5 Problems With A Pre-Packaged VPS vs A Managed VPS

Here at NameHero, we give you the freedom to configure your VPS as you wish. But many people aren’t ready for this kind of management, so they opt for a “pre-packaged” VPS instead. These providers use the infrastructure of companies like DigitalOcean and Amazon or Google Compute and install pre-packaged applications that you can manage through a dashboard. This does away with the need for server management skills. However, there are a few disadvantages to this approach.

Problem 1: No Root Access Means Possible Security Issues

Companies that pre-package their server software onto a 3^rd party’s infrastructure typically don’t give you root access to your server. This means that a rogue employee can wreak havoc on your website by accessing it without authorization. I’m not being hypothetical. Some time ago, a Cloudways employee stole a customer’s content. Since then, the company has made changes to its operating procedures, and presumably tightened things up.

But in principle, giving root access on your server to someone else isn’t a good idea. Even with an ordinary managed VPS solution like NameHero, I create a separate debugging account with sudo privileges and switch it on temporarily if the technical support guys need access. Then I switch it off.

Bottom line: No one should have root privileges to your server except people you absolutely trust. Unfortunately, no matter how reputable a company is, you can’t trust everyone that works for them, and by having your credentials “out there”, you leave open the possibility of abuse.

Problem 2: Scaling Isn’t Seamless

If you need additional resources for your server, NameHero will provision your server almost instantly, and you can start using it without any hassles. Here’s a video showing how easy NameHero makes it:

With a pre-packaged VPS solution, however, scaling isn’t this fluid. This is because the service provider will need to request another VPS instance with the new specifications, build everything again, and do the transfer. This often takes your VPS off-line for a while, and even if you do it during non-peak hours, it’s annoying.

Some providers don’t allow you to scale down, because of the way things are set up. So that’s another disadvantage of pre-packaged VPS solutions, as opposed to what you get with NameHero.

Problem 3: No cPanel, Plesk, or InterWorx

Unlike a regular VPS, your service provider will typically have their own web control interface. With NameHero on the other hand, you can choose either cPanel or InterWorx. I chose InterWorx for my website WP-Tweaks.com, because it was offered for free, unlike cPanel with 5 licenses that I didn’t need. But at least you know that you have the option.

Pre-packaged VPS providers have a custom interface that lets you perform a very limited set of actions. In many ways, the server doesn’t belong to you. They just give you an interface through which you can manage your sites.

Problem 4: No Custom Software

With a pre-packaged VPS, you’re stuck with whatever the provider offers. You can’t install custom software like say, Object caching with Redis or Memcached, or install analytics software like New Relic if your provider doesn’t support it.

You might want to use your server as a VPN for security reasons, but you can’t do any of this with a readymade VPS. With NameHero, thanks to full root control, you can install any software on your server that you see fit.

Tradeoff Between Convenience and Power

I’m the first to admit that for those without experience, server management is scary. And people simply don’t have the time or the inclination to learn, and that’s fine. After all, you might have better things on which to spend your time. But it’s important that you’re aware of the differences, and what you’re missing out on so that you’re not disappointed later on.