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American Dedicated Server Hosting

Dedicated servers offer some of the highest levels of performance possible when compared to a virtual private server or a shared server. Here at Astral Servers, we provide a wide variety of different managed and unmanaged dedicated server hosting services. Dedicated servers are sometimes referred to as bare metal servers and they can be comprised of a wide variety of different hardware specifications. People often compare dedicated servers to home computers, albeit more powerful ones.

Many individuals and businesses will choose to get a dedicated server because they want the entire server to themselves without having to share with server neighbors. Dedicated servers never have to share any CPU time, bandwidth, RAM, or storage space, meaning websites and web applications are always responsive and available. Dedicated server hosting is the ideal option for those who want the most powerful hardware possible and root access, without resource sharing.

Back in the day dedicated server hosting was very costly, but now, it is extremely affordable.

Here at Astral Servers, we provide many different users and businesses around the world with fast, affordable, and responsive dedicated server hosting in America. We have multiple different plans to choose from, including both unmanaged and managed dedicated servers. All of our plans come with 24/7 support from an industry professional support staff, and unmetered bandwidth, meaning there are no data limits on transfers. We have multiple different data centers around the United States from which our users can choose from as well as other locations the host from worldwide. Additionally, all of our dedicated servers come with a 99.999% uptime guarantee.

Some people find that dedicated servers provide them with added benefits over other alternatives such as shared server hosting, especially if they need root access. When choosing an American dedicated server hosting provider, it is important to select one that has high-quality specifications at a low price point. Here at Astral Servers, we pride ourselves on our affordable dedicated server hosting options. Additionally, many find it important to have a dedicated server that's configured in RAID, meaning data has more protection in case of a hard drive failure.

It is also important when selecting your American dedicated server host that you're aware of connection speeds. All of our managed and unmanaged dedicated servers come with guaranteed connection speed starting at 250 Mbps. In regards to managed or unmanaged options, individuals and businesses are finding that a managed American dedicated server hosting company can provide them with extra levels of support that can save them money from having to hire outsourced technical support.

All of our dedicated servers in America are typically provisioned in 24 hours or less. We aim to always offer the highest specs possible at the lowest cost. Besides our regular offerings, we also can do custom dedicated servers. Contact us for more information at Support@AstralServers.com.

There are a few key differences between a managed dedicated server hosting service and an unmanaged one. With a fully managed American dedicated server hosting service, users can rely on the support team for a wide variety of different requests in regards to their machine. A managed dedicated server plan allows users to request assistance such as SSL certificate installations, site migrations, initial server setups, PHP version upgrades, WordPress installations, DNS setup configurations, and more. Without a fully managed plan, customers who are on a self-managed dedicated server hosting plan will only have access to 24/7 customer support concerning technical hardware issues and very limited additional software support.

Here at Astral Servers, all of our American dedicated servers are hosted with advanced DDOS protection and have unlimited data transfer limits at guaranteed speeds, on top of our reliable 99.999% uptime guarantee.

In addition to American dedicated server hosting, we can also offer dedicated server hosting in locations such as Germany, France, United Kingdom, Poland, and Canada. We do not charge setup fees. Choose from multiple different operating systems such as Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Linux, CentOS, Gentoo, and more upon request. Our team is committed to providing 100% customer satisfaction, and we never stop in our attempts to improve our customers experience.

We regularly work with many different experienced developers, designers, businesses, individuals, etc, and it is always our mission to understand individual goals in order to help in whichever ways we can. We have a dedicated customer support staff that is available around the clock, 24 hours of the day, seven days of the week, 365 days of the year.

If you are in the market for a new American dedicated server hosting company, we hope you will consider us to fulfill your needs. Astral Servers has been in business since 2016, and we continue to improve on our services and widen our product offerings. All of our dedicated servers in America are hosted in safe and secure data centers with around-the-clock security. We understand that security and reliability is important, and that's why all of our dedicated servers come protected behind enterprise-level DDOS firewalls at no additional cost.

While there are many different dedicated server hosting companies in the United States, due diligence must be done when selecting the one that fits your individual needs. We work with many different clients, and we understand that downtime can lead to loss of income which can be extremely detrimental to a business or personal project. That’s why we always aim to provide cheap American dedicated server hosting with reliable services that are powerful enough for commercial users.

Astral Servers is headquartered in Longmont Colorado, however, we work with many different data centers around the world to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction possible. Besides dedicated server hosting around the globe, we also provide virtual private server hosting, game server hosting, and Mumble server hosting. Both our VPS plans and dedicated server plans come with unmanaged or managed variants to choose from. All of our services come with DDOS protection. Many customers also request additional IP addresses which we are capable of providing. Contact us now to learn more about our fast, affordable, and reliable American dedicated server hosting services.

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Top 5 Benefits of Managed Virtual Private Server Hosting for Websites

In today's modern society there are many different types of service to choose from in regards to hosting your application or website. Choosing the right server hosting service can sometimes be daunting for an individual or business without prior technical knowledge. In regards to virtual private server hosting, many are finding that it offers enhanced benefits over shared server hosting and dedicated server hosting. In this article, we will be going over some of the different benefits that virtual private server hosting has for both individuals and businesses who are serious about a professional hosting service for their website. Here are our choices for the top five benefits of managed virtual private server hosting for websites.

1. Enhanced Reliability

2. Improved Security

3. Better Control

4. Highly Scalable

5. Cost-Effective

Enhanced Reliability

Many users and businesses are choosing a managed virtual private server to host their website requirements as opposed to a shared server hosting platform as virtual private servers typically have enhanced reliability. To speak more in-depth to this, shared server hosting relies on placing multiple different clients or customers on the same server and overselling the resources as not all resources will be used at 100% capacity. The positive side of shared hosting is that it is cost-effective for the server host, however, it can lead to reliability issues for clients hosted on the server if they share resources with other extremely resource-intensive server neighbors.

Virtual private servers are different than shared servers because resources are never shared between clients/customers. this means that there is not any overselling, and customers are guaranteed the resources that they pay for. Many professional businesses and individuals with large websites are opting to host their website on a managed virtual private server because of the resource requirements involved. Many expert server hosts know that having a reliable server is important for having a reliable website, and having an important website on an unreliable platform is possibly a recipe for disaster.

 As virtual private servers are completely isolated from one another, it will provide optimal uptime and performance when compared to a shared server hosting platform, especially when the shared server hosting platform in question has a lot of resource-intensive customers/users. This is especially important to consider, as a professional website will not want to be hosted on the same shared server that is also hosting 12 other people, one of which could potentially be a hacker wannabe writing malicious code to crash the server. Another reason could be a spammer who is sharing the same IP address, which could negatively impact the results of other websites on the same server sharing the same IP.

Improved Security

Businesses and power users that are serious about taking control of their security will generally choose to host their website on a virtual private server or a dedicated server for the security benefits alone. With shared server hosting, many times users will be sharing the same hardware and Storage, and they will be locked in a specific user role with no administrative privileges to see other files or folders. With a virtual private server however users will be given full administrative privileges to see their entire machine, and they won't have to worry about sharing resources or any potential security threats that could arise from those who they are sharing their machine with. 

Not only does hosting your website on a virtual private server come with improved Security benefits, but they also typically provide better performance. Virtual private servers are also highly scalable, meaning it's much easier and faster than a typically shared server platform. 

Better Control

Businesses and individuals who are just starting up might seek the advantages that a virtual private server can provide them. Unlike a shared server hosting platform, a virtual private server is excellent for those who are seeking to grow rapidly and are thinking about future development. With a VPS, users can easily scale up or down based on their usage requirements, and generally without any downtime unlike a dedicated server might have.

Another reason that many people will seek a virtual private server over a shared server is because of the amount of control that it provides. with a shared server, users are typically limited to user roles, which could limit the software that they install and certain things that they do which may require administrative privileges. With a VPS, users will get full root access, meaning they can do whatever they wish with their virtual machine.

Managed virtual private server hosting is a great option for those who are seeking the highest level of control possible. The difference between unmanaged and managed is generally the amount of support that is provided in addition to the server rental. With an unmanaged server, users are required to handle all of their technical support issues. On the other hand, those with managed server hosting can simply submit a request for assistance, in which the support staff can provide it for them.

Many people find that using a managed virtual private server is ideal over hiring their own in-house support staff. With a managed VPS server users can simply submit a support ticket for request, businesses no longer have to keep their own technical support staff on the payroll. Many businesses and professional website hosts choose a managed server hosting provider for their requirements because it can save them time on support issues, which could equate to saving the money.

Highly Scalable

Unlike dedicated servers and shared servers, virtual private servers can be scaled on the Fly depending on usage requirements. This means that virtual private servers can easily change their size depending on how much resources are needed. scaling a virtual private server is easy and generally only requires a restart as changes are practically instantaneous.

A managed virtual private server hosting is ideal for a company or professional individual who is Seeking a highly scalable solution for their Business website, professional website, hobby website, or other web application that requires an advanced level of scalability. Small businesses generally choose virtual private servers because they can scale up later depending on their requirements, and with the minimal amount of downtime possible.

When a virtual private server is scaled up or down it means that the resources that are allocated to the instance change. This means that it is easy to change the size of the plan. growing businesses can very simply scale their server up when they need extra resources, or scale their server down if they no longer require the resources and are trying to save money.

Cost-Effective

The cost of VPS hosting has gone down tremendously over the last few years. It's now very easy to get a cheap managed virtual private server, as there are many different hosts to choose from. there are many different VPS options for those who are on a budget, as well as for those who are seeking extremely powerful equipment for their intensive website requirements.

When it comes to managed virtual private server hosting, many understand the advantages that the extra support provides over having to keep a support staff on hand constantly. With a managed server plan, users and businesses only need to contact their hosts for assistance and no longer need to rely on their own support staff. This in and of itself provides savings for businesses that are seeking to save money or reduce their expenditure.

Not only is having a virtual private server great for saving money, but it's a good option for those who don't want to invest and unnecessary some in dedicated server hosting. For many, dedicated server hosting might be more resources than they require, while a virtual private server might be the ideal medium ground for Server hosting.

Summary

There are many different benefits of using a managed virtual private server over the alternative options, but these are our top five picks. To summarize, our top 5 picks are enhanced reliability, improve security, better control, highly scalable, and cost-effectiveness. When selecting the best server host for your requirements, it's always best to do due diligence and find out how the server host stands out from the rest.

Here at Astral Servers, all of our managed virtual private servers are backed with our 24/7 support staff who are always able to assist with many different types of technical issues that may arise. All of our VPS plans come with unlimited data transfer limits and guaranteed speeds. We host many different websites, applications, and other online services through our VPS offerings. We allow our customers to choose from multiple different locations around the world when selecting where they want their virtual private server provisioned. learn more about our dedicated server hosting and virtual private server hosting on our other pages, all of our servers come with the option of either managed or unmanaged support.

If you feel that we have missed any benefits of managed VPS hosting for websites, please leave us a comment below and let us know what you feel is the best benefit.

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Insurgency Sandstorm Server Hosting

Fast. Affordable. Low Ping.

If you’re looking for a reliable Insurgency Sandstorm dedicated server, then we can help. All of our Insurgency Sandstorm game servers are hosted on professionally provisioned and maintained servers, meaning our servers are extremely reliable. When selecting your Insurgency Sandstorm server hosting plan, it’s very easy to choose from multiple different locations around the world. Selecting the closest location to where you’re at will ensure the lowest ping possible, meaning better reaction times in-game.

All of our Insurgency Sandstorm servers come with access to our 24/7 support staff that can easily assist with a wide range of different services for your dedicated game server. Here at Astral Servers, we offer multiple different Insurgency Sandstorm game server plans to choose from: 8 Slots, 20 Slots, or 32 Slots. Contact us for pricing on different sized server options for custom Insurgency game server provisioning.

When choosing where to host your game server, it’s important to consider all aspects, including the type of hardware that the server is hosted on. Here at Astral Servers, all of our game servers are provisioned by experts. Additionally, all of our game servers like Insurgency Sandstorm game servers, are housed in safe and protected data centers.

Not only do we offer professional Insurgency Sandstorm hosting but we also offer game server hosting for many different other games. Besides Insurgency Sandstorm, we also offer game server hosting for titles such as Minecraft, Conan Exiles, Counter-Strike GO, Rust, Squad, and Team Fortress 2, with many more games coming soon. All of our game servers are hosted on professional machines that are specialized for server hosting. This enables us to provide the highest level of performance possible.

Insurgency sandstorm is a sequel to the original Insurgency which was based on the Source engine, and is designed to provide a tactical FPS based experience around high-intensity combat with modern weapons and equipment. In Insurgency Sandstorm, teamwork is often rewarded as well as skill, and there are many different aspects of the game that many people find enjoyable such as the hardcore depictions of combat, the deadly ballistics with bullets, the vehicles, command support options, high definition audio, and much more.

When selecting an Insurgency Sandstorm server, easily choose from multiple different configuration choices. All of our Insurgency Sandstorm servers come with 24/7 support, 99.99% uptime guarantee, less than 24-hour provisioning, DDOS protection, free transfer services, and more. When signing up, users can select from multiple locations around the world such as the USA, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, or Singapore. 

As well as Insurgency Sandstorm hosting we also provide many different types of server hosting services. We provide server hosting services such as virtual private server hosting, dedicated server hosting, game server hosting, voice server hosting, and other types of managed and unmanaged server hosting services. Many individuals and businesses choose to host a server with a professional server hosting company as a server hosting company has around-the-clock availability, unlike a home computer that typically needs to turn off much more frequently.

Because of our worldwide network with many different locations around the world, gamers who choose to host an Insurgency Sandstorm game server with us know that they are getting quick, inexpensive, and low ping game server hosting. All of our game servers come with premium hardware that is backed by our extensive 24-hour customer support staff. It's very easy to switch locations for your server. All of our game servers come with blazing fast connection speeds starting at 250 Mbps minimum.

Astral Servers has been around since 2016, and we are proud to continuously host many different gamers who are looking for exceptional game server hosting services. As well as our game servers, we also provide virtual private server hosting, dedicated server hosting, and smaller application server hosting. For our virtual private servers and dedicated servers, we offer both managed and unmanaged options. Managed server hosting provides an extra layer of support while unmanaged server hosting is recommended for experts and industry professionals who know what they're doing.

Here at Astral Servers, we are also gamers, and we understand the importance of having a lag-free experience that is not hampered by shoddy servers that crash often and have poor connections. To provide the highest level of customer satisfaction, all of our Insurgency Sandstorm servers are properly maintained, meaning that our servers are not overburdened and over-allocated. Our servers have access to more RAM, CPU ability, and many different powerful network connections that allow us to provide superior speeds over some other Insurgency Sandstorm server hosting providers. All of our Insurgency Sandstorm servers are run on powerful machines that are protected by DDOS firewalls to ensure that there is never any in-game downtime due to a denial-of-service attacks. 

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What Is Dedicated Server Hosting?

In this article, we are going to go over some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to dedicated server hosting. In particular, “What Is Dedicated Server Hosting?” and other popular questions.

What Is Dedicated Server?

Webopedia defines a dedicated server as a single computer in a network that is reserved for serving the needs of the network. Wikipedia defines a dedicated hosting service, or a dedicated server, as a type of internet hosting in which the client leases an entire server not shared with anyone else.

Dedicated server hosting essentially means that the entirety of the server's resources are the clients alone. This offers enhanced benefits for those who are seeking increased power and flexibility over the shared server hosting options. While many websites and individuals may start with a shared hosting plan, upgrading to a dedicated server is often the ideal solution for those seeking increased server resources. 

When compared to a home computer, a dedicated server could be similar. Also known as a bare-metal server, dedicated servers have the same components as home computers do, they both have power supplies, hard drives, motherboards, central processing units, and random access memory (RAM). The difference between the two is that a dedicated server is often meant for professional and continuous usage, and will be physically located in a data center, where it’s monitored in person 24/7 by datacenter technicians.

How Does A Dedicated Server Work?

A dedicated server works when an individual or business needs continuous 24-hour server hosting but doesn’t have the capabilities to host the servers themselves in a controlled environment. As we mentioned earlier, a dedicated server can be compared to a home computer in that it has a lot of the same hardware, albeit usually with better specifications.

Whoever is looking for dedicated server hosting will have to first consider two separate things—hardware & software. 

Depending on usage requirements, there are varying different dedicated servers to go with. For example, those who only need dedicated server hosting for a small website may find it beneficial to choose a single-core processor with low RAM and low storage. Alternatively, big websites with high traffic may be interested in quad-core processors and increased levels of RAM and storage.

Once the hardware has been decided on, the next step will be choosing software. This means choosing what type of content management system could be needed, as well as what operating system will be used. Many users find that varying editions of CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, and other distributions work best for them. 

Once an operating system is decided on, ask yourself, what types of additional software and services need to be used to achieve my project goal?

Do I Need Dedicated Hosting?

This question entirely depends on the project requirements at hand and what level of usage the server will receive. If you’re expecting large amounts of traffic, or increased I/O levels, a dedicated server will most likely be beneficial for the project. Out of all the levels of different server hosting, comparing shared server hosting, virtual private server hosting, and dedicated server hosting, it can be said that dedicated server hosting offers superior levels of resources at high-end plans.

Alternatively, those who need to frequently scale their server up or down might find that a dedicated server isn’t in their best interest and instead they might want to consider a virtual private server or VPS for short.

Some businesses and larger industries who need to lease software may find that hosting a dedicated server with a high-quality provider is in their best interest, as sometimes software that’s licensed to virtual machines doesn’t cooperate very well with virtualization. Some larger enterprises may also be interested in dedicated server hosting because of the increased levels of security that it provides, and that it allows root-level access, while shared server hosting plans typically don’t.

Quora — Who Needs A Dedicated Server?

Is A Dedicated Server Worth It?

If you’re asking yourself “is a dedicated server worth it”, the answer depends entirely on what the servers usage requirements will be. Most individuals will be choosing between shared server hosting, dedicated server hosting, or virtual private server hosting (VPS hosting). At the top end of the spectrum, many would consider dedicated servers to be the superior option, while a virtual server would be a middle option, and a shared server hosting would be the least sought after option.

Ultimately, however, this question will depend on your individual requirements and what your perceived value is, no one can say something is worth it except you because it’s a matter of perspective. Do you require the highest level specifications for your server hosting environment? If so, dedicated server hosting is worth it, in our opinion. We cannot stress it enough that customers who are shopping around for a server hosting provider need to do their due diligence when it comes to selecting their requirements.

What Makes A Good Dedicated Server?

Who Needs A Dedicated Server?

When it comes to leasing a dedicated server, the people who frequently need one the most fall under the category of businesses or websites with high traffic, and web applications using lots of resources. Dedicated server hosting is a private place that’s leased out to only one entity, so there’s no sharing of resources like with a shared server plan. Additionally, those who want a dedicated IPv4 address should consider a dedicated or virtual private server as shared server hosting will typically have customers using shared IP addresses, which can be bad for web reputation if sharing an IP address with a spammer or hacker.

Those who are looking to find the best-dedicated server hosting provider to fit their needs are generally encouraged to first consider what their needs are. Many times people will opt for a dedicated server when they have more resource requirements than a shared plan can provide. Alternatively, those who require little resources would benefit from a shared or virtual server opposed to a dedicated server, where they’re paying for resources they aren’t using.

What Exactly Is Dedicated Server Hosting?

So now that we’ve gone over some of the basic questions like what is a dedicated server, how does a dedicated server work, do I need dedicated server hosting, is a dedicated server worth it, and who needs a dedicated server, it’s finally time to discuss “what exactly is dedicated server hosting”.

Putting all the pieces together, we know that a dedicated server is a piece of hardware comparable to a home computer. It shares many of the same pieces of hardware, both a computer at home and a dedicated server have power supplies, central processing units (CPU), random access memory (RAM), storage drives, and motherboards. Dedicated servers are meant to be kept running 24/7, so they’re housed in data centers, which are like big multi-computer storage rooms where they’re kept at cool operating temperatures. Unlike shared servers, dedicated servers are like the name implies, entirely dedicated and leased to only one business or individual entity. Unlike virtual private servers which are comprised of software, dedicated servers are physically located in somewhere in the real world.

Dedicated server hosting is typically known as the ideal server hosting solution for those with resource-intensive server requirements.

Comparing Dedicated Server Hosting With VPS Hosting

Summary

In this article, we went over the definition of a dedicated server, and we’ve learned that a dedicated server is entirely dedicated to a singular organization, individual, business, or application. When it comes to choosing between a dedicated and non-dedicated server, it should now be easy to decide which one is the superior option. If you require the most scalable option, VPS hosting might be the best solution, if you require the most powerful server hosting possible, then dedicated server hosting is most likely the best option, but it depends entirely on the project at hand.

About Us: Astral Servers provides high-quality server hosting services with around the clock customer support. We offer dedicated servers that come in two different varieties, either managed dedicated server hosting or unmanaged dedicated server hosting. Both of our server hosting varieties for dedicated servers come with the same specifications, the only difference is the levels of customer support that it comes with.

Read more about virtual private server hosting on our VPS Information page.

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Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to VPS Hosting

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to VPS Hosting

Nowadays there are many different types of hosting services available, but it can sometimes be hard to choose between them all in order to find the right one suited for your needs. Many businesses and individuals who are serious about their site, business, or project are switching from shared hosting plans and onto virtual private servers, or VPS for short. Read our article, What is VPS Hosting? to learn more about what VPS hosting is.

Quite a few are making the switch from their shared hosting environment and into an isolated virtual private server. In this article we go over some of the top reasons that people are switching to a VPS host. Here is our list of Top 10 Reasons To Upgrade To VPS Hosting.

1. To Handle Higher Traffic

When a shared hosting user runs into excessive traffic it’s possible to experience slow downs that are counterproductive to server functionality. Because a shared hosting plan is as stated, shared between users, it’s possible for resources to become over-allocated, resulting in slower performance. Users and businesses who are serious about their hosting needs are looking into Virtual Private Server hosting for their upgrading requirements.

Many individuals will start with a shared hosting plan to start, but when they notice an uptick in users or require increased power, a VPS is a usually a good solution. Virtual private servers come with strong network connection speeds that have guaranteed speeds when hosted with a qualified hosting provider. Some users will be unhappy with their shared server hosting provider when their data transfer is limited and they start to get charged for extra network traffic. Another reason that users are switching to VPS hosting is because shared servers typically have slower connection speeds than virtual private servers and dedicated servers.

2. Slow Loading

While there’s definitely a number of different reasons that could impact site performance and cause slow loading times, a virtual private server is definitely an upgrade over shared hosting as it provides “dedicated” resources instead of resources that are shared. When a user opts to host a virtual private server over a shared server, they can be confident that all the server resources are theirs alone to use.

Many smaller projects will be excellent candidates for shared hosting plans, or sandbox virtual servers, but plans can have their limitations. In order to achieve the highest level of performance possible, one would most likely choose dedicated server hosting. Shared servers are usually for lower end projects, while dedicated and virtual private servers are for middle to high end projects that require additional resources. Businesses are encouraged to host with a virtual or dedicated server over a shared server for enhanced reliability, scalability, and overall performance.

3. Higher Security

Virtual private servers offer increased levels of security over shared hosting plans as users are more isolated. Virtual private servers that are held behind DDoS firewalls are always good options for those seeking enhanced security opposed to their shared platform. Businesses and individuals who want root access to their server should opt for a dedicated or virtual private server as shared servers don’t generally offer users root access.

The benefits of an isolated server environment are many, but the most important aspect is the fact that end users are isolated from one another. This means that dedicated and virtual private servers offer increased levels of security over shared hosting platforms, where users are sharing resources in shared environments.

4. Higher Reliability

Virtual private servers provide enhanced levels of reliability over shared hosting servers. Here at Astral Servers, all of our shared sandbox virtual servers come with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, while all of our virtual private servers come with a 99.999% uptime guarantee. Many other server hosting providers offer similar uptime guarantees for their shared and VPS plans. That being said, in addition to uptime, a dedicated or virtual private server will allows customers to have their own isolated environments without having to share server resources.

Not only are dedicated and virtual private servers more reliable because they generally provide higher levels of uptime, but they also provide customers with dedicated IP address. With shared server hosting plans, users are not only sharing server resources, but they are also sharing an IP address. This could be bad for many reasons, but one example could be: a business owner and a spammer are on the same shared server with the same shared IP address. While the spammer harms the reputation of the IP address, it will also negatively effect the business owner who shares it, unbeknownst to them.

5. Highly Scalable

Virtual private servers offer enhanced levels of scalability over shared hosting plans. Individuals and businesses can choose to scale their virtual private server up or down based on usage requirements, traffic, and overall needs. Generally VPS hosting is more scalable in nature than shared server hosting as it offers plans with higher levels of specifications. Virtual private servers are often touted as being more scalable than dedicated server hosting also, and with good reason.

Comparing a virtual server to a bare-metal one, a virtual machine can be scaled up or down through software opposed to physically changing out hardware in the datacenter. This means a VPS can be restarted after changes are made for instant effect, versus dedicated servers which require technicians to physically interact with them in the datacenters to apply the upgrade in person. For this reason virtual private servers are extremely scalable and provide lower levels of downtime than a dedicated server would, in regards to server upgrades or downgrades.

6. More Affordable than Dedicated Servers Hosting

Virtual private servers are considered by many to be the more affordable option when compared to a dedicated server. While hosting a dedicated server offers many different benefits and advantages, such as increased levels of power and network capabilities, virtual servers are often the middle-ground between a dedicated server and a shared server.

VPS hosting is highly affordable and often utilized by those who are seeking the benefits offered by a dedicated server, but while remaining on a budget. Those who want to upgrade to a dedicated server generally come from a virtual private server beforehand, unless there’s specific project requirement in mind, a large budget, or extreme power and internet capabilities are required.

7. More Flexibility

Many consider virtual private server hosting to be the more flexible option as opposed to shared server hosting, and there’s definitely many reasons to think so. Virtual private server hosting can provide users with a quick and easy option to scale their server up or down based on usage requirements. With a shared server hosting plan, the server specifications are often low, and with a virtual private server, there’s much more room to improve as needed. Shared servers typically don’t provide root access while virtual private server hosting and dedicated server hosting will.

8. More Resources

Shared server hosting is great for small projects or short term developments, but for extended projects or websites that expect a lasting internet presence, a virtual private server is often preferred. Generally virtual private server plans and dedicated server plans will provide much more resources than shared server hosting plans. When switching from a shared server to a VPS, without having to share server resources, users can typically feel the difference in their website, applications, programs, or other web apps.

9. More Storage Than Shared Hosting

Shared server hosting has its limitations, and one of those is often limited storage capacity. Dedicated servers usually offer the highest levels of storage capabilities, nowadays usually in the Terabytes, while shared servers are usually much less. Virtual private server hosting provides a nice middle-ground between shared and dedicated server storage capabilities.

10. More Bandwidth

A good thing to look for in a VPS host is a VPS with guaranteed network connection speeds, preferably without data limits. Many shared server hosting providers set data transfer limits or charge a premium for extra data sent over their network after a limit has been reached. Individuals, developers, and businesses who want powerful, reliable, and strong bandwidth connections are encouraged to seek hosting with a virtual private server or a dedicated server as opposed to a shared server.

Summary

There are certainly different reasons that one might opt for a virtual private server as opposed to a shared server, but there are also many advantages that VPS hosting might provide over dedicated server hosting. Every type of hosting service has it’s own unique strengths and weaknesses, and that’s why customers are encouraged to learn all they can about their individual hosting needs before they commit to a specific server host.

Users who seek enhanced levels of support for their virtual private server should consider a managed virtual private server host as opposed to an unmanaged one. Businesses and individuals alike who are seeking to reduce spending on outsourced IT costs are finding that managed server hosting is an ideal option for them when it comes to saving money. While every company will be different, and offer different managed services, you can read more about the managed services that we provide here at Astral Servers on our Managed Services page.

Read more of our Top Lists:

Top 10 Things You Can Do With A Dedicated Server

Top 5 Reasons To Get VPS Hosting

Top 5 Advantages of Dedicated Server Hosting

Astral Servers

Astral Servers is a server hosting provider that offers high quality server hosting services for customers and businesses around the globe. All of our managed and unmanaged virtual private servers come with a 99.999% uptime guarantee, guaranteed network connection speeds with unlimited data transfer limits, and DDoS protection. We offer VPS hosting in 8 different locations around the world to ensure high reliability and fast connection speeds. Learn more about our virtual private servers on our VPS Hosting page.

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USA Managed Virtual Private Server Hosting

What Is Virtual Private Server Hosting?

Virtual private server hosting, or VPS hosting, is a proven server hosting technique that’s different than traditional shared server hosting and dedicated server hosting. With a virtual private server, the entirety of the server is self contained in a virtual environment with dedicated resources that can be easily scaled. While a dedicated server is a tangible and physical machine that’s hosted in a data center, virtual private servers are, as the name implies, virtual. Virtual private machines can be hosted on a “cloud” of different networked dedicated servers, or simply by dividing a dedicated server into multiple, smaller virtual machines.

Example: With a dedicated server with the following specs: 4 Core CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and 4 TB of Storage. One could utilize virtualization technology to create 4 virtual private servers, each having 1 Core CPU, 1 GB RAM, and 1 TB of Storage.

A virtual private server hosting cloud is a network of different dedicated servers that are synced together via software to combine their shared power. With virtual private server hosting on a cloud network, users and businesses can easily scale their server up or down based on usage requirements, and unlike dedicated server hosting, there downtime is extremely minimal when it comes to scaling the size of a VPS. Because everything is done via software, the VPS simply needs to be restarted, rather than a technician physically replacing parts at the data center location.

Many businesses and individuals are choosing to host their server on a virtual private cloud network as opposed to traditional dedicated server hosting because of the more affordable pricing for comparable hardware. Virtual private servers are good choices for small to medium-sized businesses that need to scale their operation on a regular basis, or simply for the factor of cost.

Managed Services

The terms “unmanaged” and “managed” server hosting can sometimes be confusing to those who aren’t immersed in the server hosting industry. When it comes to server hosting services, many providers will offer either unmanaged or managed server hosting options. There’s little difference between the two, but managed server hosting is often preferred by businesses and amateurs alike because of the additional level of support that’s supplied by the server host.

To further explain the differences between unmanaged and managed server hosting, let’s take a look at this example:

Example: Billy is having issues with his WordPress site hosted on a USA virtual private server. If billy had a managed virtual private server he could simply send in a support request so the support team could fix it. If billy had an unmanaged server, he would be required to figure it out on his own.

This example is assuming that the managed server hosting company in question provides WordPress support in their managed services section (We do!). Many businesses are choosing to host their virtual private server with a managed hosting provider because they can save money by “Cutting out the middle-man”, so to speak, of outsourced IT costs. Many contract support workers charge exorbitant rates for simple solutions that could take only a few minutes. When choosing to host with a managed server hosting provider, users know that they’re getting extra levels of support that end up saving them money in the long run.

Managed server hosting is a way to combine enhanced levels of support with superior hosting services.

USA Managed Virtual Private Server Hosting

If you’re looking for a USA managed virtual private server then consider hosting with Astral Servers. Our global network infrastructure is stretched around the world, we provide our customers with access to 10 different data centers globally for enhanced reliability and quick connection speeds. All of our managed virtual private servers come with unlimited data transfer limits at guaranteed speeds, DDoS protection, and a 99.999% uptime guarantee. All of our support technicians are working hard 24/7 to provide the best levels of customer satisfaction possible to our many global customers using our managed virtual private server plans.

USA VPS Hosting — Our network infrastructure covers the USA and Canada for fast and reliable North American virtual private server hosting. All of our managed USA VPS plans come with solid-state drive technology to ensure that our network is not only reliable, but it’s also lightning fast.

Multiple Images — Choose from multiple images when starting a new USA managed virtual server plan with us. By default, we have the option to select from common distributions of Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, or Gentoo. Contact us for custom images, previous versions of images, or for Windows distributions as there are additional licensing fees required.

High Scalability — Many are opting for a managed virtual private server because of the easy scalability options that are available. Unlike a dedicated server that would gather downtime in the middle of an upgrade, repair, or maintenance, virtual servers are the opposite. Many enjoy the fact that they can easily scale their virtual private server up or down based on usage requirements, to ensure they aren’t overpaying for resources they no longer need, or to add enhanced power when more virtual hardware is required. Virtual private servers can also be scaled up or down with minimal downtime, which is often an advantage for businesses and web developers with high traffic sites or projects.

Global VPS Hosting — In addition to USA managed virtual private server hosting we also offer a wide range of other locations to host in. Choose from locations in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Singapore, Australia, or the United Kingdom. Our USA managed virtual servers are hosted in a secure data center located in Virginia, USA.

If you’re in the market for a fast, powerful, reliable, and affordable managed virtual private server in the USA, consider hosting with Astral Servers. We provide high-quality virtual server hosting services to individuals and businesses alike who are seeking enhanced levels of support that unmanaged virtual private server hosts can’t provide. Contact us to learn more or visit our managed virtual private server hosting page to see our full list of offerings.

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Astral Servers — Game Server Hosting — Global Locations

fast, reliable, and affordable game server hosting

If you’re a gamer in search of professional and inexpensive game server hosting, consider Astral Servers. All of our game servers are hosted on virtual private servers within a global network of highly reliable data centers. Many gamers choose to host a game server for their clan or community, while others choose to host it for themselves. There are many different reasons someone would be interested in hosting a game server, and here at Astral Servers, we aim to provide the best game server hosting services possible.

Before selecting your game server hosting provider, first, consider a few questions:

What game do I need server hosting for?

What level of support do I want?

What location do I need game server hosting in?

These three questions are extremely important when it comes to finding the best game server host to fit your needs. Gamers who are serious about renting the best game server for them should carefully consider what game they need server hosting for, where they need it, and what level of customer support they want for their server.

What Game Servers can you provide?

As a professional server hosting company that’s been in business for years, we try to understand the needs and wants of our user-base. After countless requests, we’ve added game server hosting to our list of offered services. All of our game servers are hosted on a reliable network of virtual private servers, and customers can choose their hosting location at sign-up.

Conan Exiles Game Server Hosting

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Server Hosting

Insurgency Sandstorm Server Hosting

Minecraft Server Hosting

Rust Server Hosting

Squad Server Hosting

Team Fortress 2 Server Hosting

While there are many different reasons for someone to be interested in hosting their own game server, without the right hardware, it can be hard to provide a 24/7 server with good reliability and low-ping. Here at Astral Servers, we aim to provide the best game server hosting services possible through our virtual private servers utilizing solid-state drives (SSD), visit our blog to read more about SSD VPS Hosting.

Why Host A Game Server with Astral Servers?

Many of our customers choose to host their game server with us because of our extremely reliable network, as well as our 24/7 customer support staff, and DDoS protection that comes included with all of our plans. Send us an email at contact@astralservers.com if you would like to host a game server for a game that isn’t on our list and we will swiftly accommodate you.

Choose your location — With multiple locations around the world to choose from, choose a server hosting location close to where the action is. We can provide game server hosting services in locations such as the USA, Canada, France, Australia, Germany, Poland, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. If you require hosting services in another location, contact one of our support representatives for further assistance.

Reliability — Many of our customers choose our astral game server hosting services because of our extremely reliable network that’s stretched around the globe. All of our game servers are hosted on our virtual private server plans to ensure that maximum uptime is achieved and minimal downtime accrues. Our virtual private server plans all come with a 99.999% uptime guarantee. If you’re looking for the best game server hosting plans possible, consider hosting with Astral Servers.

Fast Provisioning — Our support team that’s working 24-hours for our customers are always available to provision game servers for our customers. No matter the time of night or day, we can promptly provision game servers for our gaming customers who want reliable game servers. Many people have been choosing astral game servers for their hosting needs.

24/7 Customer Support — Our technicians are always working to proactively protect our customers and ensure that optimal network connection speeds are served. All of our support technicians are industry professionals who know how to provide quick support services for our game server hosting customers. All of the support representatives here at Astral Servers are highly trained to solve game server related issues that could prevent proper server functionality.

Many Games To Choose From — Choose from multiple different games when selecting your game server. We can provide game server hosting for games such as Conan Exiles, CS:GO, Insurgency Sandstorm, Minecraft, Rust, Squad, and Team Fortress 2. Many more games are expected to be added soon, contact us for custom game servers and game server hosting for titles that aren’t on our current list.

Easily Switch Locations — If you’re hosting a game server in one location it’s very easy to switch to a different one. Contact one of our support staff members and they can transfer you to a different location at no additional cost. Many game server owners choose to change their hosting location due to a physical move, due to a change in the player-base demographic, or for many other reasons.

About Us — Astral Servers has been providing affordable server hosting services for years across our global platform of reliable servers. If you’re in the market for a game server, consider trying Astral Servers. Our reliable game servers all come with 24/7 customer support, DDoS protection, and low pricing for the hardware included.

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How To Choose A Server Hosting Company

How to choose the best server hosting company to fit your needs

While there are certainly many different things to consider before selecting your server hosting company, the first and foremost thing that should be done is to consider project requirements. Ask yourself a few vital questions such as:

What are my project requirements going to be?

Do I need unmanaged or managed server hosting?

What are my end goals for this project?

What is the lifetime of the project? Long-term or short-term?

These are just a few questions that one should consider before selecting a server hosting company as every company will provide different services for their customers. Choosing the wrong server hosting company might cost you money and could negatively affect your project’s performance, reliability, or security. We recommend that customers do their “due diligence” when it comes to finding the best server hosting company to fit their needs.

Here are a few things to look for when it comes to finding the best server hosting company for you.

Support - When it comes to selecting a server hosting company for your personal or business hosting requirements, a company with 24-hour support staff is always preferential. A reliable server hosting company will offer 24/7 customer support so that servers can always be maintained in the optimal capacity. If a piece of hardware fails on a dedicated server, it’s important to have someone there who can immediately fix it to ensure minimal downtime. Your server hosting company should be there to provide customer support when its needed most, no matter the time of day or night.

Managed Services - An important thing to consider when it comes to finding the right server hosting company is first finding out what kind of server hosting services they provide. Are they managed or unmanaged server hosting services? Unmanaged servers can be cheaper than managed servers, however, the support will be different. When it comes to dedicated servers, read more about the differences between managed dedicated server hosting and unmanaged dedicated server hosting on our managed services page.

Reliability - When selecting the best server hosting company for your needs, a good rule of thumb is to find a host that offers a 99.999% uptime guarantee. The world never sleeps, and neither does a good dedicated or virtual private server that’s hosted on a reliable network. We recommend to always ensure that dedicated servers are kept in RAID so that in the event of a drive failure, hard drive data is backed up and unaffected.

Security - If the security of your business or personal project is important, then choosing a server hosting company that offers enhanced security measures for their servers might be a wise option. We recommend to always look for a server hosting company that provides dedicated or virtual private server hosting services with DDoS protection. DDoS protection is usually handled by firewalls that can mitigate a large number of connections aimed at denying services to users via flooding the server with more requests than it can handle. A good server hosting company will always offer servers that come with enhanced security features like DDoS protection firewalls.

Performance - When considering which server hosting company to go with, it might first be a good idea to think about what performance requirements will be needed for the project. Many developers, project managers, businesses, and individuals are choosing SSD VPS hosting because of the quick read and write times that solid-state drives provide. Likewise, many are also utilizing dedicated servers because of their increased storage capacity. At the end of the day it all comes down to personal preference and what would be best for the specific project at hand. Does the project need to scale regularly and without any downtime? A VPS might be the best option. Does the project have a limited lifetime and need extremely powerful and quick internet connection speeds? A dedicated server would probably be the best option.

Pricing - Many individuals who are in the market for a good server hosting provider should be aware of the costs associated with server rental services. Many businesses are finding that managed server hosting services are ideal for them because they can reduce spending on outsourced IT costs. Likewise, many IT professionals are choosing to switch from a managed server hosting provider to an unmanaged server host because they can save money to receive the same server specifications as a managed server, but with less technical support that they don’t need. If a server hosting company is offering introductory pricing, be sure to read the fine print to see what the server cost would revert to after the first billing cycle with their sales price.

Summary

There are certainly many different things to consider when trying to find the best server hosting provider for your requirements. We recommend that those who are searching for a dedicated or virtual private server hosting provider consider the following: support, managed services, reliability, security, performance, and pricing.

About Us - Astral Servers is a server hosting provider that specializes in managed and unmanaged server hosting services for dedicated and virtual private servers. All of our servers come with enhanced DDoS protection, 24/7 support, guaranteed internet speeds with unlimited data transfer limits, and a 99.999% uptime guarantee. Visit our blog to read more about our virtual private servers posts and our dedicated servers posts.

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What Makes A Good Dedicated Server?

Looking for the best dedicated server hosting?

When it comes to looking for the best dedicated server hosting service, it’s important to understand the definition and fundamentals behind dedicated server hosting itself. There are often many different key aspects to consider when selecting your provider, and knowing “what makes a good dedicated server” is a good place to start. To condense everything into a quick and generalized summary, one might say that what makes a server “good” is if it has modern and powerful enough hardware to handle your specific requirements, as well a reliable connection, sufficient data transfer limits, network speeds that are guaranteed, enough storage space, and security features such as DDoS protection. There are many different things to consider when trying to look for the best dedicated server hosting service, but before settling on one, it might be a good idea to first decide on the specific project needs and the overall end-goal.

What Makes a Good Dedicated Server?

Since the components of a dedicated server are similar to those used in client computers like generic desktops, users can know in advance what parts they’re getting. However, it can generally be said that dedicated servers are put together using higher-grade components than desktop computers because they’re required to be always-on. Whereas a desktop computer is designed to support one user, a dedicated server is also meant for supporting one dedicated user. Dedicated servers are meant to be used intensively, and are therefore usually kept in buildings known as data centers, where the temperature and overall statistics can be continuously monitored around the clock for optimal hosting conditions. In order to have the best dedicated server hosting experience, it’s important to have the correct components that can handle your various hosting needs. Another important factor to think about is network speed; how much upload and download speed does your project require?

Having the best dedicated server hosting can sometimes depend on your hosting provider’s network. Even if you have the most powerful specs, your hosting provider may have a slow internet connection, causing a network bottleneck. Unlike traditional desktop computers that have a motherboard with only one Network Interface Card (NIC), some dedicated servers have two network interface cards for those with advanced networking needs. It’s important to know how much bandwidth will be used if there are costs associated with how much data you send over the network.

If you choose to host your dedicated server with Astral Servers, you’ll be joining our network of highly reliable dedicated servers with a 99.999% up-time guarantee, unlimited data transfer limits, and guaranteed network speeds.

Another important factor to consider when it comes to selecting the best dedicated server hosting service is to make sure the disk space provided with the dedicated server will be enough for your project requirements.

Since there are so many practical ways to utilize a dedicated server, we wrote an article that can help get you started with some ideas for a dedicated server, such as setting up a virtual private network.

Managed or unmanaged services

Another important aspect to take into account is the extra technical support than managed dedicated server hosting can provide. Typically there are two different types of dedicated server hosts, managed dedicated server hosts and unmanaged dedicated server hosts. Here at Astral Servers, we allow our customers to select which one best suits their individual needs. Many small to medium-sized businesses are taking advantage of managed dedicated server hosting because of the additional support they can receive for their site or project, and they consider it a good way to reduce outside spending for outsourced IT support. To put it simply, an unmanaged dedicated server user will only be able to receive support for issues in relation to the functionality of their server, however, a managed dedicated server user will be able to achieve extra levels of support for issues unrelated to their servers overall functionality.

Example: An unmanaged server user will be required to figure out how to install a WordPress site on their own dedicated server without any help. A managed server user could simply ask the support staff to install WordPress for them.

Read more about managed dedicated server hosting.

Alternatives to dedicated server hosting

Virtual private server hosting is a popular alternative to dedicated server hosting. Virtual private servers, or VPS, is not a new technology, but over the past few years it has become more prominent. We wrote an article on some of the advantages of dedicated server hosting. When it comes to looking for the best dedicated server hosting service, consider Astral Servers as a reliable dedicated server host. With 24-hour support and denial of service protection, it easy to see why many of our customers enjoy hosting with us.

Virtualization enables one server to behave as several servers, each with its own operating system and unique set of applications. A virtual machine consists solely of software, yet it has all the components of a physical machine: It has a motherboard, a CPU, a hard disk, a network controller, and so on. The operating system and other applications run on a virtual machine just as they would on a physical machine–they see no difference between the two environments. – PC World

Astral Servers is proud to be offering some of the best dedicated and virtual private server hosting solutions. Contact us today for more information and details.

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Comparing Dedicated Server Hosting With VPS Hosting

Dedicated Servers VS Virtual Private Servers

Many individuals and businesses are in the position of having to decide on a new server host, but with multiple different options to choose from, sometimes terminology can become muddled or get confusing. In this post, we are going to go over the differences between dedicated server hosting and virtual private server hosting, also known as VPS hosting. Read on for a detailed comparison between dedicated servers and virtual server hosting.

What exactly is VPS hosting?

Virtual private server hosting could easily be confused with a dedicated server, but there are quite a few important differences that one should be aware of in order to distinguish between the two. A virtual private server, like the name implies, is a virtual machine that’s hosted on a cloud infrastructure between multiple physical machines. Virtual private servers use a hypervisor to create and run virtual machines.

Virtual private server hosting has been a game-changing development in the server hosting industry. Wherein the past businesses, website owners, and individuals were limited to physical machines to power their projects, now users can take full advantage of high scalability solutions that virtual private servers provide. Virtual private server hosting is optimal for users who wish to start small and scale up as their needs and server requirements grow.

Unlike dedicated servers, virtual private servers are incredibly easy to scale up or down, this can be useful for businesses who experience a sudden leap in active users. Many virtual private servers can be set to automatically scale up or down as needed, and without any downtime. With a dedicated server, a user would have to go through downtime while their physical machine is upgraded within the data center by a technician.

What exactly is dedicated server hosting?

Dedicated server hosting is often compared to a home computer because it’s a physical machine with non-virtual internal hardware. When renting a dedicated server from a reputable host, the dedicated server will be kept securely in a data center, which has a physical presence in the real world and is maintained in person by real people. Dedicated servers can sometimes take longer to set up because it’s not software that can be turned on at the click of a button like a virtual private server.

Many businesses and individuals choose dedicated servers if they want complete control and isolation. Dedicated servers generally have more processing power and storage for the price when compared to virtual private servers. Many opt for a dedicated server when their project requires lots of dedicated resources or if they expect a substantial amount of network traffic. When compared to shared hosting, dedicated server hosting is the superior option.

Is dedicated or VPS hosting better?

There isn’t an answer to this question because it all boils down to personal preference and project requirements. The biggest reason that individuals and companies choose dedicated servers for their hosting needs is because of the dedicated resources that can out-power a virtual machine. On the other hand, virtual private machines are much more scalable and generally more affordable for low resource projects. Many developers find that virtual private server hosting is the right option for them because of how quickly they can scale to meet the demands of their customers. Enterprise-level customers find that dedicated servers offer enhanced security because of the single-tenant environment. Dedicated servers can typically offer higher speed requirements than virtual private servers when it comes to higher-tier plans.

Summary

We recommend to always assess your needs before selecting between a dedicated or virtual private server. Remember that a dedicated server is a bare-metal server that’s physically located in a data center, while a virtual private server is virtually located in the cloud. Small to medium-sized businesses are generally best off with a virtual private server unless they have specific requirements in mind. Virtual private servers scale much more easily than dedicated servers, and they can do so without any downtime at all. Dedicated servers typically offer enhanced network speeds and more power, which is excellent for enterprise-level users.

In closing, we also recommend to have a basic understanding behind managed server hosting and unmanaged server hosting as the level of support that comes with it can sometimes be worth the additional cost. Essentially a managed server hosting provider will offer managed services while unmanaged users will only receive support in relation to their servers functionality.

About Us: Astral Servers is a professional server hosting company that specializes in managed and unmanaged server hosting solutions for business and private use. All of our dedicated and virtual private servers come with advanced DDoS protection, unlimited data transfer limits, guaranteed speeds, and a 99.999% uptime guarantee. If you’re in the market for a new server host, for VPS hosting or dedicated server hosting, then consider checking out what we have to offer here at Astral Servers. Read more about our reliable managed server hosting

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SSD VPS Hosting

WHAT IS A SSD VPS?

Virtual Private Server hosting (VPS hosting) is a method of hosting that relies on software to mimic hardware in the creation of virtual machines. Virtual private server hosting is different than dedicated server hosting. Read more about the differences between a virtual private server and a dedicated server.

So what exactly is an SSD? A SSD, or solid-state drive, is a device that uses an integrated circuit to store data and does not have physical spinning disks. SSDs are a newer technology than hard disk drives, and they have no mechanical components, unlike hard disk drives. Solid-state drives are typically more resistant to physical shock, they run quieter, have lower latency, and have quicker access time than traditional hard disk drives.

A SSD VPS is a virtual private server that utilizes solid-state drive technology for data storage.

What Is A HDD VPS?

A HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is a mechanical form of storage that’s different than SSD storage. A HDD uses spinning platter disks to record data, this method is different than flash storage, which is what an SSD or Solid State Drive would use. A HDD is a mechanical metal box that must record data manually and physically. Inside the metal box, there are disks that spin and mechanical arms that write information on them. Hard disk drives have been around longer than other data storage methods such as solid-state drives.

A HDD VPS is a virtual private server that utilizes hard disk drive technology for data storage.

WHAT’s THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HDD VPS AND A SSD VPS?

When it comes to virtual private server hosting, there are different data storage methods to choose from, and each has its own pros and cons. Virtual private servers that use hard disk drives typically offer more storage capacity than those using solid-state drive storage, but at the trade-off of performance and reliability.

Virtual private servers that use SSD technology are often more sought after than HDD VPS hosting. With SSD VPS hosting it’s possible to get a good amount of storage for an extremely reasonable price. Many see the advantages of paying a higher price tag for less gigabytes per dollar because of the enhanced performance and increased reliability. Virtual private servers that use hard disk drives often have more space and a lower price tag, but they can sometimes be slower and less reliable than an SSD VPS.

unmanaged & MANAGED SSD VPS HOSTING

Astral Servers provides outstanding managed SSD VPS hosting services to our customers around the world. All of our SSD virtual private server hosting plans come with unlimited data transfers and guaranteed speeds, all with a 99.999% uptime guarantee. We offer advanced Anti-DDoS firewalls standard on all of our virtual private servers. Choose from multiple popular distributions such as Linux, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, and more. Host in multiple data centers around the world including locations in the USA, Canada, France, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Experience our stellar 24/7 customer support crew that knows how to quickly and professionally solve problems.

In addition to a wide selection of managed SSD virtual private server hosting plans, we have unmanaged SSD virtual servers also. Read more about the many different reasons that people are choosing Astral Servers for their SSD virtual server hosting service on our Managed Services page.

Not only do we provide extremely reliable, professionally hosted, and affordable virtual private servers with solid state drives but we also have a wide range of dedicated servers available.

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Top 5 Reasons To Get VPS Hosting

TOP 5 REASONS TO GET VPS HOSTING

Many business owners and individuals with rapidly growing websites, network software, and online applications might not readily have a plan for evolving their backend server architecture. Identifying user impact on your server is important, especially when there are thousands of visitors daily and your sales continue to increase rapidly. As your enterprise continues to grow, so too does your server hosting requirements. Many businesses and individuals don’t know what to do when their websites or apps have outgrown their shared hosting environments but it can generally be said that virtual private server hosting is a step in the right direction.

What is VPS Hosting?

Virtual private servers (VPS) are a great option for those seeking enhanced performance, security, and flexibility over shared web hosting. A virtual private server is a software isolated segment of a dedicated server that has a specified amount of resources that are not shared. VPS hosting is similar to shared hosting, however, the resources are not shared and you get more computing power and additional server resources. A virtual private server is the middle-ground between shared hosting and dedicated server hosting. In fact, some large scale companies prefer it to dedicated servers because of its ability to rapidly and fluently scale up or down based on usage requirements and the number of active users.

The main takeaway here is that a virtual private server is entirely separate from the other accounts on the dedicated server, and isn’t like shared hosting where resources are shared. There is never any overselling of resources with a dedicated or virtual private server.

Virtual private server hosting is typically an ideal solution for businesses and individuals with a quickly evolving infrastructure.

1. Virtual Private Servers Don’t Share Server Resources

A huge drawback to shared hosting for many is the fact that resources are shared. This can be bad for a number of reasons, one of which is competition over server resources. With shared server hosting, users are put onto the same machine, and with the same resources for them all to share. This can negatively impact performance if there’s someone on the same machine running a usage intensive program or hosting a high volume website. When users are on shared web hosting, they have to share the same IP address. This has the potential to harm rankings if someone hosting on the same server is sending out massive amounts of spam, hosting illicit materials, or trying to use the IP in another negative way.

When choosing to host a virtual private server, businesses and resource-intensive users know that they have guaranteed resources that are theirs alone. With a virtual private server, users know that their CPU, RAM, storage, and network speeds are guaranteed. That means no more slow loading websites or stalling applications because the server is under a lot of pressure from multiple different users. It’s even important to know that virtual private servers and dedicated servers also get their own IP address, so there’s no risk of sharing the same IP address as a hacker, spammer, or illicit adult website that could damage the reputation of the IP address.

2. Virtual Private Servers Are Highly Scalable

Businesses and individuals that are serious about their hosting platform should be concerned about the scalability and growth of their enterprise. By opting to use a virtual private server, users will always have the option to scale their virtual server up or down based on their needs and usage requirements. This is good for those worried about spending less money than on a dedicated server, but for those that are ready for the advantages that a VPS host can provide over traditional shared hosting.

Many enterprises start small and with grand hopes of becoming something much larger. Choosing to host a virtual private server offers the option to scale resources up and down as need be. The ability to scale up or down won’t affect the user experience, this means that during the transition, there is no downtime or problems in the back-end of the server.

Since virtual private servers are virtual and don’t have physical hardware of their own, it is easy to transfer virtual servers between dedicated servers. This is a great feature because it allows for the highest availability possible. Unlike some web hosting providers and services offering WordPress hosting, a virtual private server doesn’t have traffic limitations except for what your server can handle. If one of your shared hosting neighbors is experiencing a dedicated denial of service attack, you will no longer have to experience it as well with a virtual private server.

3. Virtual Private Servers Offer Enhanced Security Over Shared Hosting

Businesses and individuals worried about the security of their data are choosing virtual private server hosting over shared hosting because of the enhanced security that it provides. Experienced website owners know the value of security when it comes to selecting the best server host for their website hosting needs. E-commerce websites especially hold high value to virtual private servers and dedicated servers because of credit card transactions that must be run through their site on an encrypted connection.

Virtual private server hosting has a good advantage over shared web hosting because each individual virtual server gets its own dedicated IP address. With shared server hosting, all the users are forced to share server resources and an IP address. This means that if one of the users on a shared hosting server is sending out spam, hosting adult material, or doing malicious activities, it could negatively impact you or your web rankings as well. Because virtual private servers offer dedicated IP addresses, businesses and larger websites don’t have to worry about one of their shared server neighbors negatively affecting them.

With VPS hosting, website and other data is stored separately from other users. This keeps users safe in the event of an account getting infected by malware. Most professional server hosting services offer advanced security features such as anti-DDoS firewalls and security monitoring to keep websites, net software, and web applications safe. As an added security tip, always remember to take frequent remote backups.

4. Virtual Private Servers are Highly Affordable and CosT-Effective

As a website or business continues to grow, so too do the requirements of the hosting server. Virtual private servers are considered by most to be highly cost effective when the time comes to upgrade from shared hosting to something new. Choosing to host a popular website on a shared hosting server will most likely cause performance issues that can damage your brand reputation. Businesses and professional network developers employ the usage of a virtual private server if they need dedicated resources at a cost lower than dedicated server hosting.

While dedicated servers are typically a good choice for a larger or more established business, virtual private servers offer a middle ground between shared hosting and dedicated hosting in terms of pricing and server resources. Small websites and businesses might be wise to consider the implementation of a virtual private server if they are expecting rapid growth. Virtual private server hosting services can help cut down on costs when compared to dedicated server hosting services.

Another important cost factor that is important when thinking of reasons to get VPS hosting is technical support costs. Many businesses and individuals can end up paying a large sum of money for server support, and that can hurt their profit margins. A good reason to get VPS hosting is that managed virtual private server hosting companies offer free technical support for many common software and web applications.

5. Virtual Private Servers are Reliable and Offer More Control

It’s a commonly known fact that shared hosting can sometimes be a risky endeavor for users because of how shared hosting companies can oversell resources. Overselling is a common tactic wherein a shared host will advertise more resources than they can provide on a server, and then fill the server with more users than required resources. The thought process behind it is, not everyone will be using 100% of their allocated space all the time, so shared hosts can put more customers per server for an increased profit. This can be bad for many reasons, like reliability. Many servers on shared hosting plans will become bogged down with slow or unresponsive pages during peak or high traffic times.

When choosing to host a website or other web application with a virtual private server, users know that they aren’t sharing any resources, and other users won’t negatively impact the performance of their site. Virtual private servers also offer more overall control and functionality than a traditional shared hosting plan might. Shared hosting users might not get root access, while a user of a virtual private server or dedicated server will have full control, including root access.

Virtual private servers offer businesses and individuals the opportunity to have a server that is highly customizable, flexible, scalable, and reliable. Users can select which operating system they would like to use, unlike shared web hosting. With a virtual private server, users are also able to change configuration settings that would have otherwise been locked to them. Users no longer have to worry about the actions of their shared hosting neighbors negatively affecting their sites performance or rankings by sharing the same IP address. All virtual private server users will be getting their own virtual machine that has a unique IP address that isn’t shared, this is very important for many for a multitude of different reasons. Virtual private servers are also important to software developers because it allows them to explore their code fully in a sandbox environment in order to test it with different applications and configurations.

By selecting a virtual private server hosting over a traditional shared hosting plan, users can help to reduce their downtime. Virtual private servers also offer root access to the server, so the server environment can be changed to the user’s satisfaction and needs, unlike shared hosting. With shared web hosting, many popular software packages are not supported because of security limitations, this is not the case with virtual private servers. By selecting a VPS host over shared web hosting, users know that they can have full control over their reliable virtual private server.

About Astral Servers: At Astral Servers we offer fast, affordable, and reliable server hosting services for businesses and individual use. We provide both managed virtual private server hosting and unmanaged virtual private server hosting. All our VPS plans come with a 99.999% uptime guarantee, unlimited data transfer limits, guaranteed speeds, and all at extremely competitive pricing. See now why so many people are making the switch and choosing Astral Servers for their virtual private server hosting requirements.

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Mumble Server Hosting — 99.999% Uptime and Global Locations

What is Mumble?

Mumble is a free, open-source, low latency, and high-quality voice chat application. While Mumble is primarily intended for gamer’s, it has been adapted in the past to support different environments as well. Mumble has many different features such as low latency, encrypted communication, and an in-game overlay just to name a few. The Mumble client is compatible on many various platforms including PC, Mac, and Linux, as well as available on smartphones through the Google Play Store (Androids) and the Apple App Store (iPhones). While mumble was initially released 15 years ago in 2005, it’s still used by many and highly trusted as a VoIP client and server.

The client is known as “Mumble” while the server is known as “Mumble Server” or “Murmur”

The main focuses of Mumble included: low latency, high audio quality, backwards compatibility, and customization options. Gamers will appreciate the in-game overlay that displays information about who is listening and who is talking, as well as positional audio to keep track of who is talking in-game using real 3D sounds. Because of the license associated with Mumble, anyone can freely run a Murmur server for their own public or private use.

Looking for fast, affordable, and reliable mumble server hosting?

Many gamers and individuals alike are taking advantage of our dedicated mumble server hosting plans which are extremely reliable and capable of being hosted throughout multiple data centers around the world. Here at Astral Servers, we understand that dedicated VoIP servers should be hosted on a reliable network to ensure the highest amount of uptime possible. All of our Mumble servers come with a 99.999% uptime guarantee as well as a wide range of additional features.

All of our dedicated Murmur server hosting plans come with unmetered data limits, so there’s no need to worry about setting limits on voice activity. All of our Mumble servers are hosted on virtual private servers, which are stretched across our global network.

Why host your Mumble server with Astral Servers?

All of our Mumble servers are self-isolated inside virtual private servers to ensure the optimal amount of power and reliability. When looking for dedicated Mumble server hosting, Astral Servers offers competitive pricing on a highly reliable network. Choose from locations around the world to host a dedicated Mumble server at, including locations in USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Poland, United Kingdom, Germany, or France.

Our support team is available 24/7, 365, for any inquiries related to the functionality of the Mumble server in question. Here at Astral Servers we pride ourselves on our professional support team and our ability to constantly provide fast, affordable, and professional Mumble server hosting. Our professional support team is constantly monitoring the performance of our hosted Mumble servers to ensure that services continue to remain smooth and fully functional for all our users.

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Top 5 Advantages of Dedicated Server Hosting

TOP 5 ADVANTAGES OF DEDICATED SERVER HOSTING

Individuals and businesses of various sizes are often faced with a large array of selections when it comes to choosing their server hosting provider. There are many different options, however, the most common is shared hosting. Shared hosting is a type of hosting architecture that splits the resources of a single server between a large number of different users. Individuals and businesses that are serious about their online presence or are worried about downtime for their website, mail server, game server, or other web applications are taking advantage of managed dedicated server hosting services.

There are a few key advantages of dedicated server hosting services versus shared hosting that we are going to cover in this post.

1. Dedicated Servers Have Unrestricted Access To Resources

Comparing a dedicated server to shared hosting, there are quite a few advantages, one of which is unique IP addresses. With shared hosting servers, users are put onto the same machine and required to share resources with one another. Not only do users have to share resources with traditional shared hosting, but they also share the same IP address as all the other users on the server. This could mean that, if all the users are running websites, and one website gets targeted by a dedicated denial of service attack, all the other websites sharing the same IP address would be affected by it as well.

When businesses and individuals choose to host on a dedicated server, they can be sure that they’re getting all the resources to themselves as well as a dedicated IP address. Not only do users of dedicated servers get their own resources and IP address, but it’s also possible to add additional IP addresses if needed. Dedicated servers offer increased functionality, better performance, and enhanced security.

It’s advantageous to have a dedicated IP address for a professional website because when users are on a shared hosting plan, using the same IP address, it can affect website rankings. This could be bad for a professional company that has a business website with the same IP address as an adult or spam site. Having a dedicated IP address is important for those who are considering running a large scale e-commerce site which requires transport layer security (TLS) for processing credit card transactions.

2. Dedicated Servers Have IP Addresses That Are Unique

Comparing a dedicated server to shared hosting, there are quite a few advantages, one of which is unique IP addresses. With shared hosting servers, users are put onto the same machine and required to share resources between one another. Not only do users have to share resources with traditional shared hosting, but they also share the same IP address as all the other users on the server. This could mean that, if all the users are running websites, and one website gets targeted by a dedicated denial of service attack, all the other websites sharing the same IP address would be affected by it as well.

When businesses and individuals choose to host on a dedicated server, they can be sure that they’re getting all the resources to themselves as well as a dedicated IP address. Not only do users of dedicated servers get their own resources and IP address, but it’s also possible to add additional IP addresses if needed. Dedicated servers offer increased functionality, better performance, and enhanced security.

It’s advantageous to have a dedicated IP address for a professional website because when users are on a shared hosting plan, using the same IP address, it can affect website rankings. This could be bad for a professional company that has a business website with the same IP address as an adult or spam site. Having a dedicated IP address is important for those who are considering running a large scale e-commerce site which requires transport layer security (TLS) for processing credit card transactions.

3. Dedicated Servers Have Increased Flexibility Over Shared Hosting

While it’s true that dedicated servers aren’t as flexible as far as scalability when compared to a virtual private server, it’s also true to say that dedicated server hosting is a step in the right direction for shared hosting users.

Dedicated servers offer the individuals and businesses that use them the ability to customize their machine. This means that certain hardware can be swapped out or upgraded if need be to fit the requirements of the user. Typically with shared hosting, customers are limited to the already preinstalled or pre-configured applications and software that’s already installed on the shared server. With a dedicated server, it’s possible to install whatever applications and software is required for your growing enterprise or personal project. Since dedicated servers are highly customizable, it’s possible to have multiple separate dedicated servers working together or separately. Multiple different dedicated servers can be configured to run separate pieces of software, for example, one could be solely for sending mail, while another could be for database management, and another for web hosting. When it comes down to it, the flexibility of dedicated servers is a great improvement over the confines of a shared hosting server.

Dedicated servers are great for rapidly growing enterprises and small businesses. They are excellent for those that want to manage their website and data in a reliable location where their users will always have access to it. Dedicated servers also offer increased storage, processing, and network speeds over shared hosting solutions.

It’s usually wise for businesses, developers, and other individuals seeking professional server hosting to consider a dedicated server environment over shared hosting because of the increased flexibility. Users of a dedicated server can configure their server how they see fit and with whatever operating system they like. Businesses and individuals choose managed dedicated server hosting when they want to have more control and flexibility over their server resources.

4. Dedicated Servers Offer Increased Security and Performance

It’s very common for many shared hosting services to advertise certain specifications for their server but not actually be able to live up to them. This is because many shared hosting services use a tactic called “Overselling“. The overselling occurs when a shared host puts more customers than resources on a server that must be shared. Since the web host knows that all the users won’t be utilizing the full potential of their plan all the time, they oversell the resources in an attempt to pack in as many people as possible and save on costs for increased profits. You can spot shared hosting providers when they advertise Inode limits.

Users of dedicated servers don’t have to worry about their resources being oversold as their dedicated server is entirely their own to use and not shared with anyone else. Dedicated servers also come with root access while many shared servers do not.

Since dedicated servers aren’t shared between multiple users, it can certainly put your mind at ease when it comes to server security. Businesses and large websites don’t want to be sharing their server with multiple random neighbors, no, they want enhanced security that comes from them being the only one with access to their server. Businesses and individuals that choose to host with a professional dedicated server hosting services can relax knowing that they aren’t sharing resources or IP addresses with potential malicious websites, illicit adult content sites, or email spammers. Dedicated servers offer increased security over shared hosting, this could be vital for websites seeking to handle sensitive information over FTP or SSL and is important for transactions online using credit cards.

Professional dedicated server hosting services will also be able to protect your dedicated server by having them secured by firewalls and live security monitoring. This is important because it can offer greater security against hackers and malicious scripts seeking to impede or exploit your server. Large companies to small scale businesses and individuals want to be focusing on their work, not on maintaining the security of their server and worrying about keeping their data safe.

Because dedicated servers are highly flexible and customizable, it’s possible to implement custom security rules, install security applications, and more. Dedicated servers offer the best choice for those concerned about server access control and enhanced firewall protection.

5. Dedicated Server Hosts Have Exceptional Reliability & No Maintenance Costs

Choosing to host on a dedicated server is a good idea for those worried about the needs of their business, website, or other web application. When it comes to selecting a hosting option though, for those considering dedicated servers, there are some other things to be aware of.

Dedicated hosting is an option for those interested in hosting a dedicated server, but for those that don’t want to purchase the hardware and configure everything themselves. This is where a dedicated server hosting provider comes in. When you opt to host with a dedicated server hosting provider, you will experience all the benefits but with no additional overhead costs besides renting the server itself. Dedicated server hosting companies are responsible for housing the physical servers in data centers that are physically guarded and staffed 24/7. When choosing to host a dedicated server through a hosting provider, the users can just focus on running their website, project or server, while the server host takes care of all server maintenance, hardware replacements, server hosting costs, data center maintenance, and much more.

Companies and individuals that don’t have the time or resources to manage a server themselves might want to consider dedicated server hosting. Dedicated server hosting is an affordable option for those looking to access and implement the full range of their server resources without having to handle the cost of physical maintenance or worry about downtime and hardware replacement. Most dedicated server hosting companies offer a guaranteed uptime so users and businesses know that their server is always up and running.

Not only can it be expensive to manage your own dedicated server, but it can also be costly if assistance is needed such as support. Many dedicated server hosting services will not only manage your server but they can also provide assistance and technical support for free or for a price. Find out what kind of support you need when seeking out a new dedicated server, and check what web software and server applications are supported. Businesses and individuals would be wise to take advantage of the technical assistance benefits that a managed server hosting company can provide, as well as the bonuses that troubleshooting around the clock might have.

If you’re a business or individual looking for a new web hosting experience, consider switching to a dedicated server to take the next step in growing your enterprise.

Originally Published JANUARY 7, 2019

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USA Dedicated Server Hosting

Looking for a dedicated server in the USA? 

Astral Servers is a professional dedicated server hosting service that specializes in dedicated and virtual private server hosting solutions for individuals and businesses alike. We provide our global customers with exceptional dedicated server hosting solutions, thanks to our reliable network and unlimited data transfer limits.

What exactly is a dedicated server?

A dedicated server could be compared to a home computer, however, dedicated servers are housed in special facilities called data centers, which enable them to be continuously running. When comparing a dedicated server to a home computer, many don’t realize that a dedicated server will typically have more powerful hardware than a home computer, and this is because they are meant to handle a wide variety of operations with the always-on aspect.

Learn more about dedicated server hosting on our dedicated servers FAQs page or visit our dedicated servers information page.

Managed or Unmanaged?

There are many different dedicated server hosts out there, and in today’s industry, it can sometimes be hard to keep track of all the many different technical terms. This can be especially true when some people loosely use terms interchangeably when in fact the terms in question mean something else entirely. So what exactly is the difference between unmanaged dedicated server hosting and managed dedicated server hosting?

The difference between unmanaged and managed dedicated server hosting is, in essence, the level of support that is offered in addition to the support offered in regards to the server itself. With unmanaged and managed server hosting, typically server specifications are the same. This might seem confusing, so we’ll explain a bit further.

With managed dedicated server hosting, a customer can take advantage of the technical expertise that the support team posses to accomplish tasks outside the bounds of general server support.

Example 1: The DNS of a dedicated server is no longer configured correctly. A managed dedicated server user could ask the support staff to reconfigure their DNS while an unmanaged user would be forced to figure everything out entirely on their own.

Example 2: A WordPress site has stopped functioning correctly. A managed dedicated server user could have the support team look into it and fix the problem. An unmanaged dedicated server user would need to look elsewhere online for support and figure it out on their own.

There are certainly many advantages that hosting a managed dedicated server might bring over unmanaged server hosting, but it all comes down to project scope and the technical expertise of the user or developer in question. Many businesses are now taking advantage of managed server hosting services as a way to reduce costs on outsourced support. Users with strong technical skills will most likely find that unmanaged dedicated server hosting is the best option for them, but the choice is entirely optional and depends on the level of additional support that may be required.

Read more about our managed services to learn more about the services we provide.

USA Dedicated Server Hosting

When choosing to host a dedicated server here at Astral Servers, our customers often take advantage of our data centers located in the United States of America. When selecting a dedicated server plan, either managed or unmanaged, our customers can select from multiple data centers around the world where they would like their dedicated server to be hosted physically. Many of our customers opt for our USA managed dedicated server hosting services, because of our excellent support team and a wide range of assistive services.

Many businesses and individuals are choosing to host their business or personal dedicated server out of the data center in Virginia. Currently, our managed Jupiter Dedicated Servers, as well as our more powerful plans, come with the option for hosting in the USA. Our Jupiter plan comes with an AMD Epyc CPU @ 2.9 GHz, with 128 GB DDR4 RAM, 4 TB Storage with double data replication, and 1 Gbps upload/download speeds with unmetered data transfer limits.

Why Host With Astral Servers?

We know that choosing the right dedicated server hosting provider isn’t always a quick or necessarily easy thing to do as there are many things to first take into consideration. Many businesses and individuals are choosing Astral Servers as their dedicated server host because of our 24/7 customer support team that is always available to quickly assist with fast problem resolution skills. 

Additionally, all of our dedicated servers, unmanaged or managed, come with advanced DDoS protection firewalls to ensure that our enterprise-level customers are kept safe. All of our dedicated servers come with unlimited data transfers at no additional charge, and all at guaranteed speeds. All of our dedicated servers come pre-configured in RAID, to ensure that data is protected in the event of a drive failure. When ordering, choose from multiple different images of common distributions such as Linux, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, and many more. Contact us for custom images, Windows distributions, or so we can offer quotes for custom server builds.

All of our dedicated servers are kept securely in data centers around the world, these data centers have cutting edge security features to keep out intruders and ensure physical protection, as well as backup generators that could last 48 hours, tall surrounding fences, and nullifying fire dispersal systems. Our dedicated servers also come with an extremely reliable 99.999% uptime guarantee to ensure that minimal downtime accrues. Choose hosting in data centers around the world in locations like: USA, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Singapore and the UK.

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10 Things You Can Do With A Dedicated Server

10 Things You Can Do With Your Dedicated or Virtual Private Server

A dedicated server from a dedicated server hosting service can be useful for a multitude of different reasons. Dedicated server hosting offers enhanced flexibility over shared hosting with certain enhancements like higher performance, better security, and more overall control. There’s so much more to dedicated servers than just hosting websites. For example, you can use your idle server for setting up your own personal data synchronization services, virtual private networks, and more.

Here’s our top 10 list of things you can do with an idle dedicated or virtual private server.

10. Deploy a Personal Data Sync Service

There are plenty of services out there currently that offer syncing options for your cloud syncing needs like Dropbox and OneDrive, although some worry about potential security issues and feel uncomfortable hosting their private data on third-party servers that they don’t control. In addition to personal data syncing, there are also business services like Nexsan, however, they are typically more expensive.

You can choose to host your own private data syncing service using free and open-source software such as Resilio and Nextcloud. These let you sync your data across multiple devices, very similar to how Dropbox works, but you would be in full control of your data, especially if you set up on a Virtual Private Server (VPS).

9. Secure Your Network Connections

Dedicated Servers and Virtual Private Servers are also useful for securing your network traffic and wireless connections through Virtual Private Networks or Virtual Private Networks (VPN). A VPN is a method of employing encryption to provide secure access to a remote computer over the internet. There are many tutorials on how and why you should set up a VPN.

There are many different Virtual Private Network solutions available today that will work on dedicated servers or virtual private servers such as OpenVPN.

8. Set Up a Voice over Internet Protocol  (VoIP)

Voice over Internet Protocol, also referred to as VoIP, is a form of communication that utilizes the internet as a transmission medium by sending voice over the internet network. Using VoIP is becoming more common among businesses as they want to use their own networks to ensure they have more control and higher voice quality than a traditional phone system can provide. A common example of Voice over Internet Protocol is Skype.  You can also read about what VoIP can do for your business.

Setting up your Dedicated Server or Virtual Private server to host your own VoIP service is simple. There are many tutorials on how to set up your own VoIP system. There are many services you can use on your dedicated server or virtual private server to host your own Voice over Internet Protocol such as Mumble, TeamSpeak, and Ventrilo.

7. Project Management and Personal Cloud

You can do much more with your idle dedicated server or virtual private server than you could in the past. Technology is helping businesses and individuals in many different ways. A personal cloud is a private section hosted on the public cloud that allows you to upload, store, and retrieve data. A common personal cloud is Dropbox or Google Drive.

Today, you can manage your own personal projects for yourself or your small business. A good example of a project management tool is ProjectLibre, which is a very immersive, open source, and feature rich project management tool. Using a dedicated server or VPS, you can also host your own personal cloud— allowing you to sync your contacts, calendars, files, and images. Certain programs like ownCloud allow you to process data syncing as well, but it also includes a task manager, calendar, image galleries, and document editing software.

6. Private Analytics

Using a dedicated server or virtual private server, you can choose to host your own web analytics server. Web analytics is important when it comes to understanding your customer base and improving the effectiveness of your website. This is a common alternative to depending on services such as Google Analytics alone. If you aren’t satisfied with Google Analytics, you can opt to use a service like Matomo for a feature rich web analytics tool including many features of Analytics such as real time analytics, visitor tracking, referrer analysis, and even geolocation.

5. Folding@Home

Folding@Home is offering you the opportunity to help find a cure for many of today’s illnesses and cancers, such as Alzheimers, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. Folding@Home is now based out of Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Folding@Home is a way to help donate your unused computer power to one of the world’s biggest distributed supercomputer. Currently they boast over 1,000,000 users and a total combined computing power of over 40-PetaFLOPs (as of 2016). Join Folding@Home in the fight against COVID-19.

4. Communication Services

Dedicated servers and virtual private servers can also be used as an email server or IRC server. Internet relay chat, or IRC, is the most simple form of chat dating all the way back to 1988. You can use Internet Relay Chat for more than just basic chats, like transferring files, encryption, proxies, multiple channels, and different users. People mostly use IRC for their website chat rooms or for private conversations as an alternative to popular chat services such as Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger. Email servers allow you to access and manage your emails, including how they are received, sent, and distributed to users. There are plenty of free email services such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, however, many businesses prefer to use their own domain name for their emails.

Using your own dedicated server or virtual private server, you can host your own email server, a common example being Postfix, which is open source and full of features. Another way to utilize your inactive dedicated server is to become your own mail service provider using Mail-in-a-Box.

3. Hosting Your Own Web Page

You can use your dedicated server or virtual private servers to host your website, a blog, a forum, a wiki, and so much more. Hosting your own site has many advantages, such as lack of forced advertising, increased overall speed, and an unparalleled level of control. Many high bandwidth websites utilize virtual private servers and dedicated servers for their web hosting requirements. Virtual private servers offer the ability to easily scale up or down based on usage requirements, something that many see as an advantage over dedicated server hosting. Learn how to simply host your website with WordPress or how to host a blog with Blogger. Higher traffic sites will see the benefits that a virtual or dedicated server will provide over shared hosting.

2. Hosting Game Servers

If you play multiplayer video games, you’re familiar with how game servers work. Using a dedicated server, you can host your own multiplayer lobbies and dedicated game servers with minimal downtime’s and all at optimal speeds. There are plenty of tutorials for how to set up dedicated servers for common games like Minecraft, Counter Strike, and Arma 3. If you’re interested in renting a game server, consider visiting our game server hosting page.

1. Use Your Server As a Firewall

If you are in the market for a firewall but your budget won’t allow for the hardware or commercial software firewall, consider that there are other open-source alternatives such as SmoothWall and Sophos, some of which are said to be just as effective as some commercial applications.

The possibilities of different options are endless when it comes to what you can do with your dedicated server. There are many things that couldn’t be included in the list such as creating a simple test server, converting your server to a monitoring server such as with Nagios, creating an internet jukebox for streaming different multimedia formats to different devices with Ampache. or even to set up HTTP tunneling.

There are countless different ways that you can utilize your idle dedicated or virtual private server. For anything that isn’t listed, we would love to hear about it in the comments! How do you use your idle dedicated or virtual private server?

About Us: Astral Servers offers managed and unmanaged server hosting services to customers around the world. All of our dedicated servers and virtual private servers come with advanced DDoS protection, 24/7 support, and a 99.999% uptime guarantee, all with unlimited speeds.

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Reliable Managed Server Hosting in Northern America

North American Managed Server Hosting

Many businesses and individuals throughout North America require a professional and affordable server hosting provider that can offer them exceptional dedicated and virtual private servers. Here at Astral Servers, we are capable of doing just that — providing fast, affordable, and reliable managed server hosting in North America.

We have a wide selection of dedicated and virtual private servers that can be hosted throughout North America or in separate data centers around the world. Astral Servers is a managed server hosting company with a focus on customer satisfaction. All of our dedicated and VPS plans come with 24/7 customer support, a 99.999% uptime guarantee, and advanced security features that other companies charge extra for. Our advanced security features include things such as live monitoring and enhanced firewalls for anti-DDoS protection.

Astral Servers uses a cloud infrastructure that is stretched across 10 different and secure data centers around the world. Every data center is equipped with backup generators in the event of a power outage, and all access to data is strictly monitored. Astral Servers has years of experience when it comes to hosting professional business applications, websites, and online software around the world. Our customers know they can rely on us for reliable and affordable managed servers in North America.

Consider checking out our article where we go over The Differences Between a Virtual Private Server and a Dedicated Server.

It might be wise to consider switching from a traditional shared hosting platform to a dedicated or virtual private server when concerned about sharing server resources with others. With traditional shared hosting, users purchase a cheap plan but are required to shared server resources with server neighbors, which can be bad for resource-intensive applications and high traffic websites. When in this situation, it might be a good time to invest in a dedicated or virtual private server as server resources are not shared with others. Virtual private server hosting and dedicated server hosting is a good investment for individuals and businesses who want maximum performance with absolutely no resource sharing.

Those that are searching for local server hosting in North America might consider Astral Servers for their dedicated and virtual private server hosting solutions.

North American Virtual Private Server Hosting

Virtual private servers are the next step up from the traditional shared hosting platform. A virtual private server offers high uptime and great specs, all at a low cost, and without resource sharing! Businesses and network development professionals know that their information and data is important, and sharing resources on a shared hosting platform isn’t sustainable for large projects, websites and applications. A virtual private server is viewed by many as the middle ground between shared server hosting and dedicated server hosting. A virtual private server, or VPS, can also offer enhanced security over traditional shared hosting platforms as users are no longer required to share IP addresses, and data is no longer stored on a shared machine. Virtual private servers are also very reliable due to their cloud network infrastructure, and they are much easier to scale up or down that a dedicated server.

Astral Servers offers exceptional managed virtual private servers in North America to businesses and individuals that are looking for a reliable server hosting provider. Our virtual private servers are hosted on a cloud infrastructure that is stretched around North America, throughout data centers in the United States and Canada.

Many believe that VPS hosting offers enhanced benefits over dedicated server hosting and shared server hosting. Some benefits of virtual private servers are:

Virtual private servers don’t share server resources like traditional shared hosting plans.

Virtual private servers are highly scalable and easy to upgrade or downgrade based on usage requirements.

Virtual private servers offer enhanced security over the traditional shared hosting platform.

Virtual private servers are cost-effective solutions and much more affordable than hosting an in-house dedicated server.

Virtual private servers are more reliable and offer more control than shared server hosting plans.

North American Dedicated Server Hosting

In addition to exceptional VPS hosting, Astral Servers also offers managed dedicated server hosting services throughout North America and more. The dedicated servers that we provide come with the same reliability as our virtual private servers as they also have a 99.999% uptime guarantee. Like our VPS plans, our dedicated servers are also protected by enterprise-level anti-DDoS firewalls and secured in a safe, data controlled environment. All of our managed dedicated server plans in North America come with unmetered download and uploads with lightning-fast speeds. We do not set data caps as other companies might for internet usage.

Dedicated servers might be a good choice for those seeking optimal security and performance over a shared hosting platform. Dedicated servers also have unique IP addresses, unlike shared hosting, so no shared server neighbors can harm the reputation of your IP address.

We stand by all of our managed dedicated server plans with our responsive 24/7 technical support staff. Like our virtual private servers, our dedicated servers also include free access to technical support, which is another feature that other companies might charge a premium for. Astral Servers is a trusted name for individuals and businesses that are looking for a quick, reliable, and professional dedicated server hosting company in North America.

North American Managed Server Hosting

When selecting a hosting provider, it’s always a good idea to double-check if the server host offers unmanaged or managed servers. The main difference between the two is that managed hosting services can perform assistance with server functionality whereas unmanaged server hosts provide no support whatsoever. A managed hosting service is an ideal choice for those that might need assistance running or maintaining a server hosting environment or running online software or applications. Managed hosting services can also help solve problems regarding common web software and other applications when it comes to interfacing with your server or performing common tasks. Astral Servers offers premium managed business hosting solutions to companies wanting blazing fast, secure, and reliable managed servers. Read more on our managed services page.

Businesses and individuals are finding it increasingly practical nowadays to choose a managed server hosting platform over an unmanaged platform as it can be costly to hire an out of house support team. When selecting a managed server hosting provider, businesses and individuals can rely on the in house technical support staff to assist them with common problems and support that other services might charge hourly for. Our customers choose Astral Servers because we offer help with common content management systems such as WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, and Magento. Ask your managed server hosting service to add additional IP addresses for any dedicated or virtual private server plan.

Those that are interested in selecting a managed server hosting services in North America might consider Astral Servers for their dedicated or virtual private server hosting requirements.

Originally published MARCH 17, 2019