Hi there,

I've almost exclusively used shared hosting packages before. However one of my online communities (a forum) has grown substantially over the past few months and I'm now looking at investing in a VPS option.

Are there any questions I should be asking potential hosts? Obviously I'll be sticking with a reputable company with independent reviews etc. but want to be sure I've covered all my bases

Thanks!

if you a new invest in a managed VPS

the you need to make sure it is secure by installing CSF (free)

Sorry to sound dumb but what is CSF? I haven't heard it mentioned by any of the companies I've looked at.

Apologies for my ignorance!

Its the firewall http://configserver.com/cp/csf.html

Since your forum site has grown substantially over the past few months, it must be consuming more hardware resources of the server.
Your vps should be able to manage and host such resource intensive site/sites so it is better to go with the vps, equipped with high hardware resources.

You may also want to consider a semi-managed VPS. It depends on your knowledge.

semi-managed or fully managed VPS is the best course to go. even fully managed does not stop you managing the server, just means you have backup techs to help in sticky situations.

i know my wany a round a server, but still get managed servers for the reasons as above.

If you don't know how to keep a VPS running or up to date then get a Managed VPS. Most providers sell VPS with managed feature or without. If a server is not managed that means you need to do all the work and update , upload and configure software on the server for your web site to fully work.

If you do decide to invest in a VPS be sure to ask some questions like where is the location of the server how man RAM is included and the burst ram is available?

Picking a location for your sever will make viewers be able to get onto your site faster if its near them then the site will load fast .

What providers are you currently looking at? If you give us the requirements that your site have used up for now we can maybe suggest a host for you. How many views per month / day you get things like this could help us more and point you in an even more better place.

My first VPS was a managed VPS, it was good as I literally had no idea how to configure things. It was slightly more costly but worth the money, plus it enabled me to 'learn the ropes'.

Probably one of the best questions to ask your potential VPS Hosting Provider, is why you need one. Find out why they think you need one and what size you need. If you can provide any logs or stats from your existing site, they should be able to help guide you on what VPS level you might need.

Be aware of places that steer you to the most expensive or dedicated servers and then try to pass it off as being an option that allows you to grow into it. Any provider worth their salt should be able to get you on a hosting package that meets your current needs with options to upgrade as needed. Also, just because it's more expensive, it doesn't mean it's worth it.

Get manged hosting when possible - this lets you do what you're good at, and the hosting company do what they're good at. Talk to Artashes here on the forum and ask him how much he likes Manged Hosting solutions

Find out about backup solutions, monitoring, firewall, conflict resolutions, uptime guarantees, OS re-installations, control panels, virus scanning etc etc. I'd recommend going with a company where they do everything, and you just run your forum - this way you know you're always up to date with the latest patches and software (aside from your forum software).

Very good advices, Conor. In fact, it's the best advices from above posts

to the OP: you will need to know what you want to use. You might want to provide a bit more about your current usage
- which script you are using for your forum?
- do you use any mod, plugin for your forum?
- how many people online at the same time?
- how about session setting in your forum? 15 minutes, 60 minutes, or 24 hours?
- who is your current host? Many people choose cheap hosts that oversells a lot, so you might still be fine with shared hosting at a better vendor
- you are from the UK, so do you want a host in UK too? Or in the US? Where are most of your visitors from?

Excellent additional items on there too. As always, it's a business decision and not a personal one - go where the solutions are, not necessarily where your friends are.

UK/US location is definitely a good one to explore too!

Try to find a host that will actually provide you with what you paid for, as far as resources. It seems everything is unlimited anymore... until you try to use it! Years ago when I was looking for a host, I did my research until I narrowed it down to five possible companies. Then I contacted each company (within ten minutes of each other) with basically the same questions. Then I waited to see who answered first and how long it took the rest of them to answer. One replied within about ten minutes. The last one to reply was about thirty hours later. I also paid very close attention to their answers and tried to figure out which answers we the most complete. Some of the answers were clear and professional. Others were almost laughable. Of course this was just one test. I mainly wanted to get a feel for the expected response time just in case I ever needed support.

Good tests John. Only concern with basing the choices on the response times and answers is that often companies prioritize the responses so that their existing clients are answered first, technical questions etc, and then sales are often during a day shift or whatever. Depends on the size of the company.

But definitely any of the laughable answers, they're immediate throw aways. Response time as a client and as a prospective client may differ, but well worth running the test none the less.

Well get a managed vps, with a control panel, if they do not have a free one ask them to install it one.

Ask them to install Firewall, and to optimize the vps and you are ready to go.