What is a VPS server?
VPS meaning: Virtual Private Server.
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a virtual machine with its own operating system on a shared physical host. Resource allocations and administrative access depend on the service.
Quick answer
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a virtual machine with its own operating system on a physical host. It provides an isolated server environment and allocated CPU, RAM and storage. Administrative or root access depends on the service, especially with managed hosting.
How a VPS works
Unlike shared application hosting, a VPS has its own operating-system environment. Physical CPU resources may still be shared with other virtual machines.
A hypervisor allocates virtual CPU, memory and storage to each machine. Virtualisation alone does not guarantee dedicated physical CPU cores, automatic failover or backups.
KVM is a Linux virtualisation technology. It describes how a virtual machine runs, not a separate class of cloud product.
What people run on a VPS
Web hosting
Host websites and applications sized to the available resources.
Game servers
Run game-server software on a suitable configuration.
VPN / privacy
Run VPN software, subject to the service terms.
Dev environments
Create isolated staging environments and CI runners.
Email server
Check network and service policies before running mail software.
Database
Run databases and plan memory, storage and backups.
Virtual and physical hosting: general concepts
| Aspect | Cloud server / VPS | Shared hosting | Dedicated server |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environment | Virtual machine | Shared application environment | Physical server |
| Resources | Allocated virtual resources | Shared by hosted sites | Physical hardware |
| Scaling and billing | Depend on provider and plan | Depend on plan | Depend on hardware and plan |
VPS - frequently asked questions
- VPS stands for Virtual Private Server: an isolated virtual operating-system environment on a physical host.
TMW Cloud Machines features
KVM virtualisation
TMW Cloud Machines unifies KVM servers and Cloud VPS in one KVM-based compute offer.
Machine configurations
Check the panel for available machine configurations, images and resource-change options. Do not assume changes are instant or require no restart.
TMW Shield L3/L4
TMW Shield L3/L4 DDoS protection is included with TMW Cloud Machines. Application-layer (L7) protection is not included.
Optional S3 storage
Optional S3 is billed separately per stored GiB-hour. Custom images use the same rate; current rates are in the panel.
One Cloud Compute offer
TMW Cloud Machines unifies KVM servers and Cloud VPS in one KVM-based compute offer.
- KVM-based Cloud Compute
- TMW Shield L3/L4 included
- Unlimited traffic up to interface speed
- Monthly prepaid: 31 days; hourly: 3+ months active service, support activation
- France / Germany / Netherlands / Switzerland
- Optional S3, billed separately
Explore TMW Cloud Machines
TMW Shield L3/L4 DDoS protection is included with TMW Cloud Machines. Application-layer (L7) protection is not included.