When you buy a Linux VPS you'll usually pick between self-managed (also called unmanaged) and fully-managed. The server hardware and performance are identical — the difference is who does the administration.
Self-managed (unmanaged) VPS
You get full root access and take care of the operating system and applications yourself: updates, security hardening, web-server and database configuration, backups and monitoring. The provider looks after the underlying platform — the node, network, hardware, and things like OS reinstalls and reverse DNS.
Best for: developers, sysadmins and DevOps engineers who are comfortable on the command line and want maximum control at the lowest price.
Fully-managed VPS
The provider's engineers handle server administration for you: initial setup, OS and control-panel patching, security hardening, proactive monitoring and troubleshooting. You can still keep root access, but you don't have to use it.
Best for: businesses and teams without a dedicated sysadmin, or anyone who would rather focus on their product than on server maintenance.
How to decide
- Do you have Linux/server skills in-house? If yes, self-managed saves money. If no, managed avoids costly mistakes.
- How critical is uptime? For revenue-critical sites, managed monitoring and patching reduce risk.
- How much time do you want to spend on the server? Managed frees your time; self-managed gives you control.
Can you switch later?
Yes. Many teams start self-managed and move to managed as they scale (or vice-versa). At OneHost, both options run on the same KVM + NVMe SSD platform, so you can upgrade the level of support without migrating your data.