Virtual Private Server Hosting or VPS Hosting is where multiple websites share a single physical server. This sounds similar to Shared Hosting, right? But, there are reasons why VPS Hosting is a natural upgrade over Shared Hosting and is considered a mean between Shared and Dedicated Servers. In VPS Hosting, every website is virtually isolated from each other with each server receiving a dedicated set of resources, such as bandwidth, disk space and processing power.
Due to server virtualisation and the use of hypervisor technology, a physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers, each completely isolated from the other. Thus, the VPS architecture ensures a ‘virtual’ and ‘private’ hosting setup, where each virtual server acts like a small independent server.
This privacy and isolation allows VPS Hosting users access to their servers to tweak, optimise and set up the server as per their specific needs. This access to the server is known as full root access.
What is root access?
Technically speaking, the word ‘root’ simply refers to a default username in a Linux computer. From a simple computer to complex servers, all Linux systems have a username called ‘root’. The ‘root’ user is assumed to be the system admin and therefore has the highest clearance. It is similar to the Administrator Access in the Windows Operating System.
Access to the credentials of the root user (password) is called root access. In simple words, root access refers to the server access in Linux VPS Hosting. With root access, a user can get authorised access to the server settings to install/uninstall software or programmes or applications, change critical settings, improve security, change how ports work, merge or split cPanel accounts, change or even completely disable ports, access any file on the system, and so on. In essence, the root user can access anything and change anything.
As mentioned earlier, in a VPS environment, each website behaves like an independent server, meaning that any changes that you do are limited to your part of the server, so to say, and will not impact anyone else.
This allows web hosting companies to offer full root access so that you can fine-tune your website to your exact needs. This article explores what you can do with root access in a VPS environment.
How to use VPS Hosting with Root Access
- Regulate root access
This is the first and the most critical step to undertake once you get root access.
Root access, as mentioned earlier, gives the user all system privileges, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s quite easy to do some irreparable damage. So, ensure that only the most trustworthy people who know how to manage the root directory have access to it.
- Use third-party applications
One of the most important advantages of having root access is that you can install third-party applications that aren’t natively supported by your VPS Hosting provider. Take full advantage of this.
Use third party cloud-based security applications that can protect your website better. Install workflow software that will make your business more efficient. The possibilities are endless here. The idea is to make your website and your business secure and efficient.
- Do some basic port management
Bot-based cyber attacks have increased sharply in the last few years. Bots are now capable of conducting a complete cyber-attack. These attacks are made easy (for the bots) by website owners who leave their entire server at default configurations.
Ports are channels of outgoing and incoming communication for a server, meaning that malicious code can be received too. Close all ports that are not in use. Additionally, change the default port numbers. For example, the default listening port for SSH is 22. Change this to another port that’s not being used.
There are plenty of easy-to-follow guides online that make the whole thing a breeze to do.
- Optimise your JavaScript delivery
The JavaScript file is one of the many files that your web server sends to a browser when your website is accessed. By default, a browser will read the JavaScript file and then load your website. It takes time to read the JavaScript file, which slows your website.
With root access in VPS, you can change the settings so that the website loads first and the JavaScript file is read after that, in the background. Even though this doesn’t accelerate your website loading time, it will help load the website faster because the browser doesn’t have to read the JavaScript file.
- Check if your servers are being used to spam people
The fact is that a lot of people don’t realise when their websites or web servers are hacked. There are usually no indications of a hack. The problem with this is, of course, people can use your web server and its resources for malicious purposes.
With root access, you can check if your email passwords are compromised. You can access a list of all the IP addresses that have accessed your email account. This in itself is of no use, obviously, because you may access your email from different locations and devices.
However, the list shows the geographical locations of the IP addresses (the devices). So, if your email is being accessed and used from devices that you don’t own and from locations that you haven’t visited, you know that your email password is compromised and is being used to spam people.
Of course, it may be used for far more nefarious purposes, but emails that are stolen are, more often than not, used to spam target customers. A password change will usually fix this problem.
- Regulate internet access for your applications
When you start using applications on your web hosting platform, you’ll find that a majority of applications don’t have to be online at all, apart from when they need an update. When an application has the ability to access the internet, and it does, it’s a potential risk point.
The best way to deal with this is to disable internet access for applications that don’t need it. You can always enable them whenever you want to update any particular application, of course.
Conclusion
VPS Hosting is a versatile, powerful website hosting method that’s getting more and more popular for the balance it offers between performance, features, and price. However, ensure that you opt for VPS Hosting plans from leading hosting companies that have a veritable history of providing fast, reliable, and secure hosting.
If you are looking to buy VPS Server Hosting for your website, you can browse through the Linux VPS Hosting plans from ResellerClub India. We offer high-performance servers with Solid State Drive storage. Additionally, you get free cPanel, seamless scalability, protection against DDoS attacks, complete root access, instant server provisioning and 24×7 dedicated tech support.
For more details, contact us today.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below. Head to our Servers Blogs category for more information on different types of servers, tips to maximise server performance and more.
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