Featured article by Evan McAllister, Independent Technology Author
If you are looking around for web hosting, there are different options available. Each has distinct advantages, so your decision, in the end, could be down to how much you are prepared to pay. As you would expect, the greater the price the better the package, but it would be foolish to be paying out each month for additional services you really don’t need and won’t ever use. Perhaps a little more information can help you match your business to the right host.
Shared Hosting
For entry-level site hosting, you can always put your money on shared hosting. You will be sharing your space on the server with many other websites, which also means you will be sharing the server resources with other users. Since resources like CPU and RAM are shared, you will have the luxury to use the service without having to cough up a lot of money. For those who are still testing how their business is going to perform online, a shared hosting is perfect. Another benefit to help beginners are the availability of useful tools with shared hosting plans. For instance, many reliable names, you can use JavaPipe for instance, now offer WordPress hosting, website builders and the facility to send and receive emails. Just keep in mind that although shared hosting plans are cheap, the fact that you are sharing resources means you will be dealing with slow speed at times.
Dedicated Server Hosting
This is the opposite of shared hosting. It means that the whole server will belong to you and all its resources will be available to you only. You are renting the server to host your website and for that level of service you need to be willing to spend a lot more money compared to shared hosting. The benefit is that you enjoy full root and admin access. Although it also means you are responsible for picking the right operating system and maintaining your own security.
Virtual Private Server or VPS Hosting
If you’re looking for something that is in between a shared server and a dedicated server, virtual private server hosting could be the solution. Dedicated servers can work out expensive, even though they offer advanced tools and features. If you are looking to have more control over your site without the high cost of dedicated servers, consider selecting a VPS hosting.
With this type of hosting, you will still be on the same server with multiple websites but you will have your own space with all the resources available only to you. With this option, you can enjoy better storage space and will have more customization options available. There will still be limitations to exactly how much traffic it can handle and other websites on the server can still have an impact on your site, although to the same extent as with shared server hosting.
Whether you go for hiring your own server, share one with many other users or go for VPS, depends on the scale of your business and how much traffic you are expecting. With a dedicated package everything is taken of and you really won’t need to be involved in managing the tech side of your website but sharing a server has a lot to offer too. With so many sites using the service, the host has a greater incentive to stay on top of issues.
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