Table of contents

Choosing the right VPS providerPicking the right planConfiguring and purchasing your VPSAccessing and managing your VPSShould you buy a VPS?FAQsGetting startedAdditional resources

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How to buy a VPS

A virtual private server (VPS) gives you more power, flexibility, and control than shared hosting, but knowing how to choose one can feel overwhelming at first.

Let’s walk through how to buy a VPS step-by-step, including how to compare providers, configure your plan, and set up your new server with confidence.

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Choosing the right VPS provider

Before anything else, you need to find a VPS provider that fits your needs and budget. This is the most important step in the process.

What to look for in a provider

Uptime guarantees: Look for 99.99% or higher with a clear SLA
Performance: Prioritize SSD or NVMe storage and modern CPUs
Security: Basic firewall protection should be included, with options for upgrades
Support: 24/7 customer support is a must
Scalability: Make sure it’s easy to scale your server up or down
Control panels: cPanel, Plesk, or InterWorx should be available if you don’t want to use the command line
OS options: Choose a host that lets you pick your preferred Linux distro or Windows version

How to compare VPS providers

Check user reviews on Trustpilot or G2 to find real-world feedback
Look at plan specs side-by-side using comparison tools or blog reviews
Don’t just chase the lowest price. Cheap VPS plans often come with slow performance and minimal support
Look for clear pricing (no surprise fees for bandwidth or support)

Picking the right VPS plan

VPS plans can be fully customized or offered as pre-built tiers. To avoid overpaying or under-provisioning, understand what your site or app actually needs.

Estimate your resource needs

CPU: Start with 1–2 cores for most websites, scale up for apps, games, or APIs
RAM: At least 2GB for WordPress or small apps; 4GB+ for dynamic or database-heavy sites
Storage: Go SSD or NVMe. 20–40GB is plenty for small projects; 100GB+ for larger workloads
Bandwidth: Unmetered or high transfer caps are ideal for ecommerce, media, or traffic spikes

Linux vs Windows VPS

Linux VPS: Cheaper, more stable, and ideal for PHP, Python, Node.js, or WordPress
Windows VPS: Needed for ASP.NET, Microsoft SQL Server, or legacy applications

Managed vs unmanaged VPS

Managed: The provider handles server updates, patches, backups, and often security
Unmanaged: You do everything yourself—best if you’re comfortable with Linux or Windows server environments

Learn more: Managed VPS vs unmanaged VPS hosting: What’s the difference?

Configuring and purchasing your VPS

Once you’ve chosen a provider and plan, it’s time to customize the details and check out.

What you’ll configure at checkout

Operating system: Pick from Ubuntu, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Debian, or Windows
Control panel: Add cPanel, Plesk, or InterWorx if you want GUI-based management
Add-ons: You can usually add backups, malware protection, SSL certificates, or more bandwidth
Billing cycle: Choose monthly or save money with annual/prepaid billing

Completing the purchase

Create your account and verify your email
Enter payment details (most hosts accept credit cards, PayPal, or wire transfer)
Wait for provisioning—most VPS servers are ready in under 10 minutes

Accessing and managing your VPS

Once your VPS is live, you’ll receive credentials (IP address, username, password, or SSH key) to log in and get started.

How to connect to your VPS

Linux VPS: Use SSH in your terminal. Example: ssh root@your-ip-address
Windows VPS: Use Remote Desktop (RDP) to connect from your PC or Mac

Initial setup tasks

Run system updates: apt update && apt upgrade (Ubuntu/Debian) or yum update (CentOS/AlmaLinux)
Set up a firewall like UFW or CSF
Install your app stack (LAMP, LEMP, Node.js, etc.)
Add swap space if needed
Set up backups, monitoring tools, and security basics like fail2ban or SSH key login

WSB works well for small-to-medium workloads and supports daily backup automation.

Should you buy a VPS? (Is it the right fit?)

Some users jump into VPS hosting too soon, while others wait until shared hosting becomes a performance bottleneck.

VPS is ideal if:

You need root access to install custom software.
You’re running ecommerce, CRM, analytics, or SaaS tools.
You’ve outgrown shared hosting and need guaranteed resources.
You want to host multiple websites in isolated environments.
You’re building a game server, dev/staging environment, or app backend.

FAQ about buying a VPS

Yes—you can buy a VPS from any major hosting provider. You’re essentially renting a virtual portion of a dedicated server with its own OS and resources.

Unmanaged VPS plans start around $5 to $10 per month. Managed VPS hosting typically starts around $25 to $40 per month, depending on support, specs, and features.

Choose a hosting provider, pick a plan, configure your server (OS, control panel, add-ons), and complete checkout. You’ll then receive login credentials to access your VPS.

Next steps for buying a VPS

Buying a VPS is about more than just clicking “buy now.” You need to choose the right provider, plan, and features that match your site or app’s goals.

Ready to dive in? Compare a few top-tier VPS hosts and look closely at how each one handles support, scaling, and server management.

When you’re ready for a high-quality VPS, Liquid Web can help. We’ve been leading the industry for decades, because our VPS servers are fast, cloud-based for easy scalability, and unbeatably reliable. Choose your favorite OS and the management tier that works best for you.

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