For every business, choosing between a dedicated server hosting option and a cloud server is essential.

Formerly, businesses usually start off on a shared Linux server, and once when they become familiar with the web hosting solutions then they upgrade themselves to a dedicated server to support their website in traffic spike.

At present the scenario is different. Today, there is the presence of cloud hosting which means that it’s not necessary for businesses to follow the traditional path and can start building a website on a managed cloud plan along with the help of a pre-integrated platform. That used to need many hours of separate development time on a dedicated bespoke server.

While dedicated server plans include a fixed allocation of isolated CPU, RAM, and SSD/HDD storage that can maximise the security of online business applications and provide better performance, cloud hosting plans offer server resource allocation that is scalable and based on hardware virtualization. In fact, there is hybrid dedicated cloud hosting which uses a single parent server’s resources based on dedicated hardware.

Compared to a single dedicated server, cloud-based flexible solutions may accommodate larger volumes of web traffic. It can offer and gradually grow into a crucial component of maintaining the most widely used mobile applications and websites stored online.

Cloud vs Dedicated Server: Definitions

Before moving towards the differences between cloud and dedicated servers, let’s have a quick look at the definitions of both models of hosting.

Cloud Servers

When a virtual server runs in a cloud computing environment then is called a cloud server. These servers provide users with on-demand virtual resources and offer incomparable scalability.

Clients do not require to purchase or maintain any hardware if they depend on a cloud server. The cloud provider manages maintenance while users modify virtual resources (RAM, processor, storage, etc.) to build an ideal configuration.

Advantages of cloud servers for a variety of industries, such as

• A pay-as-you-go method
• No initial hardware investments.
• Near-instant server deployments.
• High redundancy.

Dedicated Servers

A physical equipment housed in a data centre, a dedicated server is utilised by just one customer. Dedicated servers, in contrast to cloud servers, rely on actual hardware, including CPUs, GPUs, RAM, hard drives, network cards, etc., rather than virtualization.

Because you don’t have to share resources with other users when setting up a dedicated server, these servers are the quickest and safest hosting alternatives available.

Advantages of dedicated servers for a variety of industries, including as

• You will get full freedom to customize the configuration of hardware and software.
• Superior data security and privacy are ensured by single tenancy.
• High levels of uptime.
• Constantly fast loading times.

A Comparison between Dedicated Servers and Cloud Servers Side by Side

The table below provides a high-level summary of the distinctions (and similarities) between a dedicated server and the cloud:

POINT OF COMPARISON	CLOUD SERVER	DEDICATED SERVER
Type of infrastructure	Virtual servers are divided by a hypervisor using abstracted resources.	It is a physical device with dedicated hardware components
Main selling point	In cloud server, clients can boost the IT performance without spending on purchasing or managing a dedicated infrastructure	Create a complete custom server with resources dedicated entirely to your use case
Single tenancy	No	Yes
Performance	The speed of cloud servers is great due to bare metal servers; nevertheless, if there are too many tenants or requests to handle, there may be latency.	Consistently high performance
Scalability	Real-time scalability that can swiftly adapt to spikes in traffic	Users must set up new hardware when looking to scale up and take the hardware out when scaling down
Automatic scalability	Yes	No
Deployment time	The server is up and operating in a matter of seconds after configuration.	Longer deployment times
Root access	Depends (if hosting is on a public cloud then no root access)	Yes
User/role administration	Yes	Yes
Customization	Restricted customization of hardware and software as providers offer only predefined packages	Fully customizable hardware and software
Load balancer	Yes	yes
Management	The supplier looks after the hardware, and your team uses dashboards to control the unit.	You have the option of managing your dedicated server yourself or relying on the provider’s managed services.
Uptime/downtime expectations	Excellent for continuous hosting because scaling up or down doesn’t cause any downtime.	Rely on the hosting provider (the industry standard is >99.9% uptime)
Redundancy	Top-tier redundancy	Depends on the setup
Migration	Fast and easy	To migrate the equipment takes more time and planning without causing significant downtime
Initial investment	No requirement to purchase, store, or maintain hardware	Dedicated server is high for colocation and low for renting, but still it is higher than for a cloud server
Billing model	Billed by the hour	A predefined monthly payment
Cost-effectiveness	Flexible billing will be provided to you, ensuring that you only pay for the resources you really utilise.	You pay for the resources nevertheless of how many resources you use
Security	High in general, but risks arise primarily when hosting space is shared with unidentified users.	High levels of security and privacy are guaranteed by single occupancy.
VPN	Yes	Yes
Software support	Can have limited options when choosing software	Fully customizable
Tool integration	A variety of contracting tools are available from cloud server providers for you to add to the server.	You are free to select the tool of your choice, but a knowledgeable IT staff is necessary to integrate products safely.
Main target customer	Businesses with variable demands and workloads	Companies that require high levels of security and consistent performance

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, both cloud and dedicated servers have their own benefits and features. You ought to host your website or web application on a cloud server, regardless of the size of your company. High levels of security, scalability, and flexibility are offered by the cloud. 

In contrast to a cloud-based dedicated server, there are no additional costs. Even big organizations are moving their online business to cloud computing, because of its exceptional features.