Moved from shared hosting to VPS: What do I need to know?

[Vincenzo Udinesi]

Hi everyone,

I have been using shared hosting and cloud hosting for 3 years now and feel the need to move myself to VPS now.

This is the first time that I will be renting a VPS(unmanaged).

What basics do I need to know? to manage server and run websites smoothly.

Thanks a lot.

 

[seomotionz]

Cloud hosting are like small VPS's, were you managing it all by yourself?

 

[Vincenzo Udinesi]

Cloud hosting are like small VPS's, were you managing it all by yourself?

No. I had a setup just like shared hosting(i think so) as I have never seen a VPS interface.

Could manage the following:
DNS
Email
File Manager
Install Wordpress/joomla/bbpress etc
had an IPV4
and few more options.

 

[XenPai]

You need to install cpanel or other panel on it. After that the UI will be like shared hosting.

 

[seomotionz]

No. I had a setup just like shared hosting(i think so) as I have never seen a VPS interface.

Could manage the following:
DNS
Email
File Manager
Install Wordpress/joomla/bbpress etc
had an IPV4
and few more options.

Get yourself managed VPS instead. Yeah, it will cost you a bit more money. But trust me it's totally worth it.

A few years back I had this idea of managing all my sites myself by getting unamaged VPS. It ended horribly.

 

[seomotionz]

You need to install cpanel or other panel on it. After that the UI will be like shared hosting.

Only installing cPanel or getting Plesk panel won't cut it. Kernelcare, and lot more shall be needed if demand arises.

 

[Vincenzo Udinesi]

You need to install cpanel or other panel on it. After that the UI will be like shared hosting.

Would it be possible for a non-coder to handle the security and related features?

 

[Vincenzo Udinesi]

Get yourself managed VPS instead. Yeah, it will cost you a bit more money. But trust me it's totally worth it.

A few years back I had this idea of managing all my sites myself by getting unamaged VPS. It ended horribly.

Oh, I can imagine. I'll definitely compare the prices and see if I can afford the managed one.

 

[seomotionz]

Would it be possible for a non-coder to handle the security and related features?

Yeah, possible. Eventually some day. When you have plenty of experience by yourself, of running updates & patches.

My suggestion is that don't jeopardize your business over this. Good managed hosting comes within $30 per month.

 

[uncutu]

You'll need software to ssh inside. For Windows, my preferred tool is mobaxterm.

Connect with your ip/user/pass, you'll see a terminal. If you've ever played with linux in the past you should be familiar with the standard operating procedure here.

Keep your server up to date (yum update && yum upgrade) will download and install updates for every package on your system. You can even automate this.

If you get ddos attacks you'll want to familiarize yourself with fail2ban commands to blackhole IP's & ranges.

If it's slow you may want to fiddle with the swappiness of your RAM.

I like VestaCP for a panel. Much better than cpanel, more light weight, less footprint, gives you all you need in easy to manage package. If you get to pick your OS i recommend CentOS.

I managed my own vps for 4 years. Really it is not that complex and takes minimal effort. Biggest pro's are cheap + fast + very customizable. Only con is if you get in trouble you have to dig yourself out of it. Luckily there there are hyper-detailed blog posts and youtube videos and forum posts for anything you may experience a hiccup on.

 

[blackbrooke]

I don't recommend a newbie to host a 'money making website' on unmanaged VPS, if you screw up, you might not getting your data back. One more thing about 'unmanged' VPS is you need to do your own backup.

Anyway, the most basic thing is to learn how to SSH~ing into your server, securing it and install apps.

 

[alexio]

The more important : make backup, minimum daily.
In shared hosting, the hosting make a backup (daily often) for you. In a VPS, if for any reason (crash, security issue,....), something happen, the hosting can't do anything for you. So backup, backup, backup

 

[seomotionz]

I don't recommend a newbie to host a 'money making website' on unmanaged VPS, if you screw up, you might not getting your data back. One more thing about 'unmanged' VPS is you need to do your own backup.

Anyway, the most basic thing is to learn how to SSH~ing into your server, securing it and install apps.

Exactly my thoughts. OP just said that he is a non-coder. And in case of managing VPS, people having extensive experience with CentOS and/or Deb systems, screws up every now & then.

So, clearly OP should go with managed one.

 

[AKQJ10]

The very first thing you need to learn is to secure your VPS. That's the first step and it's easy.

If you use your VPS to host your sites only and don't do anything too complicated then it's not rocket science. Once everything is properly installed, you do almost nothing. Automatic updates, automatic backup... You can also easily extend your VPS features with a little bit of research.

 

[blackbrooke]

Exactly my thoughts. OP just said that he is a non-coder. And in case of managing VPS, people having extensive experience with CentOS and/or Deb systems, screws up every now & then.

So, clearly OP should go with managed one.

Yup, I suggest OP stick with the managed VPS for a while. In the mean time, buy unmanaged VPS and learn how to manage, secure the box (it's gonna be fun learning). Once OP 'graduate', then it's time to leave the managed VPS.

 

[lomas007]

VPS are the way to go you will gain 20% SEO advantage than someone using shared host

 

[V]

It ended horribly.

How so?

I don't recommend a newbie to host a 'money making website' on unmanaged VPS, if you screw up, you might not getting your data back. One more thing about 'unmanged' VPS is you need to do your own backup.

Anyway, the most basic thing is to learn how to SSH~ing into your server, securing it and install apps.

Idk what you're saying about backup and stuff. You can keep your data safe if you're only a little bit smart, it's not rocket science.

To OP, as most of the people said that you need a managed VPS, I don't think that's true at all. You can easily do everything related to hosting a website yourself although if you have a good money-making website, you should first test run another site on a VPS before moving your main site.
About managing a VPS, you need to close unnecessary ports, reduce the login limits, and keep a difficult password for everything. Don't install useless junk (plugins, themes, software). Keep your server up-to-date. INSTALL UPDRAFTPLUS and TURN ON DAILY/WEEKLY BACKUP to remote storage (Dropbox/Gdrive). DigitalOcean has a backup feature for its VPS too. Installing the required software is now easier than anything. You have a marketplace on DigitalOcean which gives you access to different images. You can easily run a LAMP server or Openlitespeed server without any coding/Linux knowledge. Everything is a piece of cake, you just need to have some time to manage the stuff. If you DO NOT have time then the better option is to for managed VPS.
If you still have any doubt, ask away.

 

[uncutu]

if you can copy/paste commands from a tutorial into your ssh window, you can manage a vps yourself
daily/weekly backups are not that hard to automate/schedule.

 

[ridersark]

First off, don't jump into it with both your feet. Test the waters. I mean don't move your money site directly. Run a few dummy sites and see if things go well.

 

[HP Hoster]

I think that the best option for you would be: migration within the same hosting company. In this case you can be patient about migration and data safety. Other important thing is management. Better to start with managed option and then later when you feel you can manage - move to the unmanaged.