by Jhon Kelly » Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:42 am
A Dedicated Server is a full server that is your 'own'; you share it with no other websites. You have the full hard drive, full use of RAM, full use of the processor. The whole gambit. If you could walk in to the data center where your account is, and look at the actual server, it would be your account only on that server. You have root access.
A VPS is a Virtual Private Server. A VPS simulates having a dedicated server, but you are still sharing the server with other websites. You still have root access, but the actual hard drive in the server is split between several websites (clients). The benefit of root access is you have better control over your filesystem. Many programs will not run without root access. Some configurations/options can not be set up without root access. Shared Hosting companies are usually very strict about making such adjustments for clients. So a VPS would be a good fit for someone needing root access, but doesn't want to pay the full price for a dedicated server.