A cloud server is a virtual server located on a physical server. It offers some of the same functionality as a physical server, but can be a more cost-effective option.
Cloud servers are typically hosted by a provider such as Rackspace. Cloud servers can also be referred to as virtual servers, virtual cloud servers, virtual dedicated servers, virtual private servers or cloud-based servers, depending on how they are configured.
Typically, you pay your service provider only for the cloud server resources you use.
Cloud servers are quick to spin up and down, making it easy to scale your compute power and data storage as your needs change.
Generally, you can configure cloud server options using a control panel or a set of APIs.
Your applications and data can reside in their own virtualized environment, separate from other companies’ resources.
We make it easy for you to operate your virtual servers with our user-friendly control panel and powerful APIs.
Our cloud servers are backed by always-on expertise and service, which means you have thousands of cloud engineers and OpenStack experts ready to help you whenever you need it.
Despite their advantages, cloud servers aren’t always the best option. Organizations generally prefer to use physical servers when data security and compliance are a priority. Data-intensive workloads are also often better served by other solutions.
Read our in-depth analysis on Cloud Server versus Dedicated Server for more information.
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