Server listings describe networking in two different ways: the port speed, such as 1 Gbps, and the traffic, such as "unmetered" or "30 TB". They answer different questions. Port speed is how fast data can move at any instant. Traffic is how much data you can move over a month. Mixing them up is the most common reason people over-buy or under-buy.
Port speed: the width of the pipe
The port is the physical network connection to the server. A 1 Gbps port can send roughly 125 megabytes per second at full speed; a 10 Gbps port ten times that. It caps how fast one big download can go, and how many users can pull data from you at the same moment.
Traffic: how much water goes through
Traffic is the total data sent (and sometimes received) in a billing month. Plans handle it in one of two ways:
- Unmetered: you are not counted or charged per gigabyte. You can use the port continuously at its rated speed, within the data center’s fair-use terms.
- Allowance: a fixed amount per month, for example 30 TB or 100 TB, with overage charges or a speed cap if you go past it.
Every listing on this site shows the port speed, and the spec sheet shows the traffic terms, so you can see which kind you are buying before you order.
How much can a port move in a month?
| Port speed | Per day at full speed | Per 30-day month |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Mbps | about 1 TB | about 32 TB |
| 300 Mbps | about 3.2 TB | about 97 TB |
| 1 Gbps | about 10.8 TB | about 324 TB |
| 10 Gbps | about 108 TB | about 3,240 TB |
Real-world numbers come in lower because no server runs flat out every second, but the table shows why an unmetered port is valuable: a cloud provider charging even a few cents per gigabyte would bill thousands of dollars for traffic a 1 Gbps unmetered server moves at no extra cost.
Working out what you need
Start from your average and your peak:
- Websites: average page weight times monthly page views. A site serving a million 2 MB page views moves about 2 TB, which any plan covers.
- Video: bitrate times viewers times hours. Ten 1080p viewers at 5 Mbps for an hour is around 22 GB; hundreds of concurrent viewers need a 1 Gbps port.
- Downloads and mirrors: file size times downloads per month, and check that peak demand fits the port.
- Game servers: usually a few Mbps per dozen players. Port speed rarely matters except for map and mod downloads.
- Backups: the size of your nightly changes, plus a full copy now and then.
If your peak fits comfortably inside the port and your monthly total fits the allowance, you are set. For heavy, steady transfer, browse 1 Gbps and faster servers.
Things to watch for
"Unmetered" is not the same as "guaranteed full speed to every destination". Throughput to a specific user depends on the routes between the data center and them. Use the looking glass to check paths to your main audience before you buy. Also check whether an allowance counts inbound traffic, outbound, or both; most count outbound only.