Once you have made up your mind to begin a website and have got a domain name down pat, you then have to proceed to find a web hosting provider that can satisfy your server space requirements. There are several kinds of hosting options for you to choose from that are tailored to be compatible with certain kinds of websites. Let’s take a look at the most well-known web hosting types, namely VPS hosting and shared hosting. Exploring their advantages and disadvantages will give you a good idea of which one is most compatible with your company’s web hosting needs.
What is shared hosting?
Shared hosting is the equivalent of sharing your house and all of its amenities like the gym or pool with other people. Shared hosting dictates that you have to split the server among other users. However, there is no need to be worried about it. The users are unable to see what other individuals have on the server. Your physical resources are basically shared with other users on your shared hosting server.
What is VPS hosting?
Virtual private servers resemble duplexes where you can have complete control over your entire floor and its resources. You get to maintain your complete space and customize it according to your wants and needs, but all of its responsibilities fall on your shoulders. Linux or Windows VPS hosting is the perfect way if your website has to handle data that is both sensitive and confidential or several applications that take up a lot of resources.
What are the differences between VPS and shared hosting?
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Safety and performance
Regardless of the kind of website you have, security is always one of the primary concerns. Shared and VPS hosting, both offer relative amounts of security and a safe environment to host your website in. However, there are some distinct variations. Shared hosting, unfortunately, opens up the ground for your website to feel the adverse effects of a problem being encountered by another website. The speed of your website also goes down if another website takes up the majority of the bandwidth that is shared. It can be utterly detrimental if your website gets a lot of traffic.
VPS hosting helps you get rid of this problem entirely. The servers are split with their own individualized resources that guarantee your website can work with all the resources it possibly needs. In case you do not have the tech knowledge required to manage your virtual private server, there are certain options you can choose from to help you manage it.
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Control
In case, you are searching for options for your website that offer advanced features, VPS hosting is the perfect choice for you as compared to shared hosting. You are also afforded your server’s root access, which allows you to choose your choice of OS for installation, along with software and control panel. It, in its own stead, helps boost your security and performance as noted above.
On the other hand, a shared hosting plan will keep you restricted to your basic server setup. It is the optimum choice for users that do not want to deal with their own server management responsibilities.
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Server administration
If shared hosting is your choice of web host, you do not have to take care of the responsibility of maintaining the technical aspects of your system. Your shared hosting provider deals with your shared server setup, along with installation and upgrade. They also lend you a hand so that you have the maximum amount of uptime and they manage the back end effectively.
Virtual private servers, on the other hand, makes managing resources a tad bit complex, as you need some knowledge to manage and navigate them. VPS hosting helps you tailor applications as well as software and configure it to boost the performance of your website, along with root access and back-end requirements.
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Scalability
VPS hosting is incredibly easy to scale, as opposed to shared hosting. In the beginning, when you are looking at short-term goals or if you have a small-scale website, shared hosting is the perfect option. However, as your website grows and starts bringing in more traffic, your performance will take a toll and suffer.
VPS hosting, on the other hand, helps you scale fast and without any hassle. If you can see your website growing and encountering an increased amount of traffic, VPS hosting is the perfect choice for you.
Conclusion
Once you have a better understanding of both Virtual private servers and shared hosting and their pros and cons, you can then choose the one most compatible with your needs.
This mainly depends on what stage your website is and what your requirements are. In case, your website is already completely set up and functional with ever-increasing traffic, which means more accountability and a need to up your resources, a Virtual private server will be the optimum choice for you.
In case, you are just starting up your website when you still have less traffic, or you have a tight budget, with limited tech knowledge that is needed to take care of servers or your website, the perfect choice for you is shared hosting as it makes it easier to manage and grow a website from the base.