VPS is short for Virtual Private Server. It is a term used by hosting companies to refer to a virtual machine. Virtual machines are run either by software emulation, hardware virtualization or a combination of both. They occupy a portion of the hard drive space and memory which is pre-allocated and no more than what was allocated.
A virtual machine can be considered an operating system (OS) on its own but still runs or is powered within the main operating system. Virtual machines, although running on a computer acts and behaves like it's a separate computer and its purpose is to meet the customer's needs - operate as an actual server.
The advantage of running a VPS is that it reduces the cost of hardware as it runs on the same computer. Also, older versions of OS can be operated on the same server as newer ones. Multiple virtual servers can be run on one single physical server.
Each of the virtual servers can have its own OS and can be booted independently.
Web hosting and PHP hosting
Hosting or web hosting is a service provided by hosting companies (web hosting service provider) that allows businesses and people to run a website on the internet. It provides the technology and services found it necessary to host sites.
Most of such web sites are created using PHP as the server-side programming language and it supports both Windows and Linux OS. When the page is uploaded into the server, the PHP code gets converted into HTML. This is where the PHP hosting comes in. PHP Hosting simply adds the PHP into the HTML file sent to by the server to the client's computer (user). Without PHP hosting on the server, the PHP code will be treated like HTML tags and they will not work when viewed by the client on the web browser. If your server does not support PHP hosting, then PHP codes and the sites that were programmed using it won't work if they are hosted by that server. A web hosting server that supports PHP hosting is also known as "PHP enabled server".
Simply put, if a site that is coded in PHP and uploaded onto a host that doesn't support PHP Hosting, then the websites' layout and function will likely not work properly like it's supposed to. So if you plan on getting your website hosted with a web hosting service provider and your internet site is coded in PHP, then make sure to find out if the server supports PHP Hosting.
A Dedicated server is a type of Web hosting service where someone can lease an entire server for their private use. To learn more, or read reviews for some of the top hosting sites, visit phphosts.org.