why are we even talking about a $500 php server, that is like the 0.01% of websites, You either need really specialized requirements or to be in the top 1,000 websites to need anything near what you can get for $500/month.
That was an arbitrary number, but I don't think that is true. It doesn't take much functionality before you will start needing the power of a server in the $500 range. Many apps today do a lot more than serve up static requests. I run a php server with just a few thousand daily active users and we need a $250/mo server.
You have your app, and database, and then your logging, tracing, and tracking stack and It all starts adding up pretty quickly.
You have your app, and database, and then your logging, tracing, and tracking stack and It all starts adding up pretty quickly.