A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtualized server environment that functions like a dedicated server but is hosted on a shared physical server. It provides dedicated resources (CPU, RAM, storage) and isolated environments for each user, balancing shared hosting and dedicated servers. The terms VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) and VM (Virtual Machine) essentially refer to a virtual server as well; we use VPS to highlight its dedicated and isolated nature at the operating system level.

It is considered 'dedicated' because each server is completely isolated from others at the operating system level.

Essentially, these terms all refer to a virtual server. VDS stands for Virtual Dedicated Server, VPS for Virtual Private Server, and VM for Virtual Machine. We prefer using the VPS abbreviation to highlight that the server is fully dedicated and isolated from other servers.

This requires a combination of appropriate hardware and software. The hardware needs special CPUs supporting virtualization. The software requires a hypervisor application, which is installed on the bare hardware. This special operating system allows for the installation, hosting, and management of virtual servers.

There are various hosting options available, such as service hosting (web, database, etc.), VDS/VPS, cloud, dedicated server hosting, and colocation. VPS stands out as the most affordable solution offering high flexibility, combining the price range of service hosting with capabilities typically available only in dedicated hosting or colocation.

Choosing a VPS offers significant advantages, including cost-effectiveness over dedicated servers, enhanced performance and isolation over shared hosting, full control over your server environment, and the ability to scale resources as your needs evolve. You also benefit from high-quality, branded equipment and advanced remote manageability.

In unmanaged VPS hosting, you are provided with full administrative control over your virtual server, making you responsible for tasks like OS updates, security patching, and software installations. In contrast, managed VPS hosting includes these responsibilities being handled by the provider. Our VPS hosting is unmanaged (Self-managed), granting you full root access (for Linux) or full administrator access (for Windows) to your server. This gives you complete control over your operating system, software installations, configurations, and security within your VPS environment. For any questions about managing your VPS, our support team can provide guidance on infrastructure-related queries.

While our 24/7 customer support team assists with hardware and network-related concerns, you are responsible for managing the operating system, applications, security updates, and any custom software installed on your VPS.

You can run a wide range of modern operating systems on your VPS. For the most up-to-date list of supported Windows and Linux distributions, please refer to our VPS product pages.

Yes, using VMware ESXi, you can remotely attach OS installation media (CD/DVD/ISO image), making it visible as a local CD/DVD ROM on the VDS. Installation time may vary depending on your connection speed.

Our VPS plans come with the selected operating system installed. Depending on the OS and specific plan, certain common components might be pre-configured. For example, some Linux distributions may include Webmin, and certain Windows Server versions may come with IIS (Internet Information Services) or Microsoft SQL Server (if chosen as part of your plan or during setup). Please check the details on our product pages for specific plan inclusions.

Yes, our VPS plans offer various customization options. You can choose your preferred operating system and tailor resource allocations (CPU, RAM, storage, bandwidth) through our management portal. For more granular control, you can configure a Custom VPS. If you have unique customization needs, our support team is available to assist in finding the best solution for you.

Yes, as you're provided with full root (Linux) or administrator (Windows) access to your VPS, you have the freedom to make significant low-level system changes, including installing custom kernels, as long as these changes don't violate our Universal Terms of Service Agreement or compromise the stability of our overall network infrastructure. For guidance on potentially complex system changes, our support team is here to assist with infrastructure-related queries.

The only limits are the physical parameters of the server (disk space, memory, processor power, and network bandwidth). You can host websites, services, and databases; use it for trading, intensive calculations, gaming servers, proxy solutions, VOIP gateways, etc. With full root/administrator access to your VPS, you have the freedom to install virtually any compatible software or application that meets your requirements, including web servers, databases, development tools, and more. However, activities like spamming, phishing, or any crime under US law are prohibited. For clarity on prohibited activities and content, please refer to our terms of service, our Restrictions on Applications section within our Universal Terms of Service Agreement and Hosting Service Agreement. If you are unsure whether a specific application or activity is permitted, please contact our customer support team for clarification.

No, we do not directly support containerization technologies like Docker or Kubernetes. While you have full root/administrator access to install such software, our support team does not assist with its configuration, troubleshooting, or operation within your VPS. For advanced setup inquiries or troubleshooting specific to these technologies, you may need to consult community resources or external specialists.

Remote management of the VPS can be done via our built-in web console, irrespective of the installed operating system or the state of the VDS. Additional remote server management capabilities are available depending on the operating system: Windows servers can be managed with Remote Desktop Connection (RDC), and Linux/Unix servers have SSH enabled by default.

We provide our own proprietary, custom-built control panel for managing your VPS. This single, unified control panel is used to manage both Windows and Linux VPS environments, though the available management options within the panel may vary slightly based on the chosen operating system to best support its specific features. The panel offers a comprehensive suite of features for remote and distributed server management, including IIS, MS SQL, mail management, user account management, billing, and support tools.

No, we do not provide or support licenses for third-party control panels like cPanel or Plesk. Our proprietary, custom-built control panel is the only one intended for direct management of your VPS environment. You have full root/administrator access to install other software, but official support and licensing for those panels are not included.

Our VPS infrastructure is built on high-quality, branded enterprise-grade hardware to ensure optimal performance and reliability. This includes powerful Intel Xeon and AMD Epyc processors and server-grade RAM. Our storage system is based on enterprise-grade NVMe SSDs and SAS HDDs in a RAID configuration. For more in-depth hardware specifications, our support team is happy to provide details.

Disk space is dedicated but shared among virtual servers without overprovisioning. Memory is dedicated without overlap, and each server has its allocated physical memory. The processor is shared as well. Overall, our system ensures that the availability of virtual CPUs is always optimal for all virtual servers.

Yes, each VPS plan comes with a dedicated IP address. Additional IP addresses are also available if your specific needs require them. Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are fully supported across our VPS plans. For inquiries about additional IP addresses or specific IP configurations, our support team is ready to assist.

Yes, we do provide basic DNS records management, granted you point your domain name to our name servers.

No, there are no filters. All ports and protocols are open.

We're committed to providing highly reliable VPS hosting, backed by a 99.9% uptime guarantee. This guarantee applies to available time per month, with specific conditions and exclusions detailed in our Service Uptime Guarantee policy . For example, it doesn't apply to interruptions caused by scheduled maintenance, your custom scripting, or factors beyond our reasonable control.

Our VPS hosting infrastructure is strategically located in several key regions to provide optimal performance and reliability. You can choose from our data centers in the Central and Eastern USA (Charlotte, NC, and Kansas City, MO) and Central Europe (Prague, Czech Republic). We're also actively expanding our global presence, with upcoming locations including the Western USA (Seattle area), Central India, and Malaysia. During the setup of your VPS, you can select your preferred server location based on your target audience or opt for automatic selection by our system; choosing a location closer to your users can significantly improve performance by reducing latency and speeding up website loading times.

Our multi-layered security (including robust firewalls, sophisticated DDoS protection, regular security patches, and stringent access control mechanisms) protects our VPS environment. You are responsible for securing your own applications.

We perform daily server backups, securely storing them for 7 days, primarily for disaster recovery only. You can request a restoration by reaching out to our dedicated support team. However, we strongly advise all VPS users to maintain their own long-term archives by keeping separate off-site backups of their critically important data.

We're committed to high standards of data protection and adhere to major compliance regulations relevant to our services and data center locations, such as GDPR. Our data centers and operational processes are designed to meet these rigorous compliance frameworks. However, while we adhere to general data protection principles, our standard VPS hosting services are not certified for PCI or HIPAA compliance. If you have specific compliance requirements such as PCI or HIPAA, please contact our support team to discuss potential solutions or whether our services can meet your specific needs.

Our VPS hosting plans are designed to be competitive and transparent. Pricing is determined by the specific resources you select for your virtual server, including CPU cores, RAM allocation, storage capacity, and bandwidth allowance. You can be confident in our transparent billing practices, with no hidden fees. If you require additional resources beyond your initial plan, they can typically be added at a prorated cost. Prices and fees are subject to change as outlined in our Universal Terms of Service Agreement. For detailed pricing inquiries or to discuss a custom quote, don't hesitate to contact our support team.

We want you to feel confident in your choice of our VPS services. Therefore, we offer a 60-day money-back guarantee for your first plan purchased in the same category, applicable within 60 days from the transaction date. This allows you to thoroughly test our hosting environment risk-free. Please review our full Refund Policy for specific eligibility and restrictions, as recurring subscriptions, trials, and services with completed IT requests are not eligible. A 7-day trial period is also available for a small fee.

We offer flexible billing cycles, including monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, biennially, and triennially, with discounts often applied for longer terms. Payment methods accepted include major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), PayPal, and cryptocurrency. All transactions are secured with industry-standard encryption.

You can typically initiate the cancellation request through our control panel. Please ensure you review your current billing cycle and our Refund Policy for any applicable terms regarding cancellations. We recommend backing up any critical data off your server before initiating a cancellation, as your content will be removed upon service termination. For any questions about the cancellation process or refund eligibility, our support team is ready to assist.

We believe our VPS hosting offers a compelling advantage over the competition through a combination of reliability, comprehensive support, and exceptional performance. We provide an affordable solution without compromising on advanced features such as high availability, robust security measures, and our dedicated, expert customer team. This commitment to quality and service distinguishes us in the hosting market.

Windows VPS provides a virtual server running a Windows OS, ideal for Windows-based applications. This is the choice for users familiar with the Windows environment or needing to run applications and services specifically designed for Windows.

Yes, RDC is the primary way to manage your Windows VPS graphically. You will receive administrator credentials, allowing you to log in to your server's graphical interface from your local machine, just like a physical desktop.

Yes, it's perfect for .NET applications with full control over components. Windows VPS is the perfect environment for hosting and running applications built on the .NET framework, offering full control over necessary components and configurations for optimal performance.

Yes, a Windows VPS provides the necessary infrastructure for SQL Server databases. You'll have the flexibility to configure SQL Server according to your application's needs. For questions about SQL Server setup or optimization, our support team is here to help.

Yes, it's ideally suited for ASP.NET websites with IIS and .NET framework support. With IIS (Internet Information Services) readily available and full support for the .NET framework, you can deploy and manage your ASP.NET applications with ease.

We support various modern Windows Server versions. For the most up-to-date list of available versions, please refer to our Windows VPS Product page. 

Yes, with full administrator access, you can install a wide range of compatible Microsoft products on your Windows VPS, such as Exchange Server (depending on resources), SharePoint (for specific versions and resources), and other Windows-based applications, provided they adhere to our Universal Terms of Service.

Key considerations include Windows Updates, firewall, strong RDP passwords, and antivirus. For a Windows VPS, common security best practices include regularly applying Windows Updates, configuring Windows Firewall, using strong, unique passwords for RDP access, restricting RDP access to trusted IPs, and installing antivirus/antimalware software. Keeping your server updated is crucial.

Linux VPS provides a virtual server running a Linux OS, ideal for control and customization. It offers a powerful and flexible environment for developers, system administrators, and anyone who prefers Linux's control and customization. 

Yes, you receive full root (superuser) access for complete server control. This gives you complete control over your server environment, allowing you to install any compatible software and configure it to your exact specifications.

Yes, Linux is foundational for web servers, compatible with Apache, Nginx, PHP, Python, etc. It's the base for a vast majority of web servers worldwide, known for its compatibility with popular web server software and scripting languages. Its stability and security make it an excellent choice for hosting websites of all sizes and complexities.

We support various popular Linux distributions. For the most up-to-date list of available distributions, please refer to our Linux VPS Product Page, easily located through the navigation menu.

Our Linux VPS environments are compatible with a wide array of server applications, including popular web servers like Apache and Nginx, database systems such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB, and various programming languages like PHP, Python, and Ruby. You have the flexibility to install and configure applications that meet your specific needs.

Yes, you can configure and run your own mail server (e.g., Postfix, Exim, Dovecot) on your Linux VPS. Having full root access allows you to set up and manage your email services independently. 

Key practices include regular updates, firewall configuration, SSH key usage, and auditing. For a Linux VPS, common security best practices include regularly updating your operating system and software, configuring a firewall (e.g., UFW or Iptables), using SSH keys instead of passwords for remote access, disabling root login via SSH, and regularly auditing logs. We recommend staying informed on the latest security advisories for your chosen distribution.

An SSD VPS uses Solid State Drives for its primary storage, offering significantly faster data access than traditional HDDs.

Yes, SSDs significantly improve website loading speeds due to faster file access. Their speed in accessing and delivering website files is critical, allowing your website to load much faster for users, which can improve user satisfaction and potentially boost search engine rankings.

Yes, it ensures quick content serving and responsive applications under heavy load. The rapid data access speeds of SSDs ensure content is served quickly and applications remain responsive even under heavy load, providing a superior user experience.

SSDs dramatically improve database performance due to low latency and high IOPS. Databases, especially those with high read/write operations (like e-commerce sites or applications with frequent data access), benefit immensely from SSDs' low latency and high IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), translating to faster query execution and overall more responsive applications.

Yes, our SSD infrastructure typically uses RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations for SSD storage. This setup enhances data redundancy and performance, ensuring your data is protected against individual drive failures and continues to operate efficiently.

Generally, SSDs are considered more reliable than HDDs due to the lack of moving parts. While both have their lifespans, the absence of moving parts in SSDs leads to greater durability. We also utilize enterprise-grade SSDs, designed for demanding workloads, and often include advanced reliability features.

The price difference has become less significant, offering excellent value for performance. While SSD technology initially carried a higher cost, the price difference between SSD and traditional HDD storage has become less significant. We strive to offer our SSD VPS plans at competitive prices, recognizing the substantial performance benefits they provide.

No, we offer a variety of VPS hosting plans, where customers can select either SSD or HDD, however, a significant portion of them are powered by high-performance SSD storage to ensure optimal speed and reliability. We recommend checking the specific details and specifications of each plan on our SSD VPS Product Page to confirm the type of storage utilized. Both Windows and Linux SSD VPS plans are available.

Let's Encrypt is a widely recognized certification authority that provides free, automated, and open SSL/TLS certificates. These certificates enable HTTPS on websites, ensuring secure and encrypted connections for web users.

No, the SSL certificates provided by Let’s Encrypt through Somee.com are completely free for all domains hosted on our platform.

All paid hosting packages at Somee.com include automatic renewal of Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates. This means that your website will remain secure throughout the hosting duration without the need for manual renewals.

Using Let's Encrypt SSL certificates enhances your website's security by encrypting data transferred between the server and the clients. It also improves trust among your site visitors and is beneficial for SEO rankings.

Setting up a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate on Somee.com is straightforward. After hosting your domain with us, you can easily configure the SSL certificate from your hosting control panel, and it will be automatically maintained.

Somee provides initial support to ensure your Let's Encrypt certificate is correctly issued, includes the correct domain name, is not expired, and is properly installed on our hosting. Once these initial steps are completed successfully, any further technical issues or specific questions about the certificate's ongoing functionality should be directed to the Let's Encrypt support channels. We are primarily responsible for the correct issuance and installation within our environment.

Yes, Let's Encrypt is widely trusted and its certificates are recognized by all major web browsers, ensuring broad compatibility and trustworthiness.

Absolutely. Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates are suitable for all types of websites, including e-commerce platforms, where securing user data is crucial.

If you move your website to a different hosting provider, you will need to reconfigure your SSL certificate with the new host. The certificates from Let’s Encrypt are not tied to Somee.com and can be set up with any provider.

Let's Encrypt certificates are designed for general use and cover most typical website needs. However, they do not include certain features like Extended Validation (EV). For specialized requirements, you may need to consider other types of SSL certificates.

ASP.NET hosting utilizes ASP.NET, a technology and coding language primarily used for creating websites on servers and typically selected with Windows hosting. Known for its stability and extensive capabilities, it is a preferred choice alongside Linux in our hosting packages. Leveraging the .NET framework, ASP.NET excels in integrating with other Windows applications. Microsoft's web platform with ASP.NET ensures high-performance server-based content and applications. Its compatibility with major web standards and coding languages like PHP, Java, and C# assures seamless integration with various projects. This flexibility and compatibility can significantly reduce development time and enhance project performance.

ASP.NET  Core is designed for high performance and consistently outperforms many other popular web frameworks in independent benchmarks like TechEmpower.

Yes, ASP.NET  Core is built to be modern and innovative. It supports the rapid evolution of runtime components, APIs, compilers, and languages, ensuring the stability of your applications. Additionally, it allows multiple versions to coexist on the same server.

Yes, ASP.NET  Core is open-source and part of the wider .NET framework. It has a thriving community with contributions from over 60,000 developers and 3,700 companies on GitHub.

ASP.NET  Core is cross-platform, allowing you to develop and run applications on macOS, Windows, Linux, and even in Docker containers. Comprehensive tools are available across the Visual Studio family and via command-line utilities for various platforms.

ASP.NET  Core offers flexible deployment options. You can deploy applications with an integrated ASP.NET Core runtime or on a centralized web server. The framework is also optimized for use with Docker containers.

Microsoft provides official, Azure-tested .NET releases with full support, along with a flexible support policy for ASP.NET  Core. You can choose between long-term support (LTS) releases or the latest releases, which receive more frequent updates. Additionally, Red Hat offers support for .NET Core on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).

The free hosting plan offers:

• 1 website with a free third-level subdomain (e.g., yourname.somee.com)
• 150 MB of storage space
• 5 GB of monthly data transfer
• Support for ASP.NET versions 2.0 to 4.8 and ASP.NET Core versions 3 to 9
• 1 MS SQL Express database with 30 MB of data and 30 MB of log size
• FTP access for file uploads
• Free SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt
• Email forwarding plan (no mailboxes included)
• One web domain

Note: A small advertisement is automatically inserted at the bottom of each page to support the free service.

To deploy your application:

• Publish your project using Visual Studio or your preferred IDE.
• Upload files via FTP to your Somee hosting account.
• Configure your database through the control panel if your application uses MS SQL.
• Set the start page in your web.config file to ensure the correct default page loads.

If your website exceeds the 5 GB monthly data transfer limit, it may become temporarily inaccessible until the next billing cycle. To avoid interruptions, consider monitoring your bandwidth usage or upgrading to a paid plan with higher limits.

The free plan includes an email forwarding feature but does not provide full mailbox services. For comprehensive email hosting, you may need to explore Somee's paid hosting options.

Absolutely. Somee offers various paid hosting plans with enhanced features, including increased storage, bandwidth, and support for multiple websites. You can upgrade at any time through your account dashboard.

Technical support is limited for free hosting users. For prioritized support and additional assistance, consider upgrading to a paid hosting plan.

To keep your website active:

• Ensure it receives at least one visit every 30 days.
• For MS SQL databases, perform at least one SQL operation (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) within a 30-day period.

Regular activity helps prevent automatic removal due to inactivity.

The free hosting plan includes a free third-level subdomain (e.g., yourname.somee.com).

MS SQL Express versions 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2022 are supported.

SQL Server offers superior security, scalability, high availability, and business intelligence. It integrates seamlessly with Windows Authentication and provides robust data encryption. Its capacity to manage petabytes of data with high performance makes it highly scalable. Additionally, SQL Server includes failover clustering and features for business analytics, and it supports integration with various coding languages and tools.

Microsoft SQL Azure is a cloud-based service built on SQL Server. It offers high availability and scalability with minimal administration. SQL Azure supports ADO.NET and ODBC, and can be managed through a web client or SQL Server Management Studio. It is ideal for remote and mobile data access.

SQL Server can be self-hosted or outsourced. Outsourcing is economical and reduces maintenance and licensing costs. SQL Azure is a robust cloud-based platform for SQL Server hosting with certain limitations. Hosting flexibility depends on the specific needs of the project.

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), starting with SQL Server 2005, is a web-based reporting engine supporting parameterized reports, report subscriptions, and custom security. It can export reports in various formats and integrates with SharePoint for reporting.

SQL Server 2008 and later versions support Spatial data, including planar and geodetic data types. It integrates with location-aware services, allowing storage and retrieval of map and location data directly in the database.

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) facilitate data integration and transformation from various sources. The Enterprise Edition of SQL Server offers advanced features like data mining and SAP integration. Standard Import/Export Wizard handles common data integration tasks.

SQL Server Compact is suitable for mobile device applications, supporting standalone and intermittently connected applications with synchronization capabilities. It is ideal for fieldwork applications with two-way data synchronization.

SQL Server Compact is free for both use and distribution. It is suitable for mobile devices, desktops, and web applications. It provides transactional support, referential integrity, merge replication, and ADO.NET and LINQ support, and integrates with Visual Studio and WebMatrix.

Windows Hosting uses hardware running the Microsoft Windows Server operating system. It might be your best bet if you're already familiar with Windows on desktop computers and would prefer to stick with what you know.

Fans of Windows Hosting will tell you it's one of the easier web hosting products to use, and less complicated when it comes to adding features to expand your website. Windows Hosting is also backed by Microsoft, which regularly provides updates to keep your hosting secure and free of bugs.

On the more technical side, Windows server hosting is the only hardware capable of running the Visual Basic or .NET programming languages. It's also your best option for scripting Active Server Pages (.ASP).

We are an official Microsoft SPLA partner and have access to the latest Microsoft software. We usually wait for one to three months after the new framework release before installing it, as fresh releases are prone to bugs and may crash our servers. However, you can rest assured that we will support the latest ASP.Net and .Net Core frameworks. Feel free to contact our support for more details on the release dates.

Yes, and we provide a secure database directory that is configured to disallow direct downloading of .mdb files. It's worth noting, though, that Access databases were not designed for use on the web. We recommend migrating your Access data to Microsoft SQL.

Yes, you can host your website even if you don't own a domain. We will provide you with a free, third-level domain for your website. You will also have the option to add additional domains to your website later, whenever you choose to do so.

If you already own a domain name, you do not have to transfer it to us. You can continue your relationship with your current domain registrar and pay them for your domain renewals. However, you will need to point your domain to the website hosted with us, either by zone transfer to our name servers or by adding the A or CNAME records at your domain name registrar.

We perform daily backups as part of our emergency recovery plan, but these backups are not intended for customer use. We recommend that you maintain a backup of your website on your local computer. If necessary, we can retrieve individual website files from our backups, but we have to charge a fee to perform the search and file recovery. Additionally, we cannot guarantee that the files we recover will be the most recent snapshot of your site.

Windows Hosting is well-suited for a wide range of websites, including personal blogs, business websites, e-commerce stores, and more. It's particularly beneficial for websites that utilize ASP.NET or .NET Core technologies, as well as those requiring compatibility with Microsoft products and languages.

While Windows Hosting is optimized for ASP.NET and .NET Core, we also support a variety of other programming languages and technologies, including PHP, Python, and more. Our hosting platform is designed to accommodate diverse development needs.

We are committed to providing reliable hosting services, and we offer an uptime guarantee of 99.9%. This means that we strive to ensure your website is accessible to visitors around the clock, with minimal downtime for maintenance or upgrades.

We take website security seriously. Our hosting infrastructure includes firewalls, intrusion detection systems, regular security updates, and malware scanning to safeguard your website and data. Additionally, we offer SSL certificates for secure data transmission.

We schedule server maintenance during off-peak hours to minimize disruption. While we strive to keep downtime to a minimum, occasional maintenance may be necessary to ensure the stability and security of our hosting environment.