Dedicated server
A dedicated server is a physical server assigned to one customer or workload rather than shared as separate virtual servers.
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Definition
A dedicated server is a physical server assigned to one customer or workload rather than shared as separate virtual servers.
How it works
With a dedicated server, the whole machine is yours: every core, all the memory, the full disk and network capacity, and no virtual neighbors. That suits heavy or specialized workloads — but it also means you or your provider need a plan for administration, hardware failure, and recovery, because there is no platform layer catching problems for you.
Example: A high-traffic database workload might run on a dedicated server when predictable access to local hardware matters.
Often confused: A VPS is an isolated slice of a physical host; a dedicated server is the physical host.
Related terms
Sources
- NIST Computer Security Resource Center Glossary
- NIST SP 800-125: Security for Full Virtualization Technologies
Last reviewed 2026-07-19.