Blog · WebJi® India

What Is a Dedicated Server?

Quick answer

A dedicated server is one physical computer in a data centre leased to a single customer, with its CPU, RAM, disks and network port unshared. You get root or administrator access and a remote IPMI console. At WebJi® it starts at ₹4,999 a month before 18% GST and suits heavy databases, busy stores and agencies.

For site owners and developers deciding whether their workload has outgrown a VPS and justifies a whole machine.

✓ In business since 2005

✓ INR + GST billing

✓ 24/7 Email Support — avg reply < 60 min

Get Started View Plans

GuideWebJi®
knowledge

Read time: 2 min
Sections: 3
Updated: 14 Nov 2026
Written by: WebJi® team

Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.

What does a dedicated server actually include?

A dedicated server is a single physical machine in a data centre leased to one customer, with every CPU core, memory module, disk and network port reserved for that customer alone. There is no hypervisor dividing it among other clients, so the resources you see are the resources you get at every hour of the day.

The provider owns the hardware, the rack space, power, cooling and the upstream network. You get full control of the operating system: root on Linux or the Administrator account on Windows Server. Your own office PC is only a terminal; the server runs in the data centre whether your laptop is on or off.

Processor: Server-class CPUs such as Intel Xeon, often with ECC memory that detects and corrects single-bit errors.
Storage: Two or more SSD or NVMe drives in a RAID array, so one failed disk does not take the data with it.
Network: A dedicated port, commonly 1 Gbps, and one or more static IPv4 addresses.
Out-of-band access: IPMI or a similar remote console that lets you reboot, reinstall or see the boot screen when the operating system will not respond.

How is a dedicated server different from VPS and shared hosting?

The difference is who else uses the hardware: on shared hosting hundreds of sites share one server, on a VPS several virtual machines share one host, and on a dedicated server nobody else is on the box. Isolation, control and price rise in that order.

Shared hosting, VPS and dedicated server compared, with WebJi® starting prices before 18% GST
Attribute	Shared hosting	VPS	Dedicated server
Hardware	A slice of a pooled server	A KVM virtual machine	The whole physical machine
Root / admin access	No (control panel only)	Yes	Yes, plus IPMI console
Other tenants on the hardware	Many websites	Other virtual machines	None
Resize	Change plan	Minutes, by upgrading the VM	Hardware change or new server
WebJi® starting price	₹299 a month	₹499 a month	₹4,999 a month

The longer comparison, including when a large VPS beats an entry dedicated box, is in VPS vs dedicated server.

Who needs a dedicated server?

A dedicated server suits workloads that are limited by disk I/O or memory, need consistent performance under load, or must run on hardware no other customer touches. A brochure site, a blog or a small WooCommerce store does not need one.

Busy online stores

Catalogues with thousands of products and sale-day spikes, where database queries compete for the same disks.

Database servers

MySQL, PostgreSQL or MS SQL instances that need large RAM buffers and predictable NVMe latency.

Agencies and resellers

Dozens of client sites under one control panel, where one heavy site must not slow the rest.

ERP, Tally and line-of-business apps

Software licensed per physical server, or used by many staff at once over RDP.

Compliance-driven workloads

Teams whose security policy asks for single-tenant hardware and a clear record of who has access.

Signs you have outgrown a VPS — steady CPU steal, swap use, I/O wait during peak hours — are covered in when to upgrade to a dedicated server.

How much does a dedicated server cost in India?

WebJi® dedicated servers start at ₹4,999 a month before 18% GST for a Xeon E3/E5 class machine with 32 GB RAM, RAID storage, a gigabit uplink and IPMI. Larger builds are quoted, because CPU generation, RAM, drive count and licences change the bill.

The rent is only part of the monthly cost. Budget separately for a control panel licence if you want cPanel or Plesk, a Windows Server or MS SQL licence on Windows builds, off-site backup, and administration time if you choose an unmanaged server. A full breakdown of these lines is in the dedicated server cost guide.

Should a dedicated server be managed or unmanaged?

Choose unmanaged only if someone on your team can patch the operating system, configure a firewall, monitor disks and restore backups; otherwise choose managed. On an unmanaged server the provider keeps the hardware and network running, and everything above the operating system is yours.

Unmanaged: lower monthly cost, full freedom, and full responsibility for security updates and recovery.
Managed: the provider handles OS updates, hardening, monitoring and help with backups; see managed dedicated servers.
Operating system: Linux for PHP, Node.js and most open-source stacks; Windows Server for ASP.NET, MS SQL and Tally over RDP.

The trade-offs apply to every hosting tier and are set out in managed vs unmanaged hosting.

What are the alternatives to renting a dedicated server?

The two closest alternatives are colocation, where you buy the hardware and rent rack space, and a large cloud server, which gives dedicated-level resources without a physical box to manage.

Colocation — you own and replace the hardware; it suits firms with existing servers. Compare it in colocation vs dedicated server.
Bare metal — another name for a dedicated server, often used when it is provisioned on demand; see what is a bare metal server.
Cloud server — WebJi® cloud plans start at 2 vCPU and 8 GB RAM for ₹5,900 a month before 18% GST and resize without a hardware swap.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is a dedicated server faster than a VPS?

Not always on paper, but it is more consistent. A well-sized VPS can match an entry dedicated machine on benchmarks; the dedicated server wins when disks and memory are under constant load, because no other tenant competes for them.

What is IPMI on a dedicated server?

IPMI is an out-of-band management interface built into the server board. It lets you power-cycle the machine, view the console and mount an installation image remotely, even when the operating system has crashed or the firewall has locked you out.

Does a dedicated server include backups?

RAID protects against a single disk failure, but it is not a backup: deleted files and ransomware are mirrored instantly. Keep a separate off-site backup, which is normally an add-on to the server rent.

Can I host many websites on one dedicated server?

Yes. With a control panel such as cPanel or Plesk you can host hundreds of sites, each with its own account, email and SSL. Agencies often do this, then move very busy clients to their own server later.