HostAdvice experts performed an independent study on the VPS Hosting providers for all types of users. The list was made by our experts, who performed research based on thousands of unbiased user reviews, surveys, and tests. HostAdvice professionals performed all of the tests in-house. However, if you want to get straight to the point and don’t have the time to read the whole article, here is our selection of the top 10 best Linux VPS hosting providers.
Short on Time? Check Our Top 10 Linux VPS Hosting Providers
- Kamatera – Best Linux VPS Overall
- Ultahost – Best Linux VPS for Customer Support
- RoseHosting – Best Linux VPS Hosting Provider for Reliability
- A2 Hosting – Best Unmanaged Linux VPS Plans
- HostArmada – Top Fully Managed Linux VPS Hosting
- Cloudways – Best Linux VPS Hosting Provider for Performance
- InterServer – Best Linux VPS Hosting With Instant Scalability
- FastComet – Best Free Linux VPS
What Is Linux VPS Hosting, and Who Is It For?
Linux VPS hosting is a hosting solution that runs on the Linux operating system. Most web hosting providers offer Linux-based servers by default in their hosting plans since Linux is one of the most popular operating systems out there and is free to use. Linux VPS hosting providers host multiple users on one Linux-based server. Each user gets their own private resources and is completely isolated from their so-called “neighbors.”
Linux VPS hosting is ideal for more advanced users who want complete control over their server and resources. It is also suitable for those who want to have complete customization freedom and the ability to configure their own server and add the applications, programs, and control panel they prefer. Furthermore, this solution is perfect for those that are on a tighter budget and need a more cost-effective hosting solution, Check out our Cheap Linux VPS hosting page
Usually, most users prefer Linux VPS hosting over Windows VPS hosting because it provides them with excellent stability, scalability, and top-notch performance. So, if you don’t need to run specific Microsoft apps on your server, then Linux is probably the best choice!
The Best Linux VPS Hosting Services of 2023 (Bought and Tested):
If you’re looking for a top-tier Linux VPS hosting provider that allows you to scale up and down without any interruptions, Kamatera is an excellent choice for you. It is one of the best Linux VPS hosting providers on the market, with high-end data centers across three continents and premium 24/7 support.
- Overall Score: 4.9
- Performance: 5.0
- Security: 4.9
- Support: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Pricing: 4.8
Kamatera is a top-tier VPS hosting provider that offers excellent services and is compatible with many operating systems. It is an excellent pick for Linux users and is compatible with operating systems like RockyLinux, AlmaLinux, CentOS Linux 8, CentOS Linux 7, CloudLinux, and more!
Research Findings:
Performance: Kamatera offers high-performance servers that run on cutting-edge technology, including 600Gbit bandwidth, SSD drives, and Xeon Platinum/Cascade Lake processors. It offers an uptime guarantee of 99.95% and has data centers located in America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Security: You can add an extended daily backup service to your server with Kamatera. Also, no matter which server you choose (Linux, Windows, etc.), you will receive high-level security from the provider.
Support: You can reach Kamatera’s support team at all times via phone and email. Kamatera’s support team responds quickly to all messages and provides users with knowledgeable solutions.
Features: Ultra-quick setup, scalable solutions, root/administrator access to servers, unlimited storage, no hardware maintenance, assign roles to administrators/users, complete control over subnet and private VLAN, proprietary API, stop & restart your servers at any time, unlimited databases, and more!
Pricing: Kamatera offers a 30-day free trial to its users. After the free trial ends, you can pay by the minute or on a monthly or hourly basis. Its prices start at $4/month, and you can create your own pricing plan by configuring your server to have the resources you need!
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Kamatera is compatible with multiple Linux distributions, including CentOS Linux 8 & 7, RockyLinux, AlmaLinux, and more;
- Flexible plans that allow you to configure your own server and choose the amount and type of resources you want it to have;
- Excellent performance with a 99.95% uptime and fast-paced SSD storage;
Cons:
- Better suited for more advanced users (but beginners can get fully-managed services for an extra price)
With its overall top-tier services, Kamatera is a hosting provider that you don’t want to miss out on! So, head on over to Kamatera and try it out for 30 days for free! After that, you can decide whether it is worth your money or not (in my opinion, it definitely is)!
UltaHost was founded in 2018 and is a US-based hosting provider that offers many different products and services, like shared, WordPress, Reseller, CRM, and VPS hosting. Moreover, it offers managed Linux VPS hosting at affordable prices and many excellent free and paid features. Additionally, it has a 100% uptime guarantee, which will ensure that you will experience virtually no downtime or latency issues. It also has one of the best customer support teams in the game, with an expert team available 24/7 to its customers.
- Overall score: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Support: 4.9
- User Friendly: 4.9
- Pricing: 4.8
- Reliability: 4.9
Features: UltaHost offers many free and paid features, like free DDoS protection, free domain transfer, multiple server locations, SSD-only servers, malware scans, SpamExperts, RocketBooster, Cloudflare CDN, built-in cache, free SSL Certificates, Web Application Firewall, unlimited bandwidth, root access, and built-in cache. We only gave it a 4.8 rating because it doesn’t offer a free domain.
Support: UltaHost is amazing when it comes to customer support. It has a special Premium customer support program, which all customers can access 24/7/365 via live chat, phone, email, and ticketing system. It also has a FAQ section, blog, and server support service. The only reason it has a 4.9 score is due to minor issues that customers reported with its ticketing system.
User Friendly: The UltaHost website is extremely user-friendly for both beginners and developers thanks to its clear, straightforward, and contemporary design. Additionally, it provides its users with a variety of control panel choices; Hestia and CyberPanel are free, while cPanel and Plesk are paid alternatives. It also includes a sizable knowledge base where users can find many pieces of advice and solutions. So it’s hardly surprising that we gave it a 4.9 rating.
Pricing: UltaHost has affordable prices across the board. Regarding its Linux VPS, the cheapest plan is its VPS Basic plan, which includes 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB NVMe SSD storage, a managed server, and 1 IPv4 Dedicated IP address. It costs $5.50 per month, and you can also pay for it annually if you like. We only gave it a 4.8 score because customers need to pay an additional fee for the cPanel or Plesk control panels.
Reliability: Because of UltaHost’s outstanding dependability and 100% uptime guarantee, its clients can expect very little downtime and very low latency. Additionally, it employs exclusively SSD NVMe storage, and all plans come with free Cloudflare CDN. Furthermore, all UltaHost servers are powered by 14th-generation Dell servers and set up to provide the maximum amount of network, power, and hard drive redundancy. Varnish, Memcached, and Redis are used in its built-in caching mechanism to speed up the website. So, we believe that a score of 4.9 is appropriate.
Additional parameter – Server location: 4.8: It is crucial to know where the server that will host your website is. The likelihood that you may face latency problems and downtime decreases with proximity to your location or your audience. For UltaHost, the company has data centers in Chicago, Dallas, New York, and Los Angeles, the US; Toronto, Canada; Frankfurt, Germany; Istanbul, Turkey; New Delhi, India; Singapore; Seoul, South Korea; and Finland. Additionally, Juniper and Cisco are used by its servers for network switching and routing, in addition to the most energy-efficient Intel processors. Therefore, customers who operate in areas close to the regions mentioned above will experience lightning-fast performance, incredible speeds, and almost no downtime. Customers outside of the locations mentioned above may experience latency and connectivity concerns, so we awarded it a 4.8 rating instead.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A 100% uptime guarantee
- 14th-generation Dell servers
- Built-in cache mechanism
- NVMe SSD storage
- Cloudflare CDN
- DNS Manager
- Snapshots
- BitNinja security
- Malware scans and reports
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
- Integrations with popular apps
- HTTP/2-enabled servers
Cons
- No free domains
- No free domain transfers for monthly plans
RoseHosting is a US-based provider that is widely known for its managed VPS Linux hosting. It was founded in 2001 and has expanded its services to include many different hosting types. Customers love it for its amazing performance and outstanding reliability. It is one of the few providers that offers a 100% uptime guarantee. Also, it uses the latest-generation Dell servers and KVM virtualization.
- Overall score: 4.9
- Features: 4.9
- Support: 4.9
- User Friendly: 4.9
- Pricing: 4.8
- Reliability: 4.9
Features: RoseHosting provides many high-quality free and paid features, including a 100% uptime guarantee, NVMe storage, root access, unlimited server migrations, cutting-edge hardware, free SSL, proactive monitoring, KVM virtualization, dedicated IP address, unlimited websites, and free control panels, including WHM/cPanel and DirectAdmin. So, a 4.9 score is well-deserved.
Support: RoseHosting provides expert 24/7 customer support. It is accessible via live chat, email, ticket system, and phone support. Additionally, all of its Linux VPS hosting plans come with fully-managed support. The customer support team includes expert Linux system administrators that will help you with any issue and handle your server maintenance, updates, management, etc. Also, its agents have quick response times and provide helpful and detailed solutions. So, the 4.9 score is more than appropriate.
User Friendly: RoseHosting is very easy to use and has a website filled with useful information that is simple to navigate. It includes the WHM, cPanel, and DirectAdmin control panels for free with all plans that have 2+ GB RAM. Additionally, RoseHosting has its own Helpdesk system and an extensive knowledge base where users can find many tips and solutions. So, it deserves its 4.9 score.
Pricing: RoseHosting offers many different plans. The cheapest plan for its managed Linux VPS hosting is its NVMe 2 VPS plan, which comes at $39.59 per month with an annual billing cycle. It includes 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB PCIe4 NVMe storage, unlimited bandwidth, and a free control panel. However, we gave it a 4.8 score because its prices are slightly higher than its competitors.
Reliability: RoseHosting truly shines in this category. It provides a 100% uptime guarantee and uses PCIe4 NVMe storage and the latest Intel Xeon Gold processors across all plans. Also, it includes free weekly backups in all managed Linux plans. It uses only the latest-generation Dell servers, KVM virtualization, and has a redundant N+1 data center.
Additional parameter – Server location: 4.0: In order to prevent website downtime and latency issues, server location is essential. Your website’s performance and loading times will improve the closer you are to the server that hosts it. In the case of RoseHosting, it has one data center in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. Its servers are equipped with the latest Intel Xeon Gold processors, and its data centers are N+1 redundant. While it is a fantastic option for companies operating in the USA or close by, it only has one data center and a small regional footprint. Due to server distance, users outside the US and its vicinity will encounter subpar performance and downtime. So, we gave it a 4.0 rating.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A 100% uptime guarantee
- 24/7 fully managed support
- Latest-generation Dell PowerEdge servers
- Intel Xeon Gold processors
- Proactive monitoring
- Unlimited websites
- Redundant N+1 data center
- KVM virtualization
Cons
- More expensive than competitors
- It has only one US-based server
- Free weekly backups are only included in managed Linux VPS hosting plans
Ever since its inception, A2 Hosting has been upgrading its services and has proven to be one of the best hosting providers in the industry. It offers both unmanaged and managed Linux VPS plans and many other excellent features that I will cover shortly.
- Overall Score: 4.7
- Performance: 4.7
- Security: 4.7
- Support: 4.7
- Features: 4.7
- Pricing: 4.6
A2 Hosting’s unmanaged Linux VPS plans allow you to configure your server however you like, choose the operating system you prefer, have full Root access to your server, and add all the tools and features you want!
Research Findings:
Performance: A2 Hosting offers an uptime guarantee of 99.9%, fast-performing RAID 10 SSD storage, and has data centers in Michigan, Arizona, Amsterdam, and Singapore. It is compatible with CentOS 7, Debian (10), Ubuntu (18.04 and 20.04), and AlmaLinux (8).
Security: With A2 Hosting, you will get a free SSL certificate, expert-managed hardware & network, reinforced DDoS protection, SSH access, 24/7 network monitoring, redundant A/B power backed by UPS/Diesel generator, and more!
Support: A2 Hosting provides 24/7/365 customer support via phone, email, and live chat, a ticketing system, great response time, an extensive knowledge base, and a blog.
Features: FutureServe Green hosting, Webuzo one-click software installer, a cPanel control panel license, full network control (IPTables), boot shutdown & reboot control, Inode (File) Limit, and more!
Pricing: A2 Hosting offers four unmanaged Linux VPS hosting plans, starting at $4.99/month for 1GB RAM, 150GB SSD Storage, 2TB Transfer, and one CPU Core.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Excellent performance with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and fast-paced RAID 10 SSD Storage;
- Features rich plans at affordable prices;
- Allows users to get a full refund within 30 days or a prorated refund for unused services after 30 days rounded up to the next full month of service;
Cons:
- Renews for double the price (which is still worth it for the features that you will get)
If you want to have complete control over your server, configure it however you like, and have excellent performance, then A2 Hosting is the right provider for you! If this sounds too good to be true, check out A2 Hosting’s excellent unmanaged Linux VPS hosting plans today and see for yourself!
If you don’t have the time or the expertise to set up, maintain, and manage your own Linux server, HostArmada’s fully managed Linux VPS hosting plans are ideal for you. With HostArmada, you can sit back, relax, and let its team of experts cover all the technical bits and pieces!
- Overall Score: 5.0
- Performance: 5.0
- Security: 5.0
- Support: 5.0
- Features: 5.0
- Pricing: 4.9
With HostArmada’s fully managed Linux VPS plans, you will get top-notch services that include setting up your whole server, updating & supplying multiple PHP versions, checking the health of the storage units, and many other excellent services!
Research Findings:
Performance: HostArmada offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, fast-performing SSD Storage, multiple PHP versions, and nine data centers located worldwide, including three data centers in the west, east, and central regions of the USA, one in Canada, two in Europe, two in Asia, and one in Australia!
Security: Free SSL, free daily, weekly, & monthly backups, enhanced caching, free malware scans and removals, brute-force protection, hotlink protection, and WAF & IP Firewall protection with all of its plans.
Support: 24/7 support via live chat, phone, a ticketing system, Fast Case Escalation, free website analysis & optimization, compensation for mistakes, ten-minute ticket response time, and more!
Features: With HostArmada, you will get free website migration services, a one-click app installer, cPanel/WHM, Nginx web server cache, Reboot Watchdog, KVM Virtualization, AI-based Web Application Firewall, and more!
Pricing: HostArmada offers four fully managed Linux VPS hosting plans, starting at $41.21/month for one core CPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB SSD storage, and 2TB Bandwidth 40Gbps speed in and 2,000 Mbps speed out.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Excellent performance with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and SSD-powered storage;
- It allows users to have full root access to their server on demand;
- Its servers are powered by LiteSpeed, CloudLinux OS, Imunify360, Cloudflare, Nginx, and other top-tier partners;
Cons:
- The price of your plan will be higher once you renew it (but still worth the higher price since all of HostArmada’s plans come with excellent features)
All in all, HostArmada is an excellent Linux VPS hosting provider that offers both managed and unmanaged services. It also offers a seven-day money-back guarantee! So, nothing’s really stopping you from trying out HostArmada’s services to see how you like them!
Cloudways is an excellent managed hosting provider that offers excellent performance and reliable services that are ideal for growth. With Cloudways, you will get a reliable & hassle-free hosting experience, flexible plans & services, and more!
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Performance: 4.7
- Security: 4.6
- Support: 4.7
- Features: 4.6
- Pricing: 4.6
Cloudways works with some of the best cloud infrastructure providers on the market and lets you choose which one you want to use for your server. Those cloud infrastructure providers include DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, Google Compute Engine, and Amazon Web Service.
Research Findings:
Performance: Excellent cloud infrastructure backed by top-tier cloud hosting providers. It allows you to enable Cloudflare Enterprise and get performance-enhancing features for an additional price. You can choose from 62 data centers spread across 33 cities and 15 countries worldwide!
Security: Managed backups, one-click restore, dedicated firewalls, one-click free SSL installation, regular OS & patch management, Cloudflare Enterprise CDN, optimized stack with advanced cache, server & app monitoring, auto-healing servers, and more.
Support: All of Cloudways’ plans come with 24/7/365 customer support which is available via live chat and ticket support. You can also pay extra for Advanced and Premium support.
Features: 1-click installs, 1-click restore, Memcached, Varnish, Redis, built-in WordPress & Magento cache, built-in MySQL Manager, Cloudflare add-on, and more!
Pricing: The price of your plan depends on which cloud hosting provider you choose. The lowest plan starts at $10/month for DigitalOcean hosting, 1GB RAM, 1 Core CPU, 25GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Allows you to choose your server’s hosting provider. You can choose from DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, Google Compute Engine, and Amazon Web Service, which are all top-tier providers;
- It is compatible with Magento, WordPress, WooCommerce, Joomla, Drupal, and Prestashop;
Cons:
- It offers a short trial period – only three days (but the trial period is completely free of charge and is enough for users to get a feel of what Cloudways has to offer)
Cloudways is a reliable and secure Linux VPS hosting provider that offers Debian 8-based servers that are designed to optimize Linux-based hosting. You can try Cloudways for free for three days and see how you like it before committing to a certain Linux VPS hosting plan!
InterServer has more than two decades of experience in the hosting business and is one of the best overall hosting providers on the market. It is also highly scalable and allows users to configure their own servers by specifying how many CPU Cores they want their server to have!
- Overall Score: 4.4
- Performance: 4.4
- Support: 4.3
- Security: 4.4
- Features: 4.4
- Pricing: 4.5
After you decide how many CPU Cores you want, InterServer will provide you with enough RAM, SSD Storage, and a transfer limit to match! For example, if you choose to get a Linux VPS with three CPU Cores, InterServer will match that with 6,144MB RAM, 90GB SSD Storage, and a 6TB transfer limit.
Research Findings:
Performance: With InterServer, you will get a 99.9% uptime guarantee, high-performance SSD Storage 20x faster than standard SATA drives, and the ability to choose a Debian, Windows, Linux, CentOS, or Ubuntu operating system. InterServer has servers in two locations – Los Angeles and Secaucus.
Support: It offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and a ticketing system. It also offers phone support through its call centers in the USA, England, Mexico, Brazil, and Israel, a knowledge base, and self-service options.
Security: InterServer has self-healing hardware that detects glitches in the hardware system and instantly redirects your resources to another node. It also offers a Remote Backup Service and uses KVM, Openvz, Virtuozzo, and Hyper-v virtualization platforms.
Features: DirectAdmin/cPanel/Plesk, DigiCert SSL, CloudLinux, Cloudflare, Atomicorp, NodeJs, PHP, NGINX, Let’s Encrypt, Git, Immunify, Backup to Cloud Pro, automated AI-powered regression testing, cloning, staging environment, backup and restore features, and more!
Pricing: InterServer allows you to choose the number of CPU cores and bases your price on that, starting at $6/month for a Linux VPS hosting plan with one CPU Core, 2,048MB RAM, 30GB SSD Storage, and a 2TB transfer limit.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Excellent performance thanks to its 99.9% uptime and high-performance SSD storage;
- It allows users to have full root access to their servers with which they can install the control panel and operating system without the provider’s permission;
- It supports multiple database types, like SQLite, MongoDB, MarinaDB, PostgreSQL, and more;
Cons:
- InterServer allows you to get up to 16 CPU Cores for your server (which is still more than enough to host content-driven, high-traffic sites)
If you are looking for a highly scalable Linux VPS hosting provider that allows you to take full control over your server and is compatible with hundreds of apps, then InterServer is the right choice for you. So, you can hop over to InterServer, configure your server, and try out its services today!
FastComet has a global network powered by 11 enterprise-class data centers and 200 Global CDN Anycast Network Access points. You can try FastComet completely for free via its one-of-a-kind 14-day cloud hosting demo and see if you like its services before committing to a paid Linux VPS hosting plan!
- Overall Score: 4.8
- Performance: 4.8
- Security: 4.8
- Support: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Pricing: 4.7
FastComet offers all kinds of services, including web hosting, cloud VPS hosting, dedicated CPU servers, domains, SSL certificates, a site builder, WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting, Magento hosting, and more! It is a jack of all trades and conducts every single one with care and precision!
Research Findings:
Performance: FastComet provides SSD-only servers with RAID 10 configuration, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and Cloudflare CDN caching that replicates your website’s content on more than 190 server locations worldwide, 11 highly automated data center facilities, and more!
Security: FastComet allows users to install as many SSLs as they want for free forever! It also uses 100% clean IPs, uses SpamExperts to eliminate spam from your email, has a Web Application Firewall that protects your site from malicious attacks, conducts malware scans, provides free daily backups, etc.!
Support: The provider offers 24/7 customer support and 15-minute response times and is available via email, live chat, and phone. It also has a ticketing system via which you can submit a ticket if you have an issue or a question.
Features: cPanel, SpamExperts, Cloudflare, Softaculous, WHM, AMD EPYC, Imunify360, NVMe SSD Storage, WordPress LiteSpeed Cache, always-on DDoS protection, free website migration, one-click App Marketplace, RocketBooster, and more!
Pricing: FastComet offers four Linux VPS hosting plans, starting at $47.95/month for one 2.50GHz CPU Core, 2GB ECC RAM, 50GB SSD Storage, and 2TB Bandwidth.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Excellent round-the-clock customer support that offers 15-minute response times;
- Free daily backups that are stored off-site for 30 days;
Cons:
- Higher prices on renewal (but definitely worth it for the features you get)
Ranking comparison between the Top Providers
How Do We Rank and How You Should Choose Your Linux VPS Hosting?
- Server Uptime15%
- Customer Support10%
- Security11%
- Server Management Tools5%
- Type of Hosting Service6%
- Linux-Friendly Software4%
- Value for Money10%
- Extra Features9%
- User Reviews30%
We test specifically for each category to provide you with the best that the web hosting market has to offer. Our experts first develop a list of factors that are relevant for the category we are ranking. Then they perform independent performance tests on every provider that qualifies in the field that they are testing.
Furthermore, our experts assign a specific percentage of importance to each factor they are testing. Here are the factors that we tested and that you need to take into consideration when ranking and choosing the best Linux VPS hosting providers:
- Server Uptime (15%): Uptime of 99.95% or above, enterprise-grade hardware, SSD Storage, Cloudflare CDN, etc.
- Customer Support (10%): the technical knowledge and availability behind the support behind the VPS plan – preferably 24/7 support via live chat, phone, & email, guides, and tutorials.
- Security (11%): Does the VPS provider offer additional security features like daily backups, disaster recovery options, dedicated IP addresses, malware scans, constant server & network monitoring, etc.?
- Server Management Tools (5%): Does the provider offer cPanel in its VPS plan? Which other control panels can you use?
- Type of Hosting Service (6%): Does the provider offer both fully-managed and unmanaged Linux VPS services? Can you choose the type of service you prefer?
- Linux-Friendly Software (4%): Apache, programming scripts, GIMP, Firefox, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Visual Studio Code, etc.
- Value for Money (10%): What kind of features are included in the Linux VPS hosting plan? Are those features enough for you? Would you have to get additional features from other places?
- Extra Features (9%): free automatic security patches, free CDN, free website migrations, multiple data center locations, domains, email, etc.
- User Reviews (30%): Independent user reviews can tell you a lot about a provider and its services. By reading independent user reviews, you can determine whether a certain provider is good for you and truly offers the features and services it says it does and more.
What Can You Do With Linux VPS Hosting?
There is much more that you can do with a Linux VPS hosting plan than host websites.
- Video Teleconferences
You can host your own teleconference web application with Linux VPS hosting. Third-party teleconference apps can be a bit risky to use when you’re sharing sensitive information since they are vulnerable to all kinds of cyber attacks. You can avoid such attacks and communicate with people from all over by hosting your own teleconference web application. Linux VPS delivers much better privacy, enhanced security, and endless customization options.
- Host Your Own Game Servers
A VPS server is ideal for hosting multiplayer games. You can create your own game server and use it to play with friends or rent it out for a profit with Linux VPS hosting. Whether you are using your game server for your own pleasure or to make money, hosting it with a Linux VPS server is always the right solution.
- Email Hosting
You can host your own email for your company with even the most basic Linux VPS hosting plan and ensure that all your communication is safe. Also, you will be able to add as many mailboxes as you need and won’t have to worry about running short on storage.
- VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)
VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is a protocol that allows you to use your own VPS server as a phone service over the Internet. In other words, with Linux VPS hosting, you can create and host your own phone service, call people’s phones, communicate with colleagues, etc.
- Host Your Own VPN
If you can’t find a suitable VPN provider that you trust, you always host your own VPN with Linux VPS hosting. This feat requires some technical knowledge, but it will give you the security and privacy that you need. Also, you can create a VPN and sell it as a service with Linux VPS hosting.
- Software Testing
If you want to test certain programs or apps before using them on your company’s or your private network, you can do so by using a Linux VPS server as a staging system. That way, you can freely test the apps and programs you want and dabble with all kinds of safe and unsafe platforms without it ever affecting your business or you.
Linux VPS Hosting Pros and Cons
Now, let’s explore some of the benefits and drawbacks you can experience with Linux VPS hosting.
Pros
- Security – Decades of using Linux have shown us that viruses and malware typically have trouble trying to penetrate the defense system that Linux offers. Also, since Linux is an open-source platform, many experts can access its source code and fix bugs and vulnerabilities.
- Stability – Linux Servers rarely need to be restarted, and they do not experience crashes often. Thus, they ensure excellent stability and optimal uptime.
- Free to Use – Users do not have to pay for a license to use Linux like they would for Windows. That is why Linux VPS hosting plans are cheaper than Windows ones.
- Excellent Performance – Linux VPS hosting plans can handle multiple users on the same server without any problems. It has enhanced processing power and capacity, which allows websites that are hosted on Linux servers to perform faster.
- Full Root Access – most Linux VPS hosting providers allow users to have full root access and total control over their servers. Thus, you will be able to install a control panel of your choosing, configure your server however you like, add the apps and tools that you want, and more.
- Dedicated (Private) Resources – VPS users have their own resources and won’t be affected by other users that are on the same server.
Cons
- Cost – Linux VPS plans offer a lot more resources, enhanced security, better performance, etc., compared to shared Linux hosting plans and are therefore more expensive.
- More Limited Compared to Dedicated Hosting – VPS hosting is like a proverbial bridge between shared and dedicated hosting. Namely, it offers much better features than shared hosting but more limited features compared to dedicated hosting.
Which Are the Top Linux Distributions?
In the next section of the article, I will cover some of the most popular Linux distributions you can use.
Debian
Debian is a widely-known Linux distribution that is completely free to use. It allows users to install and use paid software on their machines and is used both on desktop and server computers. It is one of the oldest Linux distributions and is the basis of multiple popular Linux distributions like Kali Linux and Ubuntu.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a Linux distribution made by Canonical. It is based on Debian and is especially popular among new users. Users can try Ubuntu before installing it on their hard drives, which is something that not many major Linux distributions offer.
Linux Mint
Linux Mint is yet another Linux distribution that is based on Ubuntu. It is powerful, stable, and easy to use. The standard Linux Mint configuration provides multimedia codecs right off the bat; no extra configurations are needed.
Manjaro
Manjaro is based on Arch Linux and comes with preinstalled desktop environments, multimedia codecs that allow you to play audio and video, and graphical applications. It is suitable for both beginners and experts.
MX Linux
MX Linux is a highly stable, efficient, and elegant desktop that was made based on Debian. It is easy to learn and comes with a simple configuration, medium-sized footprint, and great performance.
Elementary OS
Elementary OS is a Ubuntu LTS-based desktop that has been around since 2011. It is completely compatible with Ubuntu’s packages and repositories and is currently on its fifth stable release.
Solus
Solus is a Linux distribution that was specifically designed for office and home computing. It comes with a custom desktop environment and includes a wide range of software right off the bat, which allows users to get started without having to set up their devices. It also offers tools like programming languages, editors, version control systems, compilers, and more!
Fedora
Fedora has three main available versions: Workstation (for desktops), Cloud image, and Server edition. Also, new releases of CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are based on Fedora.
Deepin
Deepin is a desktop-oriented operating system that was created based on Debian. It supports desktops, laptops, and all-in-one devices and is suitable for both beginners and experts.
Best Linux VPS Hosting Services: Summary
Linux VPS hosting solutions offer powerful features, excellent, stable, and reliable performance, enhanced security features, and many other excellent services. You can use a Linux VPS server for all kinds of purposes, not only for hosting websites.
Linux-based hosting solutions are excellent for users who want to have greater control over their servers and enhanced flexibility. With such solutions, users can configure their own serves, add their preferred control panel, applications, and programs, and customize their servers as much as they want.