VPS Storage

What is VPS storage?

VPS storage refers to the equipment used to "store data" on the VPS. While it is sometimes called "HDD or SSD" for general PCs, it is usually referred to collectively as "storage" for VPS servers.

Computers, including VPS, require storage to store data, so VPS servers always have storage.

However, storage in a nutshell differs depending on the plan and provider in the following ways. 1.

1. type of storage
2. storage capacity

Each of these differences will affect the usability and performance when actually operating the VPS server.

Types of VPS Storage

There are two types of storage used in VPS: HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive).

HDD is a storage device that works by recording data on a magnetic disk. Although HDDs are inexpensive and can be used for low-cost pricing plans, they are slow at reading data and can cause performance degradation when using applications with heavy loads.

SSDs, which have become a standard feature of VPS over the past few years, use flash memory, so they are faster than HDDs and do not slow down performance when using applications with a heavy load. However, the price of SSD itself is high, so the price may be higher compared to HDD storage plans.

VPS Storage Capacity

VPS usually have a fixed storage capacity for each plan.

However, recent VPS plans come standard with at least 10GB of storage, and many services come standard with at least 30GB, so you will never run out if you are using it for a web server or other purposes.

Even in the unlikely event that you run out of storage, you can always change plans to increase storage, or, depending on the provider, you can add (attach) storage with an optional contract.

In this sense, there is no need to be that concerned about capacity at the contract stage.

How to choose storage in VPS

Choosing a Storage Type

When choosing a VPS, you definitely want to check the storage type. Whether the VPS storage you sign up for is HDD or SSD will greatly affect the server's response time. Especially for plans with less memory, the storage is used for SWAP, which has a greater impact on the overall server response.

Currently, there is no significant price difference between SSD and HDD plans, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that "SSD is the only choice for VPS storage.

However, if you handle large amounts of data, you may choose a VPS with an HDD plan.

Storage Size Selection

As explained earlier, current VPS companies provide sufficient storage capacity even for the lowest plan, so there is no need to be nervous about a slight difference in storage capacity.

One thing to be careful about is how to "back up your VPS server": some VPS providers include backup data in the VPS storage capacity, and multiple generations of backups can eat up the storage capacity of the running server.

Low storage capacity can also slow down the VPS server itself, so be sure to check "how the VPS backup capacity is calculated and charged" before signing a contract.

Selecting Storage Reliability

The reliability of VPS storage is important for stable operation of the VPS server, but unlike PCs, you cannot know "what kind of product they use" until you sign a contract, and you cannot specify the storage.

However, VPS storage can fail just like PCs, so it is important to know "what the VPS provider will do in the event of a storage failure.