Also known as the cloud
Definition
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtual server which acts as a dedicated or private server even though it is hosted using virtualization on a physical server which runs several operating systems. It is perceived as private/dedicated because the user has exclusive access and it can run its own operating system instance.
Function
To better understand the concept of a VPS, it can be seen as a virtual machine which is used as a separate server and accessed by a single person instead of a group. It can run its own operating system and have dedicated resources just as a dedicated server but at a much lower cost.
Usage and benefits
The VPS is generally considered when shared hosting becomes inadequate , much like when the project is growing and more dedicated and private resources are required. Also diversity is a key factor as having a linux at your fingertips is much more powerful compared to a shared hosting platform which has large limitations and a general pattern of usage possibilities. One of the main benefits is control. You can control almost every aspect of the server, be in charge of any modifications, features or functions. Another benefit is cost. If you website is growing rather large and certain features not offered or restricted by your current host come into play, you are either forced to upgrade to a much more expensive custom option or simply find a host which can fulfill your exact needs (rare). With being the administrator of your server , you are only limited by the allocated resources required to run your website although a proper optimized one should not need too much to run unless you’re shooting for large projects with greater traffic in which case you can either upgrade to more resources or switch to a dedicated server (price-performance ratio). The final and most important aspect of a VPS is uptime. While a dedicated server can have a hardware failure of sort which leads to downtime, a VPS has no failure points as most virtualization servers are very well equipped and monitored to avoid hardware failures.
Disadvantages
Plenty of minor ones but mostly due to software configurations. Being the administrator of the VPS, you must ensure that security is top-notch all the time in order to prevent hacking and software-based DDOS attacks.
All in all , a VPS is a wonderful thing up there in the cloud, up all the time and ready to serve the content of your choosing at a moment’s notice.