Choosing Your Hosting Server Tier: A 101domain Server Buying Guide

Before committing to an annual VPS or Dedicated Server subscription, it's crucial to thoroughly assess your website’s requirements such as resource usage, traffic patterns, optimization, performance metrics, and other relevant factors. Failure to do so may result in selecting an underpowered server configuration which can lead to performance issues for your website and significant challenges requiring you to do one or more of the following:

• Code Refactoring: Optimizing inefficient code to reduce resource consumption.

• Data Reduction: Reducing files and database sizes and eliminating unnecessary data or deleting emails to reduce data storage requirements.

• Server Plan Upgrades: Upgrading to a higher plan server which would incur additional costs and require manual data migrations.

We highly recommend analyzing your website’s resource needs and consulting with our qualified Solutions Engineers or Customer Success team before making your decision on which subscription to purchase. This proactive approach will help you avoid performance bottlenecks, unnecessary costs, and ensure your website has optimal resources.

Optimal WordPress Server and Plesk Requirements

This section outlines the key hardware and software considerations for ensuring a high-performing, secure, and scalable WordPress website within a Plesk environment. While Plesk simplifies website management, both Plesk and the underlying CloudLinux system consume server resources. Therefore, it's essential to allocate sufficient resources for Plesk, CloudLinux, Operating system, AND WordPress to maintain optimal performance. Additionally, keep in mind that server hardware specifications are static and should be carefully planned.

Disk Space and Storage

WordPress Plesk hosting prioritizes Solid State Drives (SSDs) over traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) for faster read/write speeds. This results in quicker page loads, efficient file management, and improved system performance.

To ensure smooth operation and reliable backups, we recommend keeping at least 50% of your total disk space free for backup and temporary file process. For example, if your server has 100GB of storage, at least 50GB should remain available to prevent performance issues and failed backups.

Memory (RAM)

Sufficient RAM is essential for WordPress, Plesk, plug-ins, and background processes to operate efficiently. The Plesk control panel itself requires RAM, so ample memory should be considered and allocated for Plesk, WordPress, any plug-ins you intend to use, and website operations.

For optimal performance:

• Basic, single WordPress websites can function with minimal RAM as there are not many simultaneous processes running. In many cases, 4GB of RAM is more than sufficient for basic instances.

• High-traffic or complex websites (e.g., e-commerce, membership sites) should have at least 8GB to ensure smooth performance, efficient caching, and fast data retrieval.

• WordPress plugins and databases are not all created equal in terms of resources required. Please check the requirements of plugins and databases carefully to ensure your server resources can handle them.

• Email services are recommended to be offloaded to a 3rd party such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Email can consume considerable amounts of storage and sending mass marketing and other email from your hosting server is generally not a best practice.

Processing Power (CPU)

The CPU (number of cores) determines how well your server handles traffic, resource-intensive tasks, and Plesk operations like backups, email management, and security scans.

• Small websites with basic functionality can generally run on a dual-core CPU.

• Larger sites with high traffic or complex plugins (e.g., e-commerce) should use a quad-core CPU or higher to maintain optimal performance, especially during peak times.

PHP, Plugins, Themes, Modules - Versions

Keeping your WordPress installation up to date is crucial for performance, security, and efficient resource usage. Regularly updating your PHP version through Plesk ensures access to the latest performance optimizations, security patches, and stability improvements, reducing server strain.

Likewise, updating your WordPress core, plugins, and themes helps maintain compatibility, security, and functionality. Outdated components can cause performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, and software conflicts, negatively affecting your website, services, and server stability.

By proactively managing your software updates, you enhance security, minimize resource consumption, and maximize overall performance, ensuring a smooth and reliable hosting environment.

Server Location

Your server's physical location affects website loading speed and latency. Choosing a server closer to your target audience ensures faster content delivery. If your audience is spread across multiple regions, using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) can further optimize performance. (More on that later in the article.)

Web Server Software

The web server software acts as the intermediary between your website's files and the user's browser, handling requests and delivering content. Two popular options that support, and are compatible with Plesk, are Apache and Nginx. Both offer excellent performance, security, and compatibility with WordPress.

HTTPS Support

Enabling HTTPS is essential for security, user trust, and SEO rankings. It encrypts communication and traffic between your server and visitors, protecting sensitive data from interception. Search engines also prioritize HTTPS-enabled sites in rankings over websites that only serve content over HTTP.

Plesk simplifies SSL certificate installation, offering free Let's Encrypt certificates for each domain. For enhanced security and credibility, consider third-party SSL certificates from providers like Sectigo, which offer stronger encryption, extended validation, certificate issuance length, and warranties.

Database Management System (DBMS)

WordPress relies on a database to store and manage content, settings, and user data. MySQL and MariaDB are the most popular and well-supported DBMS options, offering seamless integration with Plesk, high performance, and reliability.

101domain only supports SQL-based databases like MySQL and MariaDB. NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra) are not supported.

Other Backend Languages and Framework Support

Plesk is primarily optimized for PHP and SQL-based environments. While it is possible to host applications using other backend technologies like Node.js, Python, or Perl, 101domain does not provide direct support or integration for these languages within the Plesk environment. These technologies often require manual configuration or troubleshooting, which falls outside of our support scope.

Utilizing a Content Delivery Network - Secure Web Accelerator powered by Cloudflare

For optimal performance, security, and reliability, we highly recommend using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for the domains on your VPS or Dedicated Server. Our Secure Web Accelerator service, powered by Cloudflare, boosts your website’s speed by caching your static website content on a global network of servers in over 200 locations, ensuring faster load times for visitors worldwide. It also acts as a protective proxy, shielding your site from online threats, DDOS, and other cyber attacks. This combination enhances user experience while safeguarding your data and online presence.

101domain’s Secure Web Accelerator powered by Cloudflare enhances your website’s speed by caching content closer to users while also providing advanced security to protect against online threats. This ensures both a seamless user experience and uninterrupted availability.

https://www.101domain.com/secure_web_accelerator.htm

VPS Hosting Plans available at 101domain

Dedicated Hosting Plans available at 101domain

Summary

By carefully considering your hosting hardware and performance needs and accounting for Plesk and WordPress resource usage, you can establish a solid foundation for your WordPress-powered website and environment, ensuring it runs smoothly, efficiently, and securely within your Plesk environment. This will provide a positive experience for your visitors and contribute to your online success.