Introduction:
Curious about what is web hosting? Our blog explains everything you need to know, from the basics of what it is and how it works, to the different types of hosting available. Whether you’re starting a new website or looking to switch providers, our guide has you covered.
Web hosting is the service that provides us with storage space on a remote server, where we can store our website files.
Types of Web Hosting:
There are basically three types of web hosting:
- Shared Hosting
- Virtual Private Server (VPS)
- Dedicated Server
What is Shared Hosting?
In shared hosting, resources such as disk space and bandwidth are provided by one webserver to many users/customers.
This means that all websites share the same server and IP address, so if one site gets a lot of visitors the other sites may slow down.
The server will have a limit on the amount of data it can store and has to deal with multiple customers at once so it is not as fast as a VPS or dedicated server.
However, shared hosting is the most affordable option for getting started with your website. In any shared hosting plan there are usually restrictions on what you can do with your website.
For example, in some shared hosting plans, you are not allowed to install WordPress, Joomla, or other scripts that your site may need in order to run properly.
You also cannot access server-side files or databases because they are protected by passwords that you don´t have. To get around these issues you need to buy a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or a dedicated server.
Dedicated Web Hosting:
With dedicated hosting, you own and operate your own web server.
It means that nobody shares the same physical computer with you and all other websites on that particular machine are your competitors. So, by purchasing this type of hosting plan, you will get all the resources for yourself which can be accessed without restrictions. This type of hosting is more expensive than shared hosting but the difference in quality is significant.
Virtual Private Server (VPS)?
A virtual private server (also known as VPS or virtual server) is a virtual machine sold as a service by an Internet hosting service. It provides users with full control over a remote computer.
It is more powerful than shared hosting and has more features that can be unlocked with an upgrade. The difference between VPS and dedicated servers is that the latter provides guaranteed resource access, whereas with VPS allocations of resources such as the amount of storage or memory can change based on other users’ activity.
The most popular VPS service is Digital Ocean.
Benefits of Shared Web Hosting:
- Affordable
Hosting your website on shared hosting is the cheapest option for beginners who are just starting out with their website.
- Scalability
If you don’t have many visitors yet, then shared hosting will be enough for you, but if your site becomes popular and starts getting a lot of visitors you can always upgrade to a larger plan. In some cases, your site may go from shared hosting to VPS or dedicated server depending on the amount of traffic it gets.
- Easy To Set Up
With Shared Hosting you don’t have to worry about what type of server it is, where it is located or what type of Operating System is running on it.
- Simple To Use
Shared Hosting plans are the easiest to use because all you need to do is install an FTP program and upload your files to the server through it. There are no configurations needed for network settings, databases, web server or system updates, etc.
- Flexibility
For small websites, shared hosting is the easiest to use because there are no restrictions on what you can do with your website. You are allowed to install any scripts that are needed for your site to function properly and you have full access to all of your server files including your database and website files.
- Flexibility
With redundant server backups, you will never lose your data regardless of what happens to the hosting company and with a 24/7 support team available. Any issues that may arise are quickly resolved to keep your site running smoothly.
- Reseller Web Hosting
In some cases, you may want to start your own hosting business and in that case, reseller hosting is a viable option. You can purchase an already established hosting plan and sell it to your clients under your own name.
Advantages of Shared Web Hosting:
- The best option for high-performance websites that get a lot of traffic
With dedicated hosting, you are provided with all the resources of the server. This means not only more power but also speedier performance times.
- Complete flexibility
Dedicated servers give you full control over all of the files on your server. This means that you can manage everything yourself which is more work but it also means there are no restrictions.
- Greater Efficiency
Dedicated hosting is also good for large websites where every aspect, including the site speed, has to be top-notch.
- Unlimited Bandwidth and Disk Space
All of our unlimited plans mean that you have complete freedom to do whatever you want with your hosting resources.
- Better Security
With dedicated hosting, you are given a private IP address which ensures nobody else can have access to your website files through the Internet.
- More reliable than shared hosting
Plans with dedicated servers don’t load or run on a large server with many other sites which means that they are less likely to experience downtime and crashes.
- Full root access
All dedicated hosting packages come with full root (administrator) privileges, as opposed to shared hosting plans where you don’t have root access and can only use your account for file transfers.
This gives you the freedom to fully manage all aspects of your website such as software, system, and database updates.
Benefits of VPS Hosting:
- Greater performance than shared or dedicated servers
VPS plans offer more power than shared servers but at a lower price than dedicated servers. VPS is an ideal choice for those who want more resources than shared hosting but aren’t ready to move all their sites over to dedicated hosting just yet.
- Ability to run any software you want, not what the hosting company allows you to install
With VPS hosting, the resource limitations are eliminated because you are not sharing resources with other users on a server.
You can run all of your website activities at full throttle without worrying about crashing or slowdowns.
- Great for an existing site that needs more power
If you already have an established website but it is starting to do too much traffic for shared servers then upgrading to VPS hosting will give it that extra boost that it needs.
- Better security than shared or dedicated servers
When running your own server, there are no restrictions on the resources available. This means you can run any software, update your system and install new files freely which helps to keep your site safer.
- Greater stability than shared or dedicated servers
VPS hosting offers great levels of stability because the website is on its own isolated server. It also does not share resources with other sites so it is more unlikely to go down.
- More flexible for scaling up or down as needed
With a VPS plan, you are able to scale up or down depending on how you need the resources at any given time. You can start off small and grow your plan space as your website expands, without having to invest in expensive new hardware every time.
- Better uptime than shared or dedicated servers
With VPS hosting, you get the same level of support as dedicated servers without having to deal with all the added costs. You can have a better performing website that is also more stable and secure at the same time.
- Full root access
With a VPS hosting plan, just like with shared hosting, you have full control over everything related to your server. This means you will be able to update software and install new files anytime you want which gives you much greater control over how your site works.
Best Cheap Web Hosting:
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Conclusion:
With the many different kinds of hosting plans available, it can get very confusing and stressful. To choose the right one for you, start by determining what your needs are and how much you can afford to spend.
For a more detailed comparison of the different hosting types, take a look at this post we have written.