What's the minimum vps spec?

[Juicy J]

Right now I am using ppv and only using share hosting for my websites. What are some min specs that will make webpage load faster? Right now, I am on a budget and can't afford a dedicated server. Please recommend me some hosts and specs

Also is Pingdom Tools a good tool to test page load speed? According to the test I compare my current site load time with google.
My load time:

 

[Marc]

Wow @Juicy J, 60 s for 72 kB is really unacceptable!! It's said, a good site speed is 1.5s, already 3s is considered as slow!!

I don't know which host you're using, but I never heard such bad results @ HostGator.

A few tips to reduce the loading speed are minimizing and optimizing images, reducing the plugins and addons, no redirects, and using browser-caching.

But also Google provides with PageSpeed a very good tool to optimize your site

 

[MxyzptlkFishStix]

Get a VPS. However, even for shared hosting that's incrediblly slow especially if it's a static page.

 

[utdream]

Does your site do any server-side processing? For example, a wordpress site will require the server to do a lot more processing than a site that only uses HTML, CSS, and JS.

Like a previous posted said, those are some really bad load times. Chances are good that your hosting company has overloaded the shared server you're currently using. For a quick fix, you could try to work with your current hosting company, explaining the page load problem, and maybe ask them to move you to a less crowded server. If they're a good hosting company, they will do what they can to keep your business.

For VPS accounts, the answer (as usual with technology) is "it depends". Minimum VPS specifications depends on what you're doing with your VPS and where you plan to go with it. I suggest starting small, and upgrading as needed. That way you're not paying for more resources than you need.

Also, unless you're comfortable setting up, tuning, updating, securing, monitoring your own server, I'd recommend a company offering a "Managed VPS". I'm not talking about GoDaddy's idea of Managed, but a truly managed VPS where the support technicians actually talk to you and help you figure out any problems you might have with it. Cheap VPS companies are tempting, but companies offering true Managed Services can be a massive help when you really need it.

Also, don't forget to review their backup policy. Many companies claim to have good backups but when you need it, it turns out to be crazy old and the company charges extortionist rates to do a restore.

Hope this helps.

-Jordan

 

[azgold]

60s load time?!? Wow, unbelievable. I have a shared hosting HG account and my load speed is way faster than that.

Also, unless you're comfortable setting up, tuning, updating, securing, monitoring your own server, I'd recommend a company offering a "Managed VPS".

I'm not comfortable with it because I have NO idea what to do. Is there a company (or companies) you recommend or know about that would be good for the technically challenged (me)?

 

[Juicy J]

Does your site do any server-side processing? For example, a wordpress site will require the server to do a lot more processing than a site that only uses HTML, CSS, and JS.

Like a previous posted said, those are some really bad load times. Chances are good that your hosting company has overloaded the shared server you're currently using. For a quick fix, you could try to work with your current hosting company, explaining the page load problem, and maybe ask them to move you to a less crowded server. If they're a good hosting company, they will do what they can to keep your business.

For VPS accounts, the answer (as usual with technology) is "it depends". Minimum VPS specifications depends on what you're doing with your VPS and where you plan to go with it. I suggest starting small, and upgrading as needed. That way you're not paying for more resources than you need.

Also, unless you're comfortable setting up, tuning, updating, securing, monitoring your own server, I'd recommend a company offering a "Managed VPS". I'm not talking about GoDaddy's idea of Managed, but a truly managed VPS where the support technicians actually talk to you and help you figure out any problems you might have with it. Cheap VPS companies are tempting, but companies offering true Managed Services can be a massive help when you really need it.

Also, don't forget to review their backup policy. Many companies claim to have good backups but when you need it, it turns out to be crazy old and the company charges extortionist rates to do a restore.

Hope this helps.

-Jordan

I have no experience with vps and how to host a website on a vps. I think the load speed was off because the tool was requesting some of the files from my server and could not load them. I tried gtmetrix and here's the new result:

I can optimize all the files on my share hosting, but I don't if I host the files on a vps will make it load even faster. I am planning on using a vps for my webpages and send ppv traffic to those webpages, so load time is everything. I need to look for the minimum spec to host my sites. Also on my share host, from time to time my site will get flag and block by google and this maybe due to users contaminating the share host causing my site go down as well. I am also not a technical guy so I am really lost here, there's so many plans such as cdn, cloud host, ssd ect

 

[utdream]

I'm not comfortable with it because I have NO idea what to do. Is there a company (or companies) you recommend or know about that would be good for the technically challenged (me)?

Yes, but (full disclosure) I'm probably a little biased because I'm on the board of a hosting company that I believe is truly awesome.

Here's a list of some Managed Hosting companies that I believe run their business well:

- Rackspace
- Liquidweb
- Peer1
- Vivio Technologies
- Wiredtree
- Hostek

Some of the more expensive "Managed" hosting companies would be Rackspace, Liquidweb, and Peer1. These companies offer fantastic support with truly helpful technicians, but you will feel it in the wallet.

Some more affordable Managed Hosting alternatives would be Vivio Technologies, WiredTree, or Hostek. These companies offer awesome support, don't cost an arm and a leg, but they each have their ups and downs.

Some questions to ask:

1. Do they offer to help you move your site? (Could save you time and money, even if charge you a little for it)
2. Do they offer to help move your domain and email services as well as your website? (some places don't!!!)
3. Do you have to be running a specific control panel to get help moving your site/services? (some places require you to be using a specific control panel, or they won't help you.)
4. What does their Managed Support actually cover? (will they log in to your server and help you figure out issues, or is what they call "managed" just a marketing ploy)
5. What does their backup policy look like? How often do they backup? How long are backups retained?
6. Will they do backup restorations for free? (watch out for surprise charges!)
7. Can you restore specific files? (some places make you restore your entire server, which stinks if you only accidentally deleted a single file...)
8. Do they give you access to your backups? Can you do your own restorations?
9. Do they Monitor your site for free? (most don't!)
10. If your site monitor goes off, do their technicians log in and figure out why your site went down? (again, most don't! This can significantly affect your uptime on your VPS!)
11. Can you remove your "managed support" when you're not using it? (some places don't let you remove it, which can be expensive if you're not using it)

...and I could go on, but you get the idea.

This is an area I've done a lot of research in, and there are a lot of pitfalls and marketing tricks that hosting companies use. I've thought about writing a free PDF or something about how to go about choosing the best web host. Unfortunately I haven't ever made the time to create it. Sounds like that might be a helpful project for the future?

Anyway, thank you for YOUR help. I'm learning a lot by reading the posts on this forum. =)

-Jordan

 

[utdream]

I think the load speed was off because the tool was requesting some of the files from my server and could not load them. I tried gtmetrix and here's the new result:

Nice. Those load times look much better.

So, the main advantage of a VPS for you would be the isolation it provides from other users who appear to be causing you grief. Website blocking (and other annoying things) are pretty common with shared hosting, and the "good" shared hosting companies have to really stay on top of it to keep the garbage from affecting too many good users.

I am also not a technical guy so I am really lost here, there's so many plans such as cdn, cloud host, ssd ect

Well, I'm sure that's why the owners of this forum put this place together - so we could help each other. I'm extremely familiar with this stuff - so I'm happy to help with any specific question you have - just like I'm sure others on this forum would. That's what a community is all about. =)

-Jordan

 

[banksy]

The price you pay for a shared hosting, you can add a little and get a vps with 1GB ram and a lot of space with latest SSD harddisks and unlimited bandwith, but you need to know how to manage a vps installing the OS and panel to take all the control of your websites. If you are ready to pay $20+ then is better to buy full managed vps then you will focus your campaigns and forget any problem of your server. If you need top rated companies, let me know. I have many experience for many years and I can guide you

 

[Hostissimus]

I guess there was some issue at Pingdom, as the 60 second result is awful. If you have a limited knowledge, I would strongly recommend a fully managed VPS with cPanel, as without any technical knowledge, you can find useful articles if you would like to change settings for example.

 

[Max Black]

I'd recommend making good use of server side caching and make sure that any javascript being used is minimized.