After your website’s development has ended, you need a hosting service to make your new website work in a live environment. So you may be facing the challenge of choosing the best hosting option among three available web hosting methods: shared hosting, virtual private server (VPS) hosting and cloud-supported hosting. The knowledge that these methods don’t need ample technical knowledge may give you some relief, but the challenge of choosing the ideal hosting service persists.
We are here to help you tackle this challenge by sharing with you knowledge about the benefits and drawbacks of these hosting techniques. This knowledge will enable you to make the right decision in an informed way.
So give your full attention to this blog till the end.
Let’s first talk about the factors that will determine the best hosting choice for your website. They include performance demands, security requirements, scalability requirements, budgetary constraints and server administration preferences.
Now it is time to gain an understanding of how each hosting method operates, their main benefits and disadvantages and their comparisons with each other.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a web hosting arrangement where many hosted websites share one server. They share various resources of the server such as memory, bandwidth, disk space, storage, database and email accounts servers. The hosting provider sets up the server and manages it, installs softwares and performs server updates and security updates. He also installs hardware upgrades, provides technical support and is responsible for other aspects of the service.
If your site is hosted on shared hosting, then the resources and server used by it are shared with all other hosted websites. Usually, a website owner does not know which other websites/website owners are sharing the hosting platform with his website.
The provider imposes a limit on the amount of server resources each customer can use on the shared hosting platform. This limit depends on the hosting package chosen by the customer. Though there are many shared hosting providers offering multiple packages with varying resource access levels, still all customers get to occupy the same space.
The shared hosting arrangement can be best understood by the example of staying in a dormitory where many people share the same room. Everyone in the room is allowed to access shared resources like desks, beds and power outlets. If one person uses more space or power outlets, it can limit what others get. Similarly, in shared hosting, many websites are hosted on the same server. Also, they share the same resources. If one website begins using more storage or bandwidth, it can slow down or limit the resources available to the other websites on the server.
Due to being the most affordable, shared hosting is the most commonly used method of hosting. Its affordability makes it an ideal option for small businesses and personal sites.
Shared hosting has its share of potential disadvantages. If server resources are not powerful enough to handle multiple users or if there is a lack of security controls, the loading speed of your website may decrease. Also, it may be difficult to access the website. Moreover, there is a potential risk of your website getting compromised.
VPS Hosting
In the virtual private server (VPS) hosting arrangement, users get to share the same physical server space but the VPS service provider installs a virtual layer on top of the operating system of the server. This layer is responsible for separating the server into multiple partitions and lets users install their own software and operating systems. This allows multiple users to create their own virtual servers on a single physical server. Though multiple virtual private servers are hosted on a lone physical server, each virtual private server is totally private. This means it can run independent operating systems and has its own dedicated memory.
VPS hosting can be best explained with the example of you having your own office space in a shared office building. Here you have your own private office with dedicated resources like internet, electricity and furniture. However, the whole building shares a common infrastructure such as the internet service, main electrical supply and heating or cooling system. If every office located within the building turns on all their devices and uses maximum power, the building’s overall system might slow down, consequently affecting everyone’s performance. Similarly, in VPS hosting, each website is provided dedicated resources, but the larger server resources are shared among all users. If they all push their usage to the limit, it can affect overall performance.
Due to the partially-private nature of VPS, it is an ideal hosting method for consumer-oriented websites including online stores and small-sized businesses. This strategy delivers site owners benefits like faster loading times, enhanced security and uplifted overall site performance.
In spite of certain benefits of the VPS hosting approach, it also has some disadvantages. One is that VPS hosting needs much more technical knowledge for managing the server. If you have built a website for the first time, you may want to persist with a shared server approach.
Additionally, you hold a greater responsibility for protecting your website as an improperly configured VPS server can give rise to critical security vulnerabilities.
Cloud Hosting
Basically, a cloud server is a virtual server operating in a cloud-based computing environment. It is built, hosted and delivered through a cloud-centered computing platform and accessed remotely through the internet.
Cloud hosting arrangement can be better understood with the example of you taking on rent a workspace in a network of co-working offices dispersed across multiple locations within a city. You are able to work from any of these offices and access the same resources such as meeting rooms, high-speed internet and power irrespective of the location you are at.
If one office experiences an outage or high demand, you can switch seamlessly to another neighboring location without disruption. Similarly, in cloud hosting, resources of your website are distributed across multiple servers. If one server goes down or has high demand, the system shifts automatically to another server. This keeps your website running smoothly without experiencing downtime.
Cloud-based servers provide a sense of security and stability to website owners because any possible software is separated from the environment of your website. Any other cloud server will not have an impact on your cloud server. Similarly, your cloud server will not have an effect on any other servers. But in physical servers, an overload from another user could possibly impact your website.
This puts focus on Reliability: the main benefit of cloud hosting. Due to the distributed nature of cloud deployments, even when one server goes down, there are other servers that quickly take over. Moreover, cloud servers offer a high level of scalability which is not found in other options.
If you are planning to grow your website and want your server to accommodate these website changes in its server power, then a cloud-based server is the ideal choice. This is because it lets you add memory and processing power on an as-needed basis. But in the case of a physical server, this sort of growth requires you to purchase expensive new hardware to match the growth of the website.
Notwithstanding its primary benefit of reliability, cloud hosting also has its share of potential problems. It is the most pricey hosting option. If you are devoid of a clear plan for website deployment and optimization, you may have to use and pay for more resources than you need.
By now you have gained a basic understanding of all three; Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting and Cloud Hosting options. Let’s now perform a more detailed comparison of these hosting types.
A Comparison between Shared Hosting and VPS
Performance :-
VPS hosting and shared hosting run on the basic principle of many users getting to share the same physical server. Compared to the shared hosting, VPS solutions provide greater access to the resources of the server. Consequently, VPS hosting delivers an enhanced performance than the performance provided by shared hosting options. Also, VPS hosting results in lesser loading times and better bandwidth in comparison to those provided by shared hosting.
Security :-
As VPS instances implement a virtual layer on top of the server’s operating systems, they are logically detached from other server pieces. So they allow users to implement their own security controls.
All users are reliant on the same bunch of the best security practices in shared hosting service environments. As a result, a mistake made by your digital neighbours may also put your data at risk.
Cost :-
The cost of shared hosting solutions is usually less than the cost of VPS hosting solutions. The good reason for this is VPS-based solutions provide enhanced server access, performance or security than those provided by shared hosting solutions. It is worth noting that all VPS hosts and shared hosts are not equal. So do make a comparison of the features, options and prices of each VPS and shared hosting option before buying them.
A Comparison of Cloud Hosting and Shared Hosting
Performance :-
Cloud hosting is notably faster than shared hosting because it uses a different hosting model where virtual servers replace physical stacks. This enables cloud hosting service providers to optimize speed and performance.
Cloud hosting as well as shared hosting leverage a shared pool of resources. But the cloud resources are not bound to a particular physical hardware. Rather, they can be scaled up on demand. This makes cloud hosting the better option when compared to shared hosting.
Security :-
Cloud hosting is more secure as long as you apply the right security controls like regular software upgrades and file backups. However, shared hosting providers can manage security for you but the system cannot fully protect you against data breaches in some cases. Moreover, shared hosting is more prone to threats such as DDoS attacks and hacking.
Cost :-
Shared hosting solutions cost less than cloud hosting options. Cloud hosting is typically considered a more expensive option because it provides more powerful infrastructure, resources and scalability that comes at a price.
A Comparison between Cloud Hosting and VPS Solutions
Performance :-
Cloud hosting is faster than VPS alternatives on the condition that cloud servers are more efficient in distributing the load across virtual servers compared to physical hardware used in VPS solutions.
Security :-
Cloud hosting service providers normally offer already-built security controls, but it is still the responsibility of the website owners to ensure the implementation of proper security measures. You may face some security issues with VPS hosting unless you configure the virtual server correctly.
Cost :-
The costs of VPS hosting and cloud hosting solutions are often comparable. VPS hosting usually has lower ongoing costs compared to cloud hosting. However, the scalability and reliability advantages of cloud hosting are better suited for larger, more resource-heavy websites.
Web Hosting Service Provider Examples
A reputed hosting service, Bluehost offers managed WordPress hosting services that come with a variety of options, including shared hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated hosting. The service is reliable and boasts excellent customer support.
DigitalOcean provides cloud-centered and VPS-based hosting in flexible configurations. Users can scale server resources easily and access powerful developer tools.
A2 Hosting is a renowned hosting service provider of various hosting solutions, from shared hosting to VPS hosting and cloud hosting. The service focuses on providing high-performance speeds with various add-ons.
Choose an Ideal Web Host
By now you have gained a better understanding of the unique advantages and disadvantages that shared hosting, VPS and cloud hosting offer for your website. So you can accordingly compare and contrast them to make out which of them best serves your website and business needs. Afterwards, you can hire a reliable hosting service provider for using the hosting type of your choice that enables your website to deliver an enhanced performance and a great overall experience to users.
