectations.
The only thing WiredTree ever refused to help me with was implementing some Apache mojo .. to "rad-i-fy" some of my key pages, using mod_rewrite (by aliasing *.html pages to » *.rad).
I confess that I didn't really expect them to. Tho that didn't prevent me from asking, especially since they'd helped me with so many other things that fell into the gray-areas of tech support.
It also depends on which tech support guy answers the phone (or responds to your email) when you call. You quickly learn that some are more helpful than others. So you may want to wait until a more helpful tech comes on shift (or a less-helpful one goes off).
It also depends upon how busy they are when you call. They might not have the time to help you with an item that falls into one of the gray areas of tech support.
When researching a VPS web hosting provider, many factors deserve your consideration, such as:
- Does their tech support group provide you with prompt responses to your questions and requests? (less than 10 minutes is good, while more than an hour suks)
- Do they perform nightly backups? (an absolute must)
- Do they deploy recent versions of popular web technologies? .. such as:
- the GNU/Linux operating system
- Apache web server
- MySQL database server
- PHP scripting language
- Perl scripting language
- Ruby on Rails
- WHM/cPanel
- Fantastico (.. to name but a few).
Before addressing the specific factors that influenced my decision, let me say that (prior to deciding) I reviewed many of the sites which publish lists sporting titles such as » Top 10 VPS Web Hosting Providers.
I've come to the conclusion that the 'Providers' found on these lists must be paying for placement. Or perhaps these pages are written by marketing agents of the web hosting companies themselves ..
.. because the hosting packages offered by many of these so-called "top-ranked" providers .. uh, suk. Don't take my word for it, tho. See for yourself. Compare their plans (like I did) with those of unlisted VPS providers, and you'll see what I mean. In short, I suggest you view these "Top 10" lists with a skeptical eye. (If at all.)
My reasons/criteria for choosing WiredTree as our VPS web hosting provider start on the next page. See below for linkage.