If you’re a GoDaddy customer relying on a dedicated server, you’ve probably seen the recent news—GoDaddy is retiring all dedicated servers and migrating users to Virtual Private Servers (VPS). This move has raised questions for businesses that depend on the performance and security of dedicated servers. So, what’s happening, and what should you do next?

Understanding GoDaddy’s Decision

GoDaddy’s shift from dedicated servers to VPS might seem sudden, but it’s part of a broader industry trend. By phasing out dedicated hosting, GoDaddy is streamlining its services, focusing on virtualization and more automated solutions. This helps reduce their overhead and simplifies their offerings, but it may leave customers like you scrambling for answers.

GoDaddy claims VPS offers “comparable performance” to dedicated servers while being easier to scale and often more affordable. They also highlight benefits like automated backups, SSD or NVMe storage, and manual snapshots. But does VPS really stack up to a dedicated server?

Why It Matters for Dedicated Server Users

Dedicated servers are all about control and power. When you run a dedicated server, you get an entire physical machine all to yourself—no sharing with anyone else. You can fully customize your server’s hardware, run virtualization software, and handle high-traffic, high-performance websites or applications.

With GoDaddy’s move, there’s one major catch: virtualization won’t be allowed on their VPS plans. If you rely on VMware, VirtualBox, or other virtualization platforms, GoDaddy’s VPS solution won’t work for you. This makes finding a new provider crucial if virtualization is key to your setup.

Plus, VPS, while offering a lot of flexibility and cost-effectiveness, operates in a shared environment. While resources are allocated to your virtual server, you’re still sharing the physical infrastructure with other VPS users. This can introduce some limitations, especially for businesses with heavy workloads or advanced security needs.

Virtualization: The Core of Dedicated Server Power

Virtualization is a major reason why businesses opt for dedicated servers. It allows you to run multiple operating systems and isolated applications on one server, essentially turning one physical machine into many virtual ones. Without this capability, businesses lose out on flexibility, testing environments, and certain advanced configurations.

GoDaddy’s shift away from dedicated hosting and their prohibiting of virtualization on VPS servers means that businesses needing virtualized environments must look elsewhere.

VPS vs. Dedicated Hosting: The Key Differences

It’s important to understand the differences between VPS and dedicated hosting, especially now that GoDaddy is pushing users to VPS plans. Here’s a quick breakdown:

  • Resource Allocation: A VPS shares resources with other users on the same physical server, while a dedicated server gives you the full machine. With dedicated hosting, you don’t have to worry about “noisy neighbors” consuming too many resources.
  • Performance: Dedicated servers offer better performance for high-traffic, high-demand websites and applications. VPS can work well for smaller or less resource-intensive tasks, but it’s not as robust as dedicated hosting.
  • Security: Since a VPS shares hardware with other users, there’s a slightly higher security risk. Dedicated servers offer more isolation and control, allowing businesses to implement stronger security measures.
  • Control: On a dedicated server, you have full control over the hardware, allowing you to configure it for specific tasks. With VPS, you’re limited by the hypervisor, which is the software managing the virtual machines.
  • Cost: VPS hosting is typically cheaper than dedicated hosting, making it appealing to smaller businesses or websites that don’t need a ton of power. However, for businesses that rely on consistent high performance, the price of dedicated servers is often worth it.

The Impact on GoDaddy Customers

If you’re a GoDaddy customer currently on a dedicated server, this change could be disruptive. If you don’t proactively migrate, GoDaddy will automatically move you to a VPS, but it won’t be an apples-to-apples comparison. For example:

  • IP Address: While GoDaddy will try to retain your IPv4 address, IPv6 addresses won’t carry over. This could mean changing IPs, which may affect services or applications tied to that address.
  • Storage Limits: If your dedicated server used more storage than GoDaddy’s new VPS plans allow, you may need to pay extra for more space.
  • Email Changes: GoDaddy’s VPS email servers are different, so some configurations, like the ability to use Port 25, will no longer be available.
  • Downtime: Automatic migration could cause downtime, especially for Windows servers. GoDaddy’s support mentions “extended downtime” for some cases.

All of this means that, while GoDaddy’s VPS solution might work for some, others will need to find a new home—especially if they depend on dedicated resources and virtualization.

Why Interserver Is a Strong Alternative

At Interserver, we understand the frustration caused by GoDaddy’s sudden shift. That’s why we’re doubling down on dedicated hosting and continuing to provide top-notch dedicated servers that allow you to maintain full control over your hosting environment. Here’s why Interserver stands out:

  • Customizable Solutions: We offer a range of dedicated server plans that allow you to tailor your hardware and software to your specific needs. Whether you need massive storage, high CPU power, or multiple operating systems, we’ve got you covered.
  • Top-Tier Support: Our support team is available 24/7 to assist with any issues, and we’re here to make migrations as smooth as possible.
  • Virtualization Ready: If you need virtualization, our dedicated servers are fully compatible with platforms like VMware, KVM, and more. You won’t find that option with GoDaddy’s VPS plans.

Interserver provides dedicated servers starting as low as $70 per month. You can check out our dedicated server pricing on on our website.

Ready to Migrate? We’ve Got You Covered

At Interserver, we make migrating from GoDaddy (or any other provider) a breeze. If you are ready to migrate, Feel free to contact us.

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