What Is The Difference Between RDP and VPS?

RDP and VPS are two different technologies that often create confusion because of their connection with the hosting server. Both terms have some similarities but vast differences, which users can benefit from depending on their specific needs and requirements.

The biggest difference between VPS hosting and RDP is that one is a web hosting service, while the other is a technical configuration, respectively. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the key distinctions between these technologies to make informed decisions about their usage.

In this blog, we will examine the difference between RDP and VPS to better understand each technology and get the most out of each.

What is RDP?

RDP, i.e., remote desktop protocol, was developed by Microsoft to facilitate data transfer. Using this technology, you can connect to any system remotely, but the system must be Windows-based.

The same task is achieved using the SSH protocol for Linux OS. RDP was developed to stimulate a Windows server infrastructure.

Without any admin access, RDP helps to connect a system using its graphical user interface to a local network or the Internet. It is simple, like getting access to another system as if you are physically present.

How Does RDP Work?

As said earlier, RDP is a protocol that helps to connect another system, like you are physically available before the other system. You can connect by installing the remote desktop program and then entering the IP address of the system to connect with. The data is transmitted using encrypted connections, which makes it highly secure.

Further, you can easily connect multiple users to the same server. 

What is VPS?

VPS hosting is a web hosting service in which a server is divided into multiple small servers using virtualisation technology and a hypervisor. Each user gets a small unit of a large physical server, which helps in creating an independent hosting environment for each user. You get several benefits of VPS hosting, which are performance, control, uptime, scalability, etc.

How Does VPS Work?

Hypervisor technology divides a physical server into small virtual units. Multiple independent virtual units are created, ensuring dedicated hosting space and resources for each unit. 

For instance, the best VPS hosting server that has 4 CPU cores and 64GB of RAM can be divided to run 4 VPS instances with 1 core and 16GB RAM each. 

RDP Vs. VPS

Parameters	Remote Desktop Protocol	Virtual Private Server
Function	RDP allows remote access to a system, i.e., the ability to view the desktop screen and access Windows servers through a network connection	A virtual server is a hosting server that is part of a big physical server partitioned using a hypervisor.
Compatibility	Compatible only with Windows	Wide compatibility with both Windows and Linux
Access Level	You get remote graphical access to the system.	You get complete server control of the hosting environment.
Performance	Performance depends on a network connection.	There is no performance issue as there is a virtual unit partition between servers, giving dedicated space to each unit.
Price	It is a built-in free feature.	A monthly or yearly fee is charged.

Conclusion

When comparing VPS vs. RDP, they are two different server elements assigned to do completely different tasks. 

The terms can’t be used interchangeably. A virtual server is a hosting server created by dividing a bigger physical server, creating a dedicated space for each virtual server unit. At the same time, RDP is a protocol built by Microsoft that allows users to access and control another Windows system over a network remotely.