When choosing a web host or planning for the future of your website, you will have to choose either dedicated or shared web hosting. Each type of hosting has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the best one for your website depends on your current and future needs and your budget.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting means you pay a fee each month to share web space on a server. The server also hosts several other websites, and you share disk space and bandwidth with the other websites. The hosting company is responsible for allocating hard drive space, bandwidth, backing up each site, security and setting up the server.
The main advantage of using shared hosting is the price. You will pay less to host your website because so many websites share the cost of the server. You are also not responsible for server maintenance, so you do not have to perform upgrades or pay for someone else to do it for you. The web hosting company also guarantees the safety of your website, so you do not have to worry about hackers. The initial investment is lower because you do not need to buy a server and set up backups, routers or firewalls. Most shared hosting plans include the software you need for a fully functional and dynamic website. You can host a website, blog or e-commerce site with multiple databases. Shared hosting is great for sites that run on wordpress take a look at a the top ten wordpress hosting providers here.
There are also disadvantages of using shared hosting. You are limited in disk space and bandwidth, and you can not use more than your site is allotted each month. Since you share resources with other websites, if another website uses more than their share of resources, your website will load slow.
You can not add new software to a server because the hosting company owns the server. They may or may not perform updates when they are available, and you have no control over when they will update their software.
These limitations make shared hosting a good option for small to medium sized businesses. Smaller businesses often do not have the resources to buy and maintain their own server, and this makes it affordable to get security and upgrades when they are available. Smaller websites often do not have the traffic needs for a dedicated server, so they can save money with shared hosting plans.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting means that you own your own server and are in full control of it. You or your IT team are responsible for installing and maintaining the operating system and software. you can choose to install new software and perform upgrades on your schedule.
Because you can customize the server to fit your needs, you have complete freedom when you create your site. You can change anything you want exactly when you want to change it. You can also expand your server at any time to fit your needs.
Dedicated hosting plans are often best for sites that get a lot of traffic or need a lot of space and bandwidth. The initial investment in hardware and software is worth it to have total control over your website.
Virtual Private Server
If your site has outgrown shared hosting but a dedicated hosting plan isn’t in your budget, consider a virtual private server (VPS). This type of hosting is in between the other two plans in price, and it gives you more options than shared hosting.
A VPS shares a single server between multiple websites, but each site is given defined space and bandwidth. This means that if one site uses more than their share of resources, it will not affect your site’s performance. You get the benefits of shared hosting, including having someone else set up and maintain the server, but you get better site performance like you would with a dedicated server.
Which is Better?
The best type of web hosting plan for your site depends on your website’s needs and your budget. When you are shopping for a web hosting plan, look at your site’s bandwidth and hard drive space. If it is increasing with time, plan on getting more space than you need. Switching from a shared hosting plan to a dedicated hosting plan takes a lot of time and work, so it is best to start with a dedicated hosting plan and avoid upgrading later.
If your budget does not allow you to hire someone to set up and maintain your server, a shared plan may be best. Shared hosting plans work well for most small to medium sized websites because they give you the space and bandwidth you need at a price you can afford.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting means you pay a fee each month to share web space on a server. The server also hosts several other websites, and you share disk space and bandwidth with the other websites. The hosting company is responsible for allocating hard drive space, bandwidth, backing up each site, security and setting up the server.
The main advantage of using shared hosting is the price. You will pay less to host your website because so many websites share the cost of the server. You are also not responsible for server maintenance, so you do not have to perform upgrades or pay for someone else to do it for you. The web hosting company also guarantees the safety of your website, so you do not have to worry about hackers. The initial investment is lower because you do not need to buy a server and set up backups, routers or firewalls. Most shared hosting plans include the software you need for a fully functional and dynamic website. You can host a website, blog or e-commerce site with multiple databases. Shared hosting is great for sites that run on wordpress take a look at a the top ten wordpress hosting providers here.
There are also disadvantages of using shared hosting. You are limited in disk space and bandwidth, and you can not use more than your site is allotted each month. Since you share resources with other websites, if another website uses more than their share of resources, your website will load slow.
You can not add new software to a server because the hosting company owns the server. They may or may not perform updates when they are available, and you have no control over when they will update their software.
These limitations make shared hosting a good option for small to medium sized businesses. Smaller businesses often do not have the resources to buy and maintain their own server, and this makes it affordable to get security and upgrades when they are available. Smaller websites often do not have the traffic needs for a dedicated server, so they can save money with shared hosting plans.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting means that you own your own server and are in full control of it. You or your IT team are responsible for installing and maintaining the operating system and software. you can choose to install new software and perform upgrades on your schedule.
Because you can customize the server to fit your needs, you have complete freedom when you create your site. You can change anything you want exactly when you want to change it. You can also expand your server at any time to fit your needs.
Dedicated hosting plans are often best for sites that get a lot of traffic or need a lot of space and bandwidth. The initial investment in hardware and software is worth it to have total control over your website.
Virtual Private Server
If your site has outgrown shared hosting but a dedicated hosting plan isn’t in your budget, consider a virtual private server (VPS). This type of hosting is in between the other two plans in price, and it gives you more options than shared hosting.
A VPS shares a single server between multiple websites, but each site is given defined space and bandwidth. This means that if one site uses more than their share of resources, it will not affect your site’s performance. You get the benefits of shared hosting, including having someone else set up and maintain the server, but you get better site performance like you would with a dedicated server.
Which is Better?
The best type of web hosting plan for your site depends on your website’s needs and your budget. When you are shopping for a web hosting plan, look at your site’s bandwidth and hard drive space. If it is increasing with time, plan on getting more space than you need. Switching from a shared hosting plan to a dedicated hosting plan takes a lot of time and work, so it is best to start with a dedicated hosting plan and avoid upgrading later.
If your budget does not allow you to hire someone to set up and maintain your server, a shared plan may be best. Shared hosting plans work well for most small to medium sized websites because they give you the space and bandwidth you need at a price you can afford.
Comments
Post a Comment