If you’re running a .NET application with Microsoft SQL Server on the same Windows VPS, you’re probably paying more than you need to for licensing and not getting the best performance from either your app or your database.
The same principle we discussed for separating MySQL from WordPress applies to the Windows world, but with an extra twist: Microsoft licenses SQL Server by CPU core. That makes separation even more valuable.
The licensing argument
Microsoft SQL Server Standard and Enterprise are licensed per core. If your Windows VPS has 4 vCPUs and runs both your application and SQL Server, you’re paying for a 4-core SQL license. But if SQL Server only needs 1 or 2 cores for your database workload, you’re paying for cores it doesn’t use.
Put SQL Server on a smaller Windows VPS with fewer vCPUs, and your application on a separate, larger VPS. Now you’re licensing SQL for the cores it actually uses, and your app gets more CPU without driving up your SQL licensing cost.
The performance argument
SQL Server likes RAM. It wants to cache as much data in memory as possible for fast query results. Your web application wants CPU for processing requests. On a shared server, they compete. Under load, your app eats CPU that could be handling SQL queries, and SQL hogs RAM that your app needs for connection pools and in-memory caching.
On separate virtual servers, you give SQL the RAM it needs and give your app the CPU it needs. Both run better.
How to set it up
Deploy two Windows VPS instances in the same data center. Install SQL Server on one and your application (ASP.NET, IIS, or whatever you’re running) on the other. Connect them over our private network so database traffic doesn’t traverse the public internet.
Lock down the SQL Server so it only accepts connections from your app server’s private IP. This is basic network security and prevents unauthorized access to your database.
Backup strategy
With SQL on its own VPS, you can back it up properly. Use our automated backup service for VPS-level snapshots, and add SQL Server native backups (using SQL Server Management Studio or a tool like SQL Backup Master) to capture consistent database copies. Send those copies to a third-party storage service as an additional layer of protection.
If your SQL workload outgrows VPS, we can move you to a dedicated server with more cores and RAM. The same architecture applies, just with beefier hardware. Contact us if you want help designing your Windows VPS hosting architecture.