Writer: Joe Warnimont
Editor: Christina Lewis
Reviewer: Lynn Cadet
The virtual private server (VPS) market is expected to reach $8.3 billion by 2026 — a 16.2% increase from 2019. There’s similar growth in the cloud hosting world. With this expansion of more robust, secure, and high-performance hosting solutions comes choices.
One of the most important choices is between unmanaged and managed hosting. Many businesses crave autonomy and customization in a hosting solution, meaning they’d rather opt for an unmanaged hosting plan that provides the freedom to tailor server resources and environments without preset configurations.
This article explores everything you need to know about unmanaged hosting. You’ll learn how unmanaged hosting works, its pros and cons, popular unmanaged hosting providers, and whether you should opt for unmanaged hosting over managed hosting.
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The Basics of Unmanaged Hosting
Unmanaged hosting, a common choice when you sign up for a VPS, cloud, or dedicated hosting plan, includes network connectivity and server hardware from the hosting provider. All server management, however, gets handled by the user.
This requires more technical expertise, but it also ensures more control and security of the server. Unmanaged hosting users control server settings, operating systems, security protocols, updates, and backups.
Unlike managed hosting, where the hosting company handles these tasks, unmanaged hosting delivers a blank slate for an IT team to customize every aspect of the server and harden its security as it sees fit.
How Unmanaged Hosting Works
To understand unmanaged hosting, it’s important to know you’re usually choosing between unmanaged and managed hosting. Those two options come up after you select a general web hosting type like cloud, VPS, or dedicated hosting.
After that, you opt for unmanaged or managed hosting. For unmanaged hosting, the provider simply rents out server hardware and network connectivity. The user manages all other aspects of the server.
Unmanaged hosting works as a lease between the hosting provider and user. The user pays to use the network infrastructure and server hardware, yet the user saves money and gains more control over the server by handling all server management tasks.
Those tasks may include:
- Backups
- Operating system configuration
- Software installation
- Updates
- Security management
Users (or businesses with IT teams) with the proper technical skills can take advantage of unmanaged hosting for a more secure, customizable, and high-performance hosting environment when compared to the preconfigured experience from managed hosting.
Managed Hosting vs. Unmanaged Hosting
Managed hosting shifts the responsibility of server management from the user to the hosting provider. Unmanaged hosting, on the other hand, requires the user to manage all aspects of the server.
Managed hosting, therefore, costs more than unmanaged hosting since an unmanaged environment requires more technical skills and time for server management than a plan that offloads all those tasks to the hosting provider.
Unmanaged hosting users should have a technical background or a team of IT professionals in the business to manage the server. Less technical users may opt for managed hosting.
For customization and control, managed hosting has preconfigured settings that many users may see as unacceptable. That’s why unmanaged hosting is so appealing to growing businesses; they can tailor server settings for specific use cases.
It’s also possible to make a server more private and secure with unmanaged hosting. However, there’s always the risk of a user improperly maintaining an unmanaged server and decreasing its performance and security when compared to a managed server.
Types of Unmanaged Hosting
Unmanaged hosting is typically included as a feature or sub-type of a more general type of hosting, like VPS or dedicated hosting.
Therefore, you would select the main type of hosting your business needs and then opt for either the unmanaged or managed version of that hosting plan. The three main types of unmanaged hosting include VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting.
Unmanaged VPS Hosting
Unmanaged VPS hosting offers a virtual private server — a virtualized, fully customizable, and high-performance hosting experience — with full control over server management tasks.
Pros of VPS hosting:
- Scalable resources
- Customizable environment
- More cost-effective than dedicated hosting
- Full root access
- Improved performance over shared hosting
Cons of VPS hosting:
- Technical expertise required
- Less redundancy when compared to cloud hosting (since it only relies on one server)
- Limited resources when compared to cloud and dedicated hosting
Unmanaged VPS hosting makes sense for tech-savvy individuals and businesses with IT teams, particularly if they need to upgrade from shared hosting.
It’s an affordable solution compared to cloud and dedicated hosting, and it offers high levels of flexibility, security, and performance.
Unmanaged Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting offers an entire physical server to one user. When unmanaged, that user must maintain all elements of the server, including operating system choices, security management, and updates.
Pros of dedicated hosting:
- Enhanced security
- Complete control over every part of the server
- Highest level of performance and reliability
- Complete customization of both software and hardware
Cons of dedicated hosting:
- Highest cost in the world of hosting
- Time-consuming management
- Requires advanced technical and server management skills
Unmanaged dedicated hosting works well for high traffic websites, data and resource-heavy applications, and large or rapidly growing enterprises. It’s the best solution for full control and advanced security elements.
Unmanaged Cloud Hosting
Unmanaged cloud hosting uses a network of servers to offer a high level of redundancy and performance. It’s similar to a VPS but has the added benefit of a network of servers backing it up (instead of the limited resources from one server on a VPS).
Pros of cloud hosting:
- Advanced scalability
- Cost-effective when compared to dedicated hosting
- High levels of reliability thanks to the network of servers
- Highly customizable
- Increased security and performance
Cons of cloud hosting:
- Potential security risks with a distributed network of servers
- Occasional need to integrate with a local server, making it more complex
- Requires cloud server management expertise
Unmanaged cloud hosting improves scaling and flexibility, two traits ideal for startups and rapidly changing businesses. Cloud hosting also makes sense for those that demand high levels of performance and uptime, like eCommerce stores.
Finally, cloud hosting is a budget-friendly way to get a high-performance server, as it’s often not much more expensive than VPS hosting.
Key Features
The key features of unmanaged hosting include:
- Control
- Cost efficiency
- Performance
It’s also a wise choice for those interested in improved security and scalability when compared to shared hosting.
Control and Flexibility
Unmanaged hosting offers unrestricted control with full root access for its users.
This improves the server’s customization potential, especially when it comes to adding extensions, software integrations, and certain operating systems.
You can also implement software to boost performance and security measures. Flexibility like this helps businesses that require tailored solutions.
IT teams can make precise adjustments to server settings instead of sticking with constraints put forth by managed hosting options.
Cost Efficiency
More often than not, unmanaged hosting costs less than managed hosting. That’s because the user only pays for the server infrastructure and network resources.
However, that means you must have technical expertise to manage the server.
The cost-effectiveness of unmanaged hosting makes sense for startups and businesses with technical expertise.
Performance
If properly managed, unmanaged hosting has the potential for improved performance. It could, however, go the opposite way.
Ideally, a server that’s well-managed by the user results in superior performance compared to the preset settings from a managed server.
That’s because the user can fine-tune performance settings and optimize resources based on what’s needed for the business.
Scalability
Unmanaged hosting provides impressive scalability when compared to managed hosting since users can modify resources like storage, RAM, and CPU when necessary.
Scalability also depends on the type of primary hosting implemented, like VPS, cloud, or dedicated hosting.
However, the unmanaged aspect removes the restrictions of preset managed hosting setups, allowing for more flexibility to accommodate increased traffic and resource demands.
Security
With a well-managed server, unmanaged hosting has the potential for strengthened security when compared to managed hosting. That’s not always the case if the server isn’t managed well.
Yet, the increase in control over an unmanaged server makes it easier to implement custom firewalls, security patches, and monitoring tools.
Well-managed servers also benefit from stronger security for specific needs, like if an eCommerce store requires robust fraud detection tools (something you may not find with a managed hosting solution).
Pros and Cons of Unmanaged Hosting
Unmanaged hosting has its advantages, but it’s not for everyone. Be sure to look at all the pros and cons to understand if managed hosting makes sense for your business.
Pros of unmanaged hosting:
- Greater control
- Customization options
- Cost savings
- Learning opportunity
You can gain greater control and customization options with unmanaged hosting, but only if you manage the server well. That’s where the cons come into play.
Cons of unmanaged hosting:
- Requires technical expertise
- Time-consuming
- Responsibility for maintenance and security
- Risk of misconfiguration
Overall, unmanaged hosting works for businesses with an IT team — or at least one person knowledgeable in server management. It’s a time-consuming venture with plenty of advantages that come with such an investment.
Is Unmanaged Hosting Right for You?
To figure out if unmanaged hosting is right for you, start by assessing your technical skills. Then figure out if you can outsource the server management to someone else in your organization. Also look into the time investment, your budget, and overall server needs.
Assess Your Technical Skills
It’s crucial to assess your technical skills before purchasing unmanaged web hosting. Either you, someone in your organization, or someone you outsource the work to must have server management skills for unmanaged hosting to work.
You should assess your experience with server management, software installation, updates, and security tasks. If you have experience in these areas, consider unmanaged hosting.
If not, look to an in-house or outsourced IT team to assist. If that’s too expensive, or you’re okay with lower levels of server customization, consider a managed hosting plan.
Consider Your Time Investment
The amount of time you spend managing a server could outweigh the benefits of an unmanaged hosting plan. However, investing a significant amount of time on a server may provide a more secure, customized server experience overall.
The first step for this assessment is to figure out if you have enough time to invest in management tasks like security configurations and performance monitoring. If not, you may have to give these responsibilities to an IT team.
If you have the time, be sure to analyze whether spending that time on a server may render other advantages like higher profits or increased security. Otherwise, go with managed hosting.
Evaluate Your Budget
Take a look at your budget to understand if unmanaged hosting fits into your plan. Although unmanaged hosting saves money in the short term, you may end up having to allocate funds to an IT professional for server management.
It’s also important to remember that unmanaged hosting can result in other costs and time commitments, such as the need to pay for and install third-party tools or security integrations.
Determine Your Needs
The needs of your business play a crucial role in deciding to go with unmanaged or managed hosting. You should assess the requirements of your application or website before anything.
Do you expect high levels of traffic? Will it need specialized security features or custom software? Managed hosting restricts your flexibility and scalability potential.
That’s fine for some projects, but other times, it might hinder your success. Unmanaged hosting opens up the potential for custom tailoring. If your project requires custom software, high-security tools, or constant monitoring, opt for unmanaged hosting.
Popular Unmanaged Hosting Providers
Not all hosting providers offer unmanaged hosting. The ones that do tend to sell both unmanaged and managed hosting options with their VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting plans.
Although we encourage you to complete your own thorough research, we’ve compiled our recommended list of unmanaged hosting providers based on price, performance, and ease of use.
IONOS
Powering 6.5% of all websites, IONOS (a hosting provider with shared, cloud, VPS, and dedicated solutions) offers unmanaged VPS hosting with root access, NVMe storage, and a Plesk license.
You can also opt for an unmanaged dedicated hosting setup.
The unmanaged VPS hosting starts with a $2 per month promotional period, and it gives you the flexibility to choose levels of CPU, RAM, and storage.
The unmanaged plans support several operating systems, security features, and even domain and email management.
InMotion Hosting
InMotion is another hosting provider with a range of offerings such as shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting. Its cloud and VPS hosting options offer unmanaged solutions for the most customizable experience.
Choose your RAM, storage, and CPU, then move on to other configurations like your choice of operating system and DDoS protection.
The InMotion cloud plans start at $6 per month, while the unmanaged VPS plans start at $9.99.
Liquid Web
With choices like cloud, VPS, and dedicated hosting, Liquid Web has no shortage of hosting plans.
You can even go with a special WordPress hosting plan with pre-installed WordPress and other elements.
Liquid Web sells unmanaged plans for VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting.
Its unmanaged VPS plans begin at $5 per month, while the cloud hosting packages (unmanaged) start at $115 per month.
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting, known for its high speeds and affordable pricing, provides shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting.
Its VPS and dedicated server plans come with unmanaged capabilities.
The VPS hosting starts at $2.99 per month. This allows you to select a plan with the right RAM, storage, and CPU, and you also get a free operating system, an SSL certificate, and a free cPanel control panel.
How to Set Up and Manage Unmanaged Hosting
Setting up an unmanaged hosting account requires a plan with root access and the right configurations for that server. This guide walks you through the necessary steps to set up and manage an unmanaged hosting server.
Initial Setup
The initial setup of any unmanaged hosting configuration involves creating your management team and deciding exactly what you need from an unmanaged hosting account.
Choose who will manage the server, whether that’s you, a freelancer, an in-house IT team, or someone you plan to hire.
Brief them on the plan and hold meetings on strategies for managing the server, configuring its operating system, and optimizing for elements like performance, security, and scalability.
Finally, establish defined numbers for what’s required for your project — mainly for CPU, storage, and RAM.
Choosing the Right Provider
Use the list of providers covered earlier in this article to narrow your search and figure out which one fits into your budget. Seek other reputable hosting solutions and compare their unmanaged hosting options.
Ensure the hosting providers offer the right type of hosting for your project, such as VPS, cloud, or dedicated hosting. Then, check pricing and compare features to match the right host to your needs.
Also, consider factors like support options, uptime guarantees, and customer reviews.
Selecting the Appropriate Plan
Once you have the best hosting provider, peruse its unmanaged hosting plans to establish a side-by-side comparison. Evaluate RAM, CPU, storage, and bandwidth from each plan, and consider if the host has other plans and add-ons for scalability.
We also recommend reading into contract terms. This helps understand setup fees, renewal rates, and cancellation policies.
Finally, it’s wise to know which plans help you save money or add special features. For instance, you may find that one plan has a backup solution or DDoS protection included. It might pay to go with that plan instead of adding those services individually.
Configuring the Server
This is one of the more technical aspects of setting up an unmanaged hosting plan. Every hosting company and plan is different, but the steps generally remain the same:
- Log into the server with your new credentials; go to the control panel or get into the server using SSH.
- Install an operating system like Windows or Linux.
- Secure the server with firewalls and other tools. Also, update the operating system and configure automatic updates and security patches.
- Add any necessary software, such as MySQL for a database and Apache for a web server.
- Optimize the server’s performance with resource allocation, load balancing, and caching.
- Configure a monitoring solution to track performance, security threats, and resource usage. We recommend these server monitoring tools.
- Set up a backup solution with an easy restoration feature.
With your server configured, you can move on to the server management process. This helps you maintain your initial configurations well into the future.
Server Management
Server management, the ongoing process of server maintenance, updates, and monitoring, is another reason unmanaged hosting requires a dedicated manager with technical experience.
Below are the necessary steps to properly maintain an unmanaged server.
Installing and Updating Software
Installing software for an unmanaged server usually begins by installing a package manager. For the Linux operating system, use apt or yum.
Windows has a built-in package manager. You should also install any software necessary for your project. Options might include software for applications, databases, and web servers.
With everything installed, set up a schedule for automated or manual updates to each software component. This often requires you to set a reminder in your calendar app and then use a package manager to check for software updates.
All package managers have “upgrade” or “update” commands.
Configuring Security Settings
Start this step by setting up a firewall. This restricts unauthorized access to the server. Netfilter is a popular Linux firewall. Windows has built-in options.
For SSH security, modify the default SSH port and use a key-based authentication process. It’s also smart to disable the root login.
Finally, you may consider installing third-party tools to automatically complete updates, monitor for threats, and block brute-force attacks.
Monitoring Server Performance
Server performance monitoring is key to minimizing downed sites and issues your server may encounter.
Consider tools such as Munin or Nagios to monitor performance elements, including RAM, disk usage, and CPU.
You should also complete regular performance checks to resolve bottlenecks and analyze logs.
Be sure to set alerts for critical thresholds, like if the RAM gets maxed out.
Regular Backups
Even with all these security measures, you’re still at risk of attacks, hardware issues, or human errors while managing the server. That’s where backups come into play.
Configure automated backups to create a copy of all server content and software on a daily basis — some larger companies complete backups even more often.
You can make these backups with cron jobs, rsync, or third-party tools.
Store those backups in several locations, such as:
- Locally
- In the cloud (if the cloud meets your security needs)
- At an off-site location
With backups, performance monitoring, and security settings, it’s important to always test these configurations to ensure they’re working.
This way, you know the backup and restoration process works long before it’s necessary. And you can keep your server up to date and fully functional well into the future.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Part of server management is troubleshooting. While using unmanaged hosting, you may encounter common issues you can solve yourself. Take a look at the most common of those problems.
Performance Bottlenecks
A performance bottleneck happens when a server’s resources aren’t enough to handle a website or application’s traffic and requests.
It’s essential to identify performance bottlenecks to keep your server running smoothly.
Use tools such as iostat or htop to monitor disk usage, RAM, and CPU. Review server logs to identify areas where load balancing might prove effective.
Implement caching mechanisms and upgrade hardware when needed.
Security Breaches
When you have a security breach, you must troubleshoot the unmanaged server to understand how the breach happened.
Before addressing the security breach, isolate the affected server to minimize any further damage.
After that, perform an audit of the server to find any vulnerabilities.
In addition, you should change all passwords, implement security patches, update all software, and check all firewalls and intrusion detection systems to make sure they’re operational.
Software Conflicts
For troubleshooting software conflicts, always review error logs to find conflicting software. To narrow the search, uninstall each software component and add-on individually.
Check to see if the conflict still happens with each software removed. When the conflict subsides with a particular software uninstalled, you’ve found the troublemaker.
You should also be sure that all new software is compatible with your current hardware, software, and server add-ons.
You can also use containerization tools such as Docker to isolate troublesome software from other software. Otherwise, simply remove the conflicting software and find an alternative.
Tools and Resources
All server managers should have a toolbox filled with software, resources, and support options. This section provides the best control panels, server management tools, security tools, and support options to help with unmanaged hosting.
Control Panels
Even experienced server managers need powerful control panels. A control panel makes the management process easier by providing a streamlined, user-friendly interface for server monitoring, email configuration, and software installation.
Popular control panels include cPanel, Webmin, and Plesk.
Server Management Tools
Consider tools like Ansible, Zabbix, and Nagios for effective server management. Each one completes server monitoring along with administrative tasks. Ansible, in particular, helps you automate repetitive tasks.
Security Tools
The most popular security tools for unmanaged servers are the ClamAV antivirus software, iptables firewall, and Fail2Ban intrusion detection system. Snort is another intrusion detection system, and UFW works well as a firewall.
Community and Support
The community behind server management grows and evolves consistently. The internet is filled with web hosting, server management, IT, and network specialists interested in discussing server management and web hosting.
Join the conversation with forums such as Stack Overflow, online courses from Udemy and Coursera, and customer support portals from your hosting provider.
You’ll also find communities behind virtually every open-source and closed-source software used on servers (like for cPanel or Linux).
Real-World Examples
It helps to see how individuals use unmanaged hosting. From small businesses to developers and eCommerce sites, we’ve put together some examples of how people use unmanaged hosting in the real world.
Small Businesses
The startup world is known for its heavy use of unmanaged hosting. Tech startups, small eCommerce stores, and digital agencies often turn to unmanaged hosting for speed, flexibility, and cost savings.
Developers
Developers use unmanaged hosting for custom web applications, game development, and open-source projects. It’s common for freelance developers and small development teams to use unmanaged hosting thanks to its affordability and support for high traffic levels.
Unmanaged hosting also makes sense for these situations due to its monitoring, automation, scalability, and optimized server performance.
eCommerce Sites
Many smaller eCommerce sites go with unmanaged hosting due to its low pricing. However, it’s also ideal for growing eCommerce brands, especially custom product marketplaces, subscription box services, and niche online stores.
These shops require particular server settings, high-performance resources, and significant levels of flexibility. With unmanaged hosting, eCommerce stores can scale up as they grow, cut or increase resources during seasonal shifts, and enhance security.
Your Future With Unmanaged Hosting
In some instances, unmanaged hosting makes absolutely no sense. For example, those with limited server management experience should almost always opt for managed hosting (or hire someone who can manage a server in-house).
Yet, for startups, small businesses, eCommerce shops, and developers interested in speed, flexibility, and customization, unmanaged hosting is the right choice. Unmanaged hosting gives you more control over the server and is less expensive than managed hosting.
With your new knowledge of unmanaged hosting, we encourage you to review our recommended providers to see if they might improve your website’s performance.
