Bare Metal vs Dedicated Servers: Which One is Best? | ServerPronto University

If you’ve dipped your toes into the server hosting market lately, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the rise of Bare Metal servers over the past several years. These next-gen server solutions bare some noteworthy similarities to traditional dedicated servers, making it difficult for even some of the most discerning web administrators to determine the underlying differences.

As Bare Metal servers continue to evolve in their functionality and implementation, it is more important than ever for you to learn about what makes these new servers similar to and different from dedicated server options of yesteryear. This is doubly the case if you are planning to purchase a new server soon, in which case you should read on to learn about how each type of server can best serve its users’ needs.

Understanding these differences and similarities may be the key to unlocking everything that your current or future server solution has to offer, so be sure to read on and learn whether Bare Metal or dedicated servers are the best option for meeting the digital demands of the present and future.

What is a Dedicated Server?

Most web administrators today are optimally familiar with the specific parameters of a dedicated server. But still, it’s important to recognize that dedicated servers are unique from all other forms of digital hosting because the user does not share their server space with anyone else. This arrangement comes with a wide variety of popular benefits, including high performance, stability, and control.

Dedicated servers have become the norm for hosting many business-class websites, especially those that include a variety of data transfer and ecommerce functionalities. Also, dedicated servers remain popular because they tend to come with better cost-contained payment plans with rates set by ongoing competition in the marketplace.

What is a Bare Metal Server?

Bare Metal servers — also called “single-tenant physical servers” in some circles — are the new kid on the block in a certain sense, having only broken onto the scene in 2014. But in the meantime, this new type of server system has gained a fair amount of popularity from web administrators who appreciate its ability to nearly instantly provision resources.

Bare Metal servers are dedicated servers at their core, providing many of the same benefits that their predecessors implemented while supplementing each function with refined provisioning protocols. With enhanced provisioning on board, early adopters of this technology have found their host websites faster than ever before.

In terms of implementation, Bare Metal servers have already begun to see service in high-demand activates including online gaming and live rendering. Savvy web administrators should expect to see these powerful server systems more and more in the coming years, as a result.

Are Bare Metal Servers and Dedicated Servers the Same?

In basic terms, Bare Metal servers and dedicated servers are not the same. That being said, they do share several common traits that have caused them to be confused for one another. For example, both server types are physical in nature and lack any element of virtualization throughout their core operations.

Also, both are “single tenant” server types in that their users do not need to share their memory, processor, or storage space with any other server occupants. In the same vein, both Bare Metal and dedicated servers tend to run the same types of software, allowing them to share similar levels of security integration.

But there are several important differences that categorically separate these two server types. Some of these differences are subtle, leading to confusion in the public-facing tech community. As a result, both terms have been used interchangeably even though each server type is discernibly different.

For example, dedicated servers are well known for how challenging they are to manually provision. Bare Metal servers are specifically designed to push past this resource-based barrier by automating the provisioning process substantially. Bare Metal servers are easily and faster to set up as a result, with purchasing and installation mirroring that of popular digital cloud services.

Also, as far as actual infrastructure is concerned, Bare Metal servers and dedicated servers function in fully unique manners from one another. As it were, a Bare Metal server is actually made up of several dedicated servers (in most cases) running in unison through a hypervisor. This unique type of virtual machine allows the individual dedicated servers to share resources and go beyond what a single dedicated server can accomplish alone.

Cost Considerations

One noteworthy difference between Bare Metal servers and dedicated servers that often comes up in conversation concerns cost. Rightly so, given that pricing and contract terms can differ greatly between these two server types. Dedicated servers, for example, tend to follow traditional payment cycles, allowing for annual rental contracts that are comparable in total cost across the industry.

Bare Metal servers are different, though, given that they remain a cutting edge technology that some will pay a premium for. While premium prices abound for Bare Metal servers, web hosts that offer them tend to provide more flexible per-hour billing plans in order to provide users a method for controlling their costs directly.

Which One is Better?

Neither Bare Metal servers nor dedicated servers are “better” in every category, especially when it comes to the wide variety of needs put forth by today’s web administrators. When it comes down to choosing one or the other, be sure to carefully evaluate your specific server needs before signing a new contract.

That being said, both of these server types excel in certain categories regarding implementation and core functionality. As described above, Bare Metal servers are by far the best option for web administrators primarily concerned about provisioning. Also, Bare Metal servers are far more cost effective for websites with seasonal traffic upticks, such as those pushing holiday ecommerce.

Classic dedicated servers, on the other hand, remain a favorite of web administrators looking for consistency and predictability when it comes to operations and payments. Also, dedicated servers are still the best option for administrators who routinely create low-performance environments for testing and want to save money while doing so.

At ServerPronto, we offer several Bare Metal Dedicated Server options to fit any business need. Make sure to check them out!

Chief Tech writer at ServerPronto. Helping businesses grow with useful tech information.

Originally published at https://www.serverpronto.com on June 2, 2019.