Managed hosting includes OS updates, monitoring, backups, and support so your team can focus on applications. Unmanaged gives you root access and full control; you handle patches and operations. Choosing the right model affects cost, control, and day-to-day ops.
What managed includes
- OS updates and security patches
- Monitoring and alerting (often 24/7)
- Backups and restore support
- Technical support for infrastructure issues
Your team focuses on applications; the provider handles the rest. Good for production when you prefer not to manage servers.
What unmanaged gives you
- Full root access and control
- You choose OS, stack, and configuration
- You are responsible for patches, backups, and monitoring
- Often lower base price; you pay in time or internal ops
Ideal for dev/staging or teams with strong DevOps that want full control.
When to choose each
| Need | Prefer |
|---|---|
| Production, less ops | Managed |
| Dev/staging, full control | Unmanaged |
| Compliance, hands-off | Managed |
| Custom stack, cost-sensitive | Unmanaged |
Many teams use managed for production and unmanaged for dev or when they have strong in-house ops.
