VPS Hosting is a hosting rental service provided by dedicated companies to end-users like me & you.
Purposes of requiring this service vary individually. For us, Forex traders? We leverage on servers to get a stable and faster Internet connection using VPS.
The long list of benefits of VPS hosting continues.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- What is VPS Hosting
- How VPS Hosting Works
- Factors To Consider Before Buying
- Important Factors That Make or Break A Good Host
What Is VPS Hosting?
To better understand VPS, let’s break it down further to two separate terms- virtual server and private.
A virtual server or a virtual machine is not too far different from desktop computers or laptops sitting in your study- only more powerful and you get to enjoy a superuser level access to its root system. Simply think of it this way, a server is the mother of all computers that is made up of multiple smaller, individual computers.
And this brings us to the next term- private. Dedicated resources (individual CPU, RAM, etc) are what you ought to be expecting.
Enjoy The Full Benefits Of A Forex
Dedicated Server Without Its Price!
How VPS Hosting Works
When subscribed to VPS hosting, every users are hosted on a server that runs on a powerful hardware. This physical machine is divided into several virtual compartments, while each has server software set-up separately, allowing for independent functioning and operation.
Say for example, John is a full-time Forex trader who runs his MT4 trading platform on VPS Malaysia.
As a client, John is paying for an allocated virtual compartment. He later on recommends his friend, Jimmy to the same hosting company. Although hosted on the same server, John and Jimmy each has individually allocated server resources, such as the number of CPU cores, RAM, bandwidth, disk space etc.. This allows the compartments to run smoothly, unaffected by other users.
In short, both John and Jimmy are paying the same exact amount for the same system resources, without needing to worry about issues such as high latency and an unstable connection.
4 Factors To Consider Before Buying
1. Cost
How much you can afford to spend in a month solely depends on your budget. Set aside a minimum amount of money that you’d splurge every month.
Don’t be tricked by little devilish thoughts that say, “You’ll earn heaps every month anyways. Why worry about a little spending?”
If you’re only beginning to start, the first few months to a year will be invested heavily in learning.
Don’t set high expectations, because you’ll likely to lose before you gain.
When you’re ready to trade on full blast, that’s when you can think of spending more to get a Forex VPS with a better specifications.
2. Setup Cost
Some companies charge you a one-time setup fee when you purchase a Forex VPS.
Setup fee usually averages within 10% of the total cost of the Forex VPS.
3. Contract
Before you buy a Forex VPS hosting from ANY hosting provider, find out if they are offering contract-based services.
You can easily find this information in pricing tables.
Or if you don’t this anywhere, it’s best that you leave a question to the customer support team.
Contracts are usually one year long.
Okay… then so what?
If you decide to quit Forex trading anytime within a few months or so, signing a contract with a hosting provider means you’d have to pay a monthly fee, regardless or not you are still trading.
I know that one hosting provider who offers
Forex VPS at No Contract & No Setup Fee.
Wanna know?
4. Replacement & Warranty
Servers have a certain lifespan. Overtime, the wear and tear makes it susceptible to hardware failure.
Some hosting providers offer lifetime hardware warranty and pledge to replace any faulty server parts for FREE.
Now, this is what I call a responsible hosting provider.
Takkanlah, you punya server, you mau I bayar? I rent saja.
Maybe a purchase is getting out-of-hand at the moment, but it’s not entirely impossible to enjoy a great hosting service at an affordable price.
There is a wide selection of hosting services to choose from on the Internet- some are awesome both in products and services, while others are not so. Hence, it can be tricky for beginners to pin point the best valued services available out there.
This guide should help to clarify some or all of your questions, presumptions and assumptions, because it all boils down to understanding what you get out of writing a monthly pay cheque to these hosting companies.
Let’s move on.
5 Important Factors that Make or Break a Good Host
Factor #1: Data Center
Every server is backed-up by a data center. The importance of data center lies entirely on its potential for data backup and recovery during phases of downtime to avoid any data losses.
So before getting a VPS host, you might want to find out which data center provider the company is associated with.
By opting for a more pronounced and reliable data center provider, you have one less problem to worry about. That gives you more space and effort to give the very best of what you do on the hosting platform. And that’s killing two birds with one stone.
Factors #2: Reliability and Scalability
You probably have already heard some or a lot about redundancy and scalability, but have little to no idea what those two really mean. The complementing relationship between reliability and scalability is not all magic. To know where you’re getting at, let’s break these down to bite sizes.
Reliability in context of engineering refers to having a redundant capacity. Meaning, to have a backup software, in case of failures in the main component.
A server with limited redundancy, either ends up having demands exceeding capacity, or having one node in the network fail, thereby distributing extra work loads to other notes (which probably are already stretched to the maximum).
That makes it easy to predict what happens next- major slowdowns and poor performance.
The very same principle applies to RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) storage that uses multiple disks to avoid faults and to increase storage capacity.
Scalability on the other hand, indicates a server’s ability to handle additional loads (often suddenly).
For instance, Ben runs an e-commerce website that sells handcrafted furniture. Slowly and steadily, the website accumulates in traffic. One day it spiked suddenly due to an ongoing promotion that received lots of supports and views from the business community.
The ability to handle a burst of incoming visitors to Ben’s website (in this case, a consistent website loading time) has much to do with the server’s scalability.
It is often insufficient to consider only one side of the coin. Reliability and scalability go hand-in-hand as we speak of long-term stability. Designing for both shouldn’t be of your concern, but investing in both translates to a consistent performance and a reliable uptime.
Factor #3: Server Specifications
Just like laptops and desktop computers, your choice of server specifications and configurations will determine your experience with Forex VPS hosting.
Server
Say you’re looking to purchase a laptop. The first thing that comes to mind is, ‘Which brand should I go for?’ The very same goes to renting (or in certain cases, purchasing) a server. Take time to survey and research the quality of servers by different hosting companies. A little extra care and planning never go to waste in the long run.
CPU
Depending on use, the number of CPU cores must tailor to individual needs.
So it’s best to first find out how many CPU cores are provided by the host so you can closely monitor the performance of the Forex VPS.
Server RAM
RAM, or Random Access Memory refers to the server’s ability to handle multiple applications in the same time frame.
For instance, your Forex VPS uses RAM when running multiple MT4 accounts or EAs.
But how much RAM should you be getting? And again, it all really winds down to individual needs.
Above all, I do recommend getting at least a 1GB RAM for starters.
Storage/Disk Space
Next, you are on to determine the amount of disk space required. We always hear that, bigger is better, because after all work loads are accumulative and someday we’ll get there. That is true, nonetheless.
However, let us take a different perspective this time. Considering the fact that technology has improved greatly over time, disk spaces can now be stacked onto one another to increase a server’s storage capacity.
In reality, storage spaces can be upgrade ANYTIME when needed.
So instead of starting big, but letting a vast amount of disk space go to waste, it is much more efficient to start small, and perform upgrades whenever required, later.
Bandwidth Allocation
To put in simpler terms, bandwidth defines the amount of data transferred per second across the network.
Some hosts impose limitations, some simply don’t. You should know what is the bandwidth limitation, what happens should you exceed them, and what are the options (an add-on, perhaps?) just in case your monthly usage goes beyond.
The good news is, as the market grows more competitive, many companies are more ready to offer unlimited bandwidth, along with other perks.
Factor #4: Customer Support
While most tend to overlook this, having a team of professionals to back you up is a big, BIG relief.
No matter how great the server features are, there are bound to be miscalculations. In most cases, these problems come technically.
Without the knowledge and skill sets required, you are a goner, and would probably end up stuck amidst a sea of information, where you don’t even know where to start!
If your support team is not going to be there 24/7, it simply is not worth the spending.
Interrupted Forex trading due to a server downtime could potentially nullify all your carefully speculated profits. There’s no turning back in time after all.
Always test the customer support team before signing yourself up for a long-term host-customer relationship.
Factor #5: Price
You get what you pay for. But always remember to find out what you get before paying for it.
And, ask yourself questions like, ‘Am I getting the best out of my host?’
Looking for the most price-for-value package is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s certainly not easy, but very much possible with a little research, patience and the correct guidance.