Cloud computing has been defined as the provision of on-demand, IT resources using a ‘pay as you go’ service. This covers network based services as well as tools, which are provided by virtual servers. This is easily done by simulating the software running on one, or more computers. Cloud computing has rapidly evolved because the servers don’t actually exist and so are easily expanded or minimized without causing any problems to the user.
Cloud computing allows startups to save on infrastructure costs. Because the servers are not physically there, companies also save on office space. Providers allow companies to run their applications quickly and effectively.
Cloud Services Providers
The favorite virtual private server among the geeks is Linode, closely followed by Amazon EC2. Amazon’s’ AWS cloud services requires a lot of work on your part to set up.
You will also have to purchase additional storage space. In terms of processing speed, Amazon isn’t very fast; 15 times slower than Linode at only 4.5 requests a second. This service has some work to do to keep up with the newer offerings.
Costs Associated With Virtual Private Servers
More recently, the emergence of Digital Ocean has allowed virtually anyone to afford a VPS. Digital Ocean offers plans starting from $5 for 512Mb ram and 20GB of space.
In comparison, Linode costs $20 for 512MB RAM, 20 GB of space and 1 TB transfer. Considering that they have almost the same set up, this makes Linode exactly four times as expensive.
When choosing a hosting company, a number of factors should be put into consideration so as to ensure that the service you pick suits your needs and budget.
- RAM space needed
- CPU needs
- Amount of Bandwidth transferred monthly
- Do you need to distribute your applications on more than one server?
- Customer support
Performance
Linode is definitely the hands down winner when it comes to CPU performance, and would be the best option for someone looking for processing power. On the other hand, if you need fast access to your disc space, Digital Ocean is the better bet; this means Performance-packed computing that enables super fast processing for compute- intensive tasks.
Linode Features
Sharing resources over a network in a bid to achieve symmetry is the foundation of cloud storage. Its main focus is to maximize the effectiveness of the shared resources.
The reason that Linode is the preferred VPS is because it’s the fastest in the market, while Digital Ocean is about half the speed of Linode. Both Linode and Digital Ocean are almost 6 times faster than Amazon.
Linode offers great tools and services for beginners, or novices to cloud storage. A Linode package features:
- 512 MB RAM
- Full root access
- 8 CPUs
- Dedicated IP address
- 24 GB Storage
- Transfer pooling
- 2 TB Transfer
- Managed DNS
Digital Ocean Features
Digital Ocean claims to take the complexities out of cloud hosting. It’s fast and easy to create a cloud server with a dedicated IP address that features:
- 2 GB RAM divided into four (512 RAM each)
- Client side diagnostic tools
- 4 CPUs
- third party software support
- 40 GB Storage
- 1 TB Transfer
Amazon Features
Amazon web services, provides you with complete infrastructure and application services. Their services feature:
- 1.7 GB of memory
- 1 EC2 Compute Unit
160 GB of local instance storage, only for your temporary files. Additional space will have to be bought to store files. This comes with 1GB outgoing data transfer.
Choosing one over the other is not as simple as comparing prices. It would be easy to pick Digital Ocean as the overall winner based on price; however, Linode offers you 8 cores by default when you buy any of their packages. This means that digital ocean wins, in terms of performance. However, purchasing a plan with digital Ocean will mean that you will have to part with at least $160 per month.
Amazon prices vary depending on your transfer rate. You should also consider the purchasing of storage if you buy a plan on Amazon. This means that the price could go up to $240 per month.
As with everything, your individual needs should be the basis of your decision on which service to pick. The three companies offer very similar packages at almost similar pricing. The real difference between Linode and Digital Ocean is choosing between I/O or CPU performance. Amazon has storage limitations, unless you have deep pockets.