Virtual Server: A virtual server is a server that allows several top-level domains (.com) to be hosted from one computer. This service is sometimes referred to as virtual hosting or virtual server hosting.
Although the term virtual hosting usually relates to web servers, other internet services can sometimes fall into this category. Virtual servers, which is used to host most domains, can save money for smaller companies; however, any dedicated hosting should be done on a larger commercial server. These services can save money because they are, essentially, shared servers.
There are several different types of virtual hosting. Name-based virtual hosting can use multiple host names from the same IP (internet protocol) address. One of the biggest issues with name-based hosting is that having several sites connected to one IP address can result in security vulnerabilities. A way around this is to use IP-based hosting, which assigns a different IP address to each website. There is also port-based hosting, which assigns addresses to different ports in a server.
An example of a virtual server includes Apache IP-based Virtual Hosts, which many people choose to set up themselves. A related service to virtual hosting is a virtual private server, which is a virtual machine sold by an internet hosting service.