Managed vs Unmanaged Hosting: Who Takes Care of the Server
Basics4 minInnovialabs editorial team
In short
With managed hosting the provider handles server updates, backups, security and monitoring; with unmanaged hosting you do it yourself, so the choice depends on whether someone on your team can and will administer the server.
The core difference
Unmanaged hosting means the provider gives you a server with an operating system installed and guarantees that the hardware, power and network work. Everything above the OS is your responsibility: configuration, updates, security, backups and incident response.
Managed hosting means the provider or a contractor handles administration: applies updates, configures security, runs backups, monitors the server and responds to incidents. You focus on your application and your business.
There are options in between, such as a VPS with a control panel and automatic backups but no administrator help. So always read what is actually included, not just the plan name.
Who does what
| Task | Unmanaged | Managed |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware, power, network | Provider | Provider |
| Software installation and setup | You | Provider or by agreement |
| OS and package updates | You | Provider |
| Backups | You | Provider (check frequency and retention) |
| Firewall, brute-force protection | You | Provider |
| SSL certificates | You | Usually the provider |
| Monitoring and alerts | You | Provider |
| Responding to an outage at night | You | Provider, under the SLA |
| Application code and logic | You | You |
Note the last row: even on managed hosting, bugs in your code are still yours. The provider is responsible for the server, not the application.
Updates
On an unmanaged server, security updates have to be installed regularly. On Linux part of this can be automated, for example on Debian and Ubuntu:
sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades
Automation does not replace a person, though: major upgrades and changes of database or language versions need testing and sometimes manual work.
Backups
The most common problem on unmanaged hosting is backups that nobody configured or nobody ever tested. Minimum rules:
- copies are stored somewhere other than the server that holds the data;
- you keep several generations of backups, not just the latest one;
- restoring is tested in practice from time to time.
On managed hosting, ask how often backups run, how many are kept and what a restore costs.
Security and monitoring
A server exposed to the internet starts getting scanned almost immediately. The basic minimum: SSH key login instead of passwords, unused ports closed, a firewall, timely updates. Plus monitoring: someone should learn that the site is down or the disk is full before your customers do.
How to choose
Unmanaged hosting fits when:
- someone on the team has Linux administration experience and the time to do it;
- you need full freedom to configure the environment;
- the project is for learning, testing or is not business-critical.
Managed hosting fits when:
- there is no administrator on the team, or they are overloaded;
- downtime of the site or service directly costs money;
- you handle personal or payment data and need discipline in updates and security.
When comparing prices, look beyond the plan. An unmanaged server has a smaller bill, but the time of the person maintaining it costs money too. And a single serious failure without a backup can cost more than many months of a managed plan.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the provider "handles everything anyway". On an unmanaged plan it does no backups or updates inside your system.
- Not reading the SLA. Response times, availability guarantees and compensation terms should be written down.
- Leaving the server without an owner. If the administrator leaves and the access details and notes were only with them, trouble starts at the first failure.