4 Questions To Ask Before Choosing A Forex VPS

The Forex trading landscape is rapidly evolving in 2023. As automation and efficiency emerge as crucial players in the battle for success, traders are constantly seeking new opportunities to optimise their trading experience and enhance their trading strategy. 

While VPS-powered trading once flew under the radar in the Forex world, it has recently received greater attention from both brokers and traders as a reliable environment that provides its users with a secure infrastructure for automated and algorithmic trading. 

After currency trading volumes reached a whopping $7.5 trillion per day in 2022 alone, the demand for Forex VPS hosting is on the rise. 

The question is, how can traders ensure that they’re choosing the best VPS provider from an unlimited list of choices? In response, we’ve compiled a list of the important questions to ask before embarking on your own Forex VPS journey.

Forex VPS Explained 

Before we jump into the key factors to look out for when choosing a VPS provider, let’s delve into the benefits of VPS hosting for Forex trading.

A Forex VPS, otherwise known as a virtual private server, acts as a permanent link that connects your individual trading terminal to a wider, global trading network. Unlike a home PC, using a VPS for Forex trading makes it easier to control your trades remotely from any device, with the added advantage of high security and reliable uptime.

Functioning on a virtual operating system (OS), a VPS-powered trading platform offers traders the ability to automate numerous currency exchanges from anywhere in the world at any time and respond instantly to time-sensitive market opportunities. 

From enhancing execution speed to lower latency and slippage, choosing a VPS for Forex trading seems like a no-brainer, especially in comparison to a regular PC that is inaccessible from a remote location, susceptible to power cuts, cyber security threats and a number of other disadvantages that delay trade execution. 

However, before diving head first into VPS hosting, there are a few crucial factors to consider when choosing the right provider for you. Are you looking for a managed or self-managed OS? Is the hosting provider compatible with a large number of trading platforms? 

Here are some of the key questions to ask before subscribing to your first VPS hosting platform. 

Is The Operating System Easy To Navigate?

If you’re new to VPS hosting, it’s important to choose a platform that is simple to navigate and easy to use. 

Most VPS providers allow you to choose your preferred operating system when it comes to Forex trading. Typically equipped with various OSes, you should be able to choose from Windows, Mac OS and Linux, as well as a number of trading software platforms, including MetaTrader 4&5 and TradeStation.

If your VPS provider doesn’t have a wide range of OS software to pick from and personalise, this could be a red flag, especially if you’re used to a particular platform experience. 

Look For 24/7 Customer Support

No matter whether you’re on a virtual or physical server, all trading platform have their moments. Whether this is lag, a technical glitch or something more severe, your hosting provider must have a reliable customer service port in place if they want to be chosen.

The Forex market is open 24 hours a day, so it’s vital to look for a VPS server with a 24/7 customer service point. Traders simply can't afford to wait for a 3-5 working day reply as the market can change in milliseconds. Therefore, you want to ensure that there will be someone there to help if an issue arises at any time of the day. 

How Secure Is Your Data?

Network hacking has become all the more common in today's reality. By 2025, experts predict that cybercrime will cost the world $10.5 trillion per year, posing a great risk to Forex traders completing transactions within unsecured networks. 

From a data security perspective, VPS hosting could be the answer to network hacking. Most trustworthy VPS providers are fully equipped with strong firewalls, SSL encryption and confident recovery programmes for any potential disasters. 

Take MetaTrader 5, for example. Based on a distributed architecture, functions are spread across a range of servers, improving both scalability and security. Not only can traders operate with no architectural limits, but on a distributed platform, trade savers are hidden behind multiple access points, otherwise known as shells. 

Better still, MT 5 operates with a built-in advanced authentication system while executing all trades over an encrypted connection for complete protection of all trade accounts.

When choosing a VPS provider, platform security should be at the top of your list. Ensure that your supplier updates all systems and software on a regular basis, takes extra care to protect the platform from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks and offers an airtight disaster recovery program. 

Does The VPS Have A High Uptime?

Another key factor to consider before deciding on the perfect VPS provider is uptime and latency. 

If you’re spending money on a VPS host, you must check that the virtual tech is optimised to support a high-end performance. In order to ensure that your trades are executed efficiently and at high speed, make sure to look at the guaranteed uptime your VPS provider promises. 

MetaTrader’s 99.99% uptime guarantee ensures that all trades made on the platform reach their destination in less than 5 milliseconds for connections to over 82% of brokerage servers. Whether you’re without an internet connection or in the middle of a power cut, MetaTrader promises that all trades are executed with minimal delays.

Prioritising low latency is vital when choosing a VPS provider. When latency is low, your trades move faster. The recipe for long-term profitability is simply improving the speed at which it takes traders to access, evaluate and execute within the moving market. Opting for a VPS with low latency and a high up-time could be the difference between a profit and a loss.

Does The Provider Offer Extra Benefits? 

Last but not least, it’s time to question what separates your VPS provider from its competitors. What extra benefits does the VPS offer? Does the provider offer a reward scheme for loyal customers?

For tens of thousands of traders using MetaTrader 5, the popular Forex VPS platform is offering to reward its subscribers by enabling brokers to offer free access to its services under predefined terms and conditions.

After implementing a major service update based on the valuable feedback of its most loyal brokers, MetaTrader is offering new consumers a user-friendly OS for professional, social and algorithmic trading, which does not require additional activations or configurations

"Free specialized hosting for automated trading is a valuable asset and a significant advantage over competitors. In a highly saturated and aggressive market, any compelling argument can tip the scales,” claims Renat Fatkhullin, CEO of MetaQuotes. “We believe that the updated service will assist brokers in improving their business performance."

As the VPS market moves forward, so do the services each service provides. When choosing your own Forex VPS, it’s important to keep the basics like speed, security and scalability in mind whilst remembering to look for any perks that set your provider apart from the crowd. It may be a competitive market, but traders have the pick of the bunch.