vCore (virtual core) is a virtual CPU core allocated to your VPS server. The number of vCores determines how many tasks your server can execute simultaneously.
Why This Matters
Multitasking. Each vCore can process a separate task. More cores = more parallel operations.
Performance Under Load. With high website traffic, a single core won't cope—visitors will wait in queue for request processing.
Stability. Sufficient cores prevent server "freezing" during peak loads.
How to Choose the Number of vCores
1 vCore — Basic Projects
Suitable for:
- Simple blog or business card site
- Up to 500-1000 visitors per day
- Basic WordPress without heavy plugins
- Test environments
- Personal projects
Not suitable for:
- E-commerce stores
- Sites with databases under load
- Running multiple applications simultaneously
2 vCore — Standard Projects
Suitable for:
- WordPress with WooCommerce (up to 1000 products)
- Corporate site with 2000-5000 visitors/day
- Simple API service
- Medium complexity Node.js/Python applications
- Several small websites
Example: OpenCart e-commerce store, Joomla blog, corporate site with forms and user dashboard.
4 vCore — High-Load Projects
Suitable for:
- Large e-commerce store (5000+ products)
- Sites with 10,000+ visitors per day
- SaaS applications
- Complex web applications on Laravel/Django
- Game servers (Minecraft, Counter-Strike)
- Docker containers
Example: News portal with 20,000 unique visitors per day, CRM system for 50+ employee company.
6-8 vCore — Enterprise Solutions
Suitable for:
- High-load APIs
- Large databases
- Analytics platforms
- Video streaming
- Machine learning
- Multiple isolated applications
Real-World Examples
WordPress Blog (1 vCore):
- Concurrent users: 30-50 visitors
- Speed: 200-300 ms per page
- Peak load: slowdown to 1-2 seconds
Same Blog (2 vCore):
- Concurrent users: 150-200 visitors
- Speed: stable 150-200 ms
- Peak load: no slowdown
WooCommerce Store (2 vCore vs 4 vCore):
2 vCore:
- 500 concurrent visitors
- Catalog search: 1.5-2 seconds
- Checkout: 3-4 seconds
4 vCore:
- 2000 concurrent visitors
- Catalog search: 0.4-0.6 seconds
- Checkout: 0.8-1 second
Common Mistakes When Choosing
❌ "I'll take 1 core, buy more later" Better to get enough immediately. Upgrades require migration and downtime.
❌ "8 cores is always better than 2" If your application is single-threaded (many PHP scripts), extra cores won't boost performance.
❌ "My site is light, 1 core is enough" If it's WordPress with caching plugins, forms, sliders—it's not a "light site."
How to Know You Need More Cores
Signs of vCore shortage:
- Site "lags" with 100+ concurrent visitors
- CPU metric constantly at 80-100%
- Server response time exceeds 500 ms
- WordPress admin loads 5+ seconds
- Database queries queue up
Check CPU load with command:
topIf %CPU value is constantly near 100%—you need more cores.
What Matters More: Core Count or Frequency?
Core count matters for multitasking and parallel processing.
Frequency (GHz) matters for single-threaded task execution speed.
For web servers and databases, core count is usually more important than frequency. For scientific computing or rendering—frequency matters.
Our servers use Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC processors with 2.4-3.5 GHz frequency—optimal balance for most tasks.
Can I Change vCore Count Later?
Yes, you can scale resources. On THE.Hosting, upgrading to a larger plan takes 5-10 minutes without server reinstallation.
But it's better to choose adequate configuration initially to avoid performance issues.
Not Sure How Many Cores Your Project Needs?
Our specialists will help select optimal configuration based on your tasks. Free consultation 24/7.
Choose VPS with Required vCore Count
FAQ
Is vCore physical or virtual?
Virtual. Physical cores of powerful processors (Intel Xeon, AMD EPYC) are divided among VPS. But thanks to KVM hypervisor and dedicated resources, you get guaranteed performance.
Why can't 1 vCore = 1 physical core?
Physical cores of server processors are too powerful for typical VPS tasks. One Xeon physical core handles the load of 4-8 vCores for web projects.
What if performance isn't enough?
You can scale VPS to a larger plan with additional cores at any time.