How to choose a VPS

Determine the budget allocated to the VPS.

First, decide how much you can afford to pay for a VPS server. However, it is natural that some people will say, "Even if I decide on a budget, I can't come up with a budget until I decide on a plan.

However, it is different to make a business scheme from the server cost, which is "one of the factors that drive a business." If you sign up for a VPS without setting a budget, the server cost will be a fixed cost, so it will become a vicious cycle of "spending all the time.

When using it for business, consider to what extent the server cost is allowed as an expense in the business scheme. It is best to keep it as low as possible, but if it is too low, there is a risk that the server will not be able to operate stably.

It is best to strike a balance in this area by discussing it thoroughly with the project team and management to ensure that the budget is neither too large nor too small.

If you really need a figure ahead of time, the following is just for reference.

1. e-commerce site: up to 5% of total sales Web services: up to 20% of total sales
2. in-house system: up to 2% of total sales

For individuals, it would be a good idea to start with the standard of "it won't hurt to keep paying for a year or two".

Determine the specs needed for the server.

Next, calculate the required specifications based on what you want to run on the VPS server. This is also the most difficult part.

Basically, a VPS server plan consists of three specs: CPU, memory, and storage. Naturally, the more specs, the higher the price.

VPS Price Plans and Differences

Therefore, understanding how many specs you need is directly related to whether you are within your VPS budget as it is.

If you have some experience, you will know firsthand that "this scale requires this level of specs," but there are probably many people who do not know.

In such cases, it is a good idea to consult with an engineer you know or a development company you do business with.

If you are not able to consult with them, try actually setting up a free trial VPS first and calculate how many specs you need.

Guess Future Upgrades

A VPS server is not a "sign up once and you're done" type of server; you will need to upgrade it appropriately as your business or site grows.

Therefore, you should also think carefully about how large you want to grow your business in the future.

This is because different VPS providers have different maximum VPS server specifications, so as you grow, you may find yourself in a situation where you don't have a plan that you want to choose.

Difference between VPS providers

The key is to choose a VPS provider that has up to four times the specs of the plan you choose at the start.

Compare price plans from different providers with the specs you need

Now that you have done this, you can actually compare providers and plans.

First, pick up a price plan from each provider based on the required specifications you have just provided. Surprisingly, there should be differences in price plans alone. At least three or more providers/plans should be considered as candidates.

Also, as explained earlier, take into account the question of whether the company can handle future upgrades.

Narrow down providers & plans including features and ease of use

Next, compare features and ease of use. You will want to compare the following points.

The features you will need will differ, but be sure to compare "support for plan changes" and "backup functions" as these are important points when selecting a VPS.

Once you have narrowed it down to this, you will be able to narrow it down to one or two VPS servers that you would like to use.

Do the test

Once you have actually narrowed down your search, test on a VPS server. Recently, more and more VPS servers are offering no initial cost and charging by the hour, so you will be able to test without spending that much.

If the VPS server you want to use charges a monthly fee, test with another VPS provider with equivalent specifications that charges by the hour or offers a free trial.

Test not only by building your site on the server, but also by load testing, using free benchmarking software such as Apache Bench to test the server under various conditions to see if it can handle the anticipated traffic. You can use free benchmarking software such as Apache Bench to test your site under various conditions to see if it can handle the expected access.

ab - Apache HTTP server benchmarking tool

Decide which VPS to contract

Once you have completed the testing, decide which VPS you will actually contract.

Before signing a contract, you should also check the following points: 1.

1. whether there are any special promotions that will give you a good deal
2. whether there are any long-term discounts or other special deals
3. whether there are any coupons you can use