Databases are at the heart of most modern web applications, mobile applications, and services. Whether it’s for hosting a traditional SQL database like MySQL or SQL Server, or a NoSQL database like MongoDB, the server will determine its reliability, availability, and performance. In this article, we’ll explore the factors to keep in mind when choosing a database hosting server and examine three types of servers — VPS, cloud, and dedicated — and their suitability for hosting databases of all types and sizes.
What factors affect database performance?
Your choice of server hardware can have a significant impact on the performance and scalability of your database and its applications.
Storage
Server storage affects database performance in two main ways: query speed and the amount of data that can be stored. When choosing storage media, it is important to balance the needs and the cost. To do this, you need to know how to use a database. At ASPHostPortal, all of their servers come with pure SSD drives, which is a good way to improve the database read and write speed.
The processor
The speed of each core and the number of cores in one server can affect database performance. You can choose the server according to the performance characteristics you need, if the database can leverage multiple cores, the number of users that will access the database concurrently, and the type of queries the database will execute.
Memory
Memory has a significant impact on database server performance. Even the fastest SSDs are slower than RAM, which means that if the database can read the data needed for a query into memory, it can run as fast as possible without swapping and paging.
A common rule of thumb is to choose enough RAM to ensure that you can keep your database’s index in RAM.
Network
The network that feeds your web and application servers matters a lot to database performance. ASPHostPortal offers a 99.9% network uptime guarantee and up to 200Mbps connection speeds, which is enough for common uses of databases even with multiple concurrent users.
Three Types of Database Hosting
At ASPHostPortal, they provide three types of database hosting for you, each with different performance and features.
Database Hosting on VPS Server
VPS is a virtual private server. The maximum configuration of the VPS server is 6 cores / 16GB RAM. They are suitable for smaller databases where IO requirements are less intensive. VPS servers cannot auto-scale, so they may not be the best choice for databases that are expected to grow rapidly.
Database Hosting on Cloud Server
Cloud database hosting in ASPHostPortal is a fully managed choice for startups. With the option, clients can scale resources up to 12 Cores / 32GB RAM at one click. Cloud databases also provide good reliability and security. If you want your database to grow quickly or have different utilization patterns, cloud servers are the best choice.
Database Hosting on Dedicated Server
A dedicated server is an entire server with industry-level performance and security. It has the best performance characteristics of all the server types. You have full access to all settings and can completely customize the server to suit your database’s needs. Dedicated servers are favored by database administrators and are a good choice for big databases.