SQL Server Hosting

Which SQL Server hosting type fits

SQL Server hosting runs Microsoft's database on a Windows machine you rent: a shared Windows plan for one small database, a VPS when you need memory, SQL Agent or remote access. Express is free but capped at 10 GB per database on 2022 and older. Match the edition to the app before the plan.

Three shapes cover almost every case. The database size, the memory it needs and whether you must install software on the server decide between them, not the brand name on the plan.

The shared plan is the cheapest correct answer for a single database that fits the Express caps. A Windows VPS is the next step when memory or a scheduled job is the limit. The Windows hosting page lists what each shared tier includes.

SQL Server editions and their real limits

Four editions matter to a hosted app: Express, Web, Standard and Developer. The free ones are free for a reason, and the reason is a hard cap, not a nag screen.

Versions in common use are SQL Server 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2025. The 2025 Express release raised the database cap from 10 GB to 50 GB, which changes the buying decision for a mid-sized catalog: it may now fit Express where 2022 would not.

SQL Agent is the line most people hit. Express does not include it, so a nightly job that runs from Agent needs Web or Standard, or a Windows Task Scheduler job that calls sqlcmd.

Deploy MSSQL on a Windows VPS

The install is four decisions: edition, authentication mode, port and collation. Get them right once and the database behaves predictably.

1. Install the edition you are licensed for and choose Mixed Mode authentication, so both the Windows admin and a SQL login can connect.
2. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager, then Protocols for the instance, and enable TCP/IP.
3. Open the TCP/IP properties, IP Addresses tab, and set a fixed port — 1433 for a default instance.
4. Restart the SQL Server service, then create an application login with only the rights that app needs.
5. Connect from your own machine with SSMS using host,1433 and the SQL login before you publish the connection string.

If the connection times out, the cause is usually the firewall rule or a named instance without the SQL Browser service running. Test from the server itself first, then from outside; that splits the problem in two.

Remote access without leaving port 1433 open

Scope the Windows Firewall rule to the addresses that need the database. A SQL port open to every address is scanned continuously, and a weak sa password is the most common way a hosted MSSQL box is taken over.

• Create the inbound rule for TCP 1433 and set Remote IP addresses to your office and app server only.
• Disable or rename sa; give each application its own login with rights on one database.
• Use a long random password and rotate it when a developer leaves.
• Encrypt the connection; in the connection string set Encrypt=True and install a trusted certificate rather than trusting any certificate.
• Prefer a VPN or an SSH tunnel when the client IP is not fixed.

For a public website on the same server, connect through localhost and do not expose the port at all. Remote access is for administration, not for the app.

Backups and restore tests

Take a weekly full backup and, if the database uses the full recovery model, log backups every 15 to 60 minutes. Keep a copy off the server: a backup on the same disk survives neither a disk failure nor ransomware.

In SSMS, right-click the database, Tasks, Back Up, and write to a file outside the data folder. For a repeatable schedule, a Maintenance Plan with a Full Backup task and a Cleanup task is enough on Standard; on Express, schedule sqlcmd from Windows Task Scheduler.

A backup job that reports success is not proof. Restore the newest file to a test database once a quarter and run one query against it. That is the only check that matters.

Licensing and reselling capacity

Express is free in production, Developer is not, Web reaches you through a hosting provider's licence, and Standard is bought per core. A Windows VPS price covers the server, not the SQL licence; budget the two separately.

Reselling MSSQL is not the same as reselling web space. It needs a hosting licence that permits you to provide SQL Server to your own customers, with the terms written down. A standard Linux reseller plan does not include it. Ask for the licence terms in writing before you advertise SQL Server to clients.

MSSQL vs MySQL: when each wins

Choose MSSQL when the application expects it, or when you need SQL Agent, SSIS or the reporting stack that ships with it. Choose MySQL when the app is a PHP stack such as WordPress, because the licence cost buys nothing the application can use.

• ASP.NET, .NET desktop backends, SSRS reports: MSSQL.
• WordPress, Laravel, most open-source PHP apps: MySQL or MariaDB.
• Mixed stack: run both, but keep one database per application rather than one shared instance.

On WebJi, MySQL comes with the Linux plans and MSSQL with the Windows plans; the pricing page lists both families before 18% GST.