When it comes to securing your website or VPS, two terms often come up: Firewall and WAF (Web Application Firewall). While they sound similar, they serve different purposes. Choosing the right one—or knowing when to use both—is crucial for protecting your applications and data from cyber threats.
In this article, we’ll break down the differences, benefits, and best use cases for Firewalls and WAFs.
✅ What is a Firewall?
A firewall is a network security system that filters incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined rules. It operates at the network and transport layers (Layer 3 and Layer 4 of the OSI model).
What it does:
Blocks unauthorized access to your VPS or network
Controls which IP addresses, ports, and protocols can communicate
Prevents brute-force attacks and scans
Types of Firewalls:
Host-based (e.g., UFW, Firewalld)
Network-based (hardware or cloud)
Example: Blocking all ports except 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS), and SSH.
✅ What is a WAF (Web Application Firewall)?
A Web Application Firewall protects web applications by filtering HTTP/S traffic. It operates at the application layer(Layer 7 of the OSI model) and is designed to prevent attacks like:
SQL Injection
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
File Inclusion Attacks
OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities
How it works:
Analyzes HTTP requests before they reach your application
Blocks malicious patterns in URL, headers, or payload
Can be deployed as a reverse proxy (e.g., Cloudflare, AWS WAF)
✅ Firewall vs WAF: Key Differences
Feature
Firewall
WAF
Layer
Network (Layer 3/4)
Application (Layer 7)
Protection Focus
IPs, Ports, Protocols
HTTP/S requests and app vulnerabilities
Blocks
Unauthorized access, brute force
SQL Injection, XSS, Web Exploits
Deployment
Server or Network Level
Application or CDN Level
✅ Do You Need Both?
Yes, in most cases.
Firewall ensures your VPS isn’t exposed to unnecessary ports or traffic.
WAF adds another layer by inspecting HTTP/S traffic for malicious patterns.
Think of it like this:
Firewall = Lock on your front door
WAF = Security guard checking IDs at the entrance
✅ Best Practices for VPS Security
Enable a firewall on your VPS using UFW or Firewalld.
Install Fail2Ban to protect against brute-force attempts.
Use a WAF service like Cloudflare for application-layer protection.
Keep your apps and OS updated to avoid zero-day vulnerabilities.
Take regular backups for quick recovery.
✅ Hosteons VPS Security Advantage
At Hosteons, all VPS plans are designed for security:
Full root access to configure UFW, CSF, or any firewall
10Gbps network ports for fast, secure connectivity
Compatible with Cloudflare WAF and other security tools
Ransomware attacks have become one of the most dangerous cybersecurity threats in recent years. These attacks encrypt your data and demand a ransom for its release, causing downtime, financial losses, and sometimes permanent data loss.
If you’re running a VPS, you are a target—but with the right security practices, you can significantly reduce the risk. In this guide, we’ll show you how to protect your VPS from ransomware attacks.
✅
What is Ransomware and Why Target VPS?
Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files or system, rendering them unusable until a ransom is paid. VPS servers are attractive targets because:
They often host business-critical applications
Many users fail to apply security updates
Weak configurations leave them exposed to attacks
Top Ways to Secure Your VPS from Ransomware
✅
1. Keep Your System Updated
Unpatched systems are the most common entry point for attackers.
Update your VPS regularly:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y # For Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf update -y # For CentOS/AlmaLinux
✅
2. Use Strong SSH Security
Disable root login
Use SSH keys instead of passwords
Change the default SSH port
Example:
PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no
Port 2222
Ransomware is a growing threat, but with regular updates, strong security practices, and backups, your VPS can stay protected. Don’t wait until it’s too late—secure your VPS now.
This is a pilot project — we’re testing demand. If users love it, we’ll expand the offerings. If not, we may discontinue these packages. But all existing clients will continue to receive service for life as long as they keep renewing.
In the hosting world, the term overselling is everywhere. Many VPS and shared hosting providers stack more clients on a server than it can truly handle, betting that most users won’t utilize 100% of their allocated resources at the same time.
At HostEONS, we take a different approach — we never oversell critical resources like CPU and RAM. Here’s why that matters for your VPS performance, stability, and peace of mind.
❓ What Is Overselling?
Overselling happens when a hosting provider allocates more virtual resources (CPU, RAM, etc.) than physically exist on a server, assuming not everyone will use them fully at once.
Example:
A server with 64 GB RAM sells 100 GB worth of VPS plans.
If every VPS tries to use its full RAM, the server becomes overloaded, leading to crashes, slowdowns, and frustrated users.
🚀 Why HostEONS Doesn’t Oversell
We believe in transparent, reliable hosting. Here’s what we do instead:
✅ Strict Resource Allocation: Each VPS is assigned real, guaranteed CPU(VDS), RAM, and disk space — no tricks.
✅ Consistent Performance: Whether it’s peak hours or low traffic, your VPS performs as expected.
✅ Better Stability: No noisy neighbors saturating shared resources and causing downtime.
✅ Long-Term Trust: We build customer loyalty through reliability, not short-term gains.
🛡️ Why This Matters to You
For Developers: Predictable environments = smooth deployments.
For Businesses: Reliable websites and apps = better user trust & revenue.
For Agencies & Resellers: Confidently host your clients knowing your backend is solid.
When hosting providers oversell, you pay the price in lost performance and downtime. We think that’s unacceptable.
💡 HostEONS Hosting Highlights
Intel Xeon & Ryzen KVM VPS
Free Snapshots & Backups
Free Blesta License
Multiple Locations: US & EU
Fast NVMe Storage (Ryzen Plans)
One-Click Control Panel & Instant Setup
Global Payment Options (Credit Card, PayPal, Crypto, Alipay CN, Local Gateways)
We’ve been in business since 2018, and our founding team has over 20 years of experience in hosting. That’s why we take reliability seriously — it’s not just a selling point, it’s part of our DNA.
💬 Have Questions?
Reach out to our team anytime or explore our knowledge base for more insights into how we keep your VPS running at its best.
