Module 1 · 1.1
What a VPS is and what you manage
Module 1: Your first server · Reading time: 9 minutes
Learning objective: After this lesson you can explain what a VPS is and what "unmanaged" means for your tasks. You can also judge whether a VPS suits your plan or whether a hosting package or managed service is a better fit.
Key concepts: server, virtualisation, hypervisor, virtual machine, VPS, vCPU, memory (RAM), storage, root, unmanaged, managed, shared hosting, responsibility
Your own server, but virtual
A server is a computer that provides services to other computers: a website, a mailbox, a database, an app. Large servers in a data centre have dozens of processor cores and hundreds of gigabytes of memory. That is more than most people need, so a machine like that gets divided up.
That dividing up is called virtualisation. The physical server runs a hypervisor (for example KVM, which is built into the Linux kernel). The hypervisor creates several virtual machines. Each one gets its own share of processor, memory and disk, and each one thinks it is an ordinary computer. A VPS (virtual private server) is one of those virtual machines that you rent.
What you get:
| Component | What it means |
|---|---|
| vCPU | A virtual processor core. Often shared with other VPSs: if everyone is computing at the same time, things get a little slower. |
| RAM | Memory. When it runs out, the server slows down or stops programs. |
| Storage | A virtual disk, usually on SSD or NVMe. |
| IPv4 and IPv6 address | The address where your server can be reached on the internet. |
| Root access | You are in charge of the whole operating system. |
Root is the administrator on a Linux system: the user who can do anything, including breaking everything. With a VPS, you get that key. That is both its strength and its risk.
Shared hosting, VPS and managed services
To see what makes a VPS special, compare it with the alternatives:
| Shared hosting | VPS (unmanaged) | Managed service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who manages the operating system? | The provider | You | The provider |
| Server updates and security | The provider | You | The provider |
| What you can install | Whatever the panel allows (PHP, databases, mail) | Anything that runs on Linux | Only that service |
| Root access | No | Yes | No |
| Backups | Usually taken care of | Often a basic backup from the provider; you arrange the rest (module 8) | Usually taken care of |
| Knowledge needed | Little | A lot, this course | Little |
Unmanaged means the provider makes sure the hardware runs, the network works and your VPS is switched on. Everything that happens inside your VPS is yours. If a vulnerability turns up in OpenSSH, you install the update. If the disk fills up, you clean it up. If your server is hacked and starts sending spam, you are the one held responsible, including by your provider, who can shut down your VPS to protect other customers.
Managed means the provider takes over (part of) that work. Exactly how much varies greatly between providers, so always read what "management" includes.
When is a VPS a good idea?
A VPS is a good fit if you:
- want to run software that shared hosting cannot handle, such as a Docker container, a Node.js or Python app, a VPN, a Git server, a game server or your own monitoring service;
- want to learn how servers work (that is what this course is for);
- need full control over versions and settings;
- are willing to put in time on a regular basis: keeping up with updates, reading logs, testing backups.
A VPS is not a good idea if you:
- only want a WordPress site or a few mailboxes. A hosting package does that with updates, mail, backups and a panel, without you having to secure a server yourself;
- have no time to maintain the server. A server that goes a year without updates is a risk to you and to others;
- want to send mail from the server without knowing what SPF, DKIM, DMARC and reverse DNS are (lesson 7.1). Many providers block outgoing port 25 by default.
An honest rule of thumb: count on an hour of maintenance a month for a simple server, and more when something goes wrong. If you cannot or do not want to do that, you are better off with hosting or a managed service.
What does the provider do, and what do you do?
| The provider | You |
|---|---|
| Physical servers, power, cooling, network | Choosing and installing the operating system |
| The hypervisor and the storage | Updates to the operating system and the software |
| A panel to switch your VPS on and off, with a console | Users, passwords and SSH keys |
| Often: snapshots and a basic backup | The firewall and what is open |
| Reverse DNS on request or through the panel | Your services (web server, database, containers) |
| Tackling network abuse | Your own backups of your data, and testing restores |
| Monitoring and responding to problems |
At WebOké the panel is called the VPS screen: that is where you switch the VPS on and off, open the console, make snapshots and set up reverse DNS. Other providers work in a similar way, only the buttons have different names ("rescue", "VNC console", "rDNS", "images").
This course is self-help
This course is self-help. We do not look at your server and we do not fix anything on it for you; the exercises only check from the outside what anyone on the internet can see as well.
That is not unwillingness: on an unmanaged server, only you know what is running and why. That is why this course teaches you more than commands. You also learn how to track down a problem yourself (module 6), how to get back in if you lock yourself out (lessons 1.2 and 5.2) and how to restore when things really go wrong (modules 8 and 10).
What you need for this course
- A computer with a terminal: on Windows, PowerShell or Windows Terminal; on macOS and Linux, the Terminal app. All three come with an SSH client as standard (lesson 1.3).
- A server to practise on. Best is a VPS with a public IP address, at WebOké or elsewhere. Without a VPS you can follow most lessons with a virtual machine on your own computer (VirtualBox, UTM, multipass) or an old PC running Debian or Ubuntu. The exercises that check your server from the outside do need a public IP address.
- A domain name comes in handy from module 7 onwards (website with https). A subdomain of a domain you already own is enough.
- Somewhere to write things down: IP addresses, your server's fingerprint, which services you installed. In lesson 10.4 you turn that into a server document.
Summary
- A VPS is a virtual machine on a shared physical server, with its own vCPU, RAM, storage, IP addresses and root access.
- Unmanaged means the provider takes care of hardware and network, and you take care of everything inside the VPS, from updates to backups.
- A VPS makes sense for software that hosting cannot run, for learning and for full control, as long as you put time into it on a regular basis.
- For just a website or mail, a hosting package is often safer and less work.
- This course is self-help: the exercises look from the outside, nobody logs in to your server.
Quiz
Exercise
Exercise O1.1: Does a VPS suit your plan? Describe what you want to run on your server, who does the maintenance and how much time you have for it. Go through the checklist and choose: VPS, hosting package or managed service, with your reason.
Exercise O1.1: Does a VPS suit your plan?
You do this exercise yourself; no one checks it. Tick off what you've done and mark the exercise as done.
A VPS suits you if your software can't run on hosting (or you want to learn), there is a dedicated administrator with time, and backups and updates are taken care of. Otherwise hosting or a managed service is less work. The reason counts, not the choice.
Your ticks and notes only stay in this browser; we don't send them anywhere. If you're signed in, we only save in My courses that you've done the exercise.
Further reading
- Getting started with your VPS
- Linux KVM, what KVM is: https://linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page