Today we’re going to compare web hosting services so you can understand the difference between shared hosting, dedicated server hosting and VPS Hosting
What Is Shared Hosting?
Shared hosting is when your website is hosted on a web server along with other web sites, each having its own Internet domain name. Unless you require abnormally high amounts of bandwidth and disk space, shared hosting is probably the better option due to the lower cost compared to other options. All of the web hosting services reviewed on this site offer some type(s) of shared hosting plan.
Shared hosting is the most common platform as it’s an affordable option for startups and new websites. Shared hosting does have it’s limits however generally if you have a website that has static content shared hosting is definitely suitable. Shared hosting is great when starting up and you can always upgrade to a VPS or dedicated server as your website grows.
Advantages of Shared Hosting
- Cheapest hosting option
- Good for basic websites
- No technical skills required
- User friendly control panel to manage your website and emails
- Convenient, quick activation and setup
- Managed service so you can concentrate on your website not the server
What Is VPS Hosting?
Virtual Hosting is when your website is hosted on a server which is partitioned into multiple separate “virtual” servers. Each partition acts as its own web server and can therefore, be managed separately from other partitions on the same server.
One major benefit to a VPS is that you’ll have full root access to your server. This simply means you can install any modules such as a specific version of apache, PHP, MySQL or anything else that you need. A VPS is the next step up from shared hosting. Designed for website owners that want dedicated resources and scalability, VPS hosting is still cheaper than a dedicated server but gives you pretty much the same functionality. With a VPS you can also install any operating system and control every aspect of your server.
Advantages of VPS Hosting
- Cheaper than a dedicated server but still private
- Dedicated CPU and memory
- Ability to resell hosting
- Full root access to your server
- Virtualization allows you to scale as your website grows
What Is Dedicated Server Hosting?
Dedicated Hosting is when you basically rent the use of an entire server. This server is not shared by anybody. The hosting provider would still take care of supporting the server (hardware, operating system, backup facilities,etc.) however you would have full control over managing the server, setting up the web sites, and what can and can not be installed on the server.
A dedicated server is recommended when you need more power and performance. You’ll have full root access on a dedicated server. This is a great option for a small, medium or enterprise business. Having a dedicated server also allows you to resell hosting. If you choose a dedicated server you can install cPanel and WHM, the most popular hosting control panels with tons of features.
Advantages of Dedicated Hosting
- Your own physical server, no sharing resources
- Dedicated resources
- Can handle very busy websites
- Full root access to your server
- Most reliable hosting platform
- More secure than shared or VPS
- Highest performance for your website
Whichever hosting service you decide to use be sure to check out our hosting reviews and hosting coupons sections to read our expert reviews and get the latest hosting discounts.
