It’s often asked across the internet, due to confusion on just what a virtual private server is, what applications can be installed and run on a VPS. The easiest answer is that a VPS is simply a supercharged, more flexible and more reliable version of standard shared web hosting which means that any application that can be run on shared hosting can also be run on a virtual private server. On tops of this, due to the additional inclusions of a VPS, it’s also possible to run numerous applications that may not have been possible to run on a shared hosting environment due to it’s limitations of specifications and operating systems. This is partly one of the reasons that virtual private servers are highly desired, along with their increased resources, reliability and additional options.

Applications For Virtual Private Servers

Although it is now quite obvious, from the above explanation, as to what applications can run on a virtual private server, the following list gives an overview of some of the more popular applications that people often install on their servers. These range from popular blogging applications, management applications and community orientated applications that provide a range of options to improve the overall functionality of your website.

WordPress

Wordpress is an obvious addition to the list and is the most popular blogging/content management system application while also quite possibly being one of the most widely used applications across the internet today. WordPress is a powerful personal blogging applications that is also quite often used as a content management system due to it’s plethora of features and options. With WordPress you can easily create, publish, edit, share, promote and maintain all of your content and media through an easy to use management dashboard that also houses an in-built theme editor making it a simple task to change the look of your website. WordPress is also open source which means it is 100% free to download, use and modify without prior permission and support is easy to obtain due to the huge community of WordPress users, supporters and developers.

Find out more about WordPress here: WordPress.org

Magento

Magento is an online shopping, e-commerce, application that empowers you with all of the tools required to set up, run and manage a successful online store selling both virtual and physical products. It has grown into one of the largest e-commerce applications on the web today and powers some of the biggest online shopping stores including the likes of Nike and Olympus. Magento is available in a range of packages including a commercial enterprise edition that includes solid support and a rich feature set whilst an open source community edition is also available for free.

Find out more about Magento here: Magento.com

VBulletin

VBulletin is a popular commercial online discussion forum application that gives website owners the ability to create and manage beautiful and powerful online communities with minimal work. With VBulletin you can launch your new forum in as little as 15 minutes and enjoy a range of functions including great social functionality, strong security, powerful search engine optimisation and solid moderation controls, all at a great cost. VBulletin is also used by some of the worlds largest companies including Sony Pictures, EA Games and Zynga.

Find out more about VBulletin here: Vbulletin.org

Joomla

Joomla is another content management system which is trusted by millions of people worldwide to power their websites ranging from small personal portfolios through to enterprise grade government websites. Joomla offers a rich set of content and media management tools along with all of the access you need to develop your website to look, act and function exactly the way you want rather than having to rely on the default theme and functionality. Extensions, both third party and official, are available to install onto your Joomla installation which can add extra features and functionality allowing you to further push the boundaries of how your website functions. As with many other content management systems, Joomla is 100% open source which means it is free to download, use and modify as you see fit.

Find out more about Joomla here: Joomla.org

MediaWiki

MediaWiki is a complete content based application that makes it easy for website owners to create an informative index of content on a range of subjects, just like Wikipedia. Infact, MediaWiki is the same software used by the online giant Wikipedia along with many other online collaborative content based projects and websites. MediaWiki is an open source application which means it is free to download, use and modify which makes it ideal for customising to meet the requirements of your new or existing projects.

Find out more about MediaWiki here: MediaWiki.org

There Are Thousands More

There are literally thousands of online applications that can be downloaded, installed and run on a virtual private server without the limitations that previous shared web hosting may have enforced. Due to the way in which a VPS is provisioned and powered, you have complete control in customising the base software on the server, meaning if you find an application that you would love to use but it requires a specific operating system to run, you can simply install the required operating system on your VPS in order to install and run the desired application. This is one of the true beauty’s of owning a virtual private server, you have almost complete control in being able to set it up to suit the requirements needed for your specific websites intended use. However, taking on the additional control provided with a virtual private server does come with a higher cost than that of a shared hosting service and will, for the most part, require a more in depth knowledge of web based technologies.