Comparing the Different Types of Web Hosting

Comparing the Different Types of Web Hosting

Before you sign up for web hosting, you have to make a few decisions. You have to select a web hosting company and choose a domain name (either buy one or get one for free with your web hosting). You also have to choose what kind of hosting to get.

Just about every hosting company offers several choices and this can seem complicated to beginners. Should you get shared hosting, VPS hosting or cloud hosting, for example? The hosting plan you choose will depend on your needs, but you should at least become familiar with the basic features of each type. That way you can make a more informed choice.

A good way to understand web hosting is to look at a good infographic that explains it. You can find such an infographic designed by 100webhosting.com

Web Hosting Types Comparison

You can refer to the infographic above for the following discussion of the different types of web hosting choices.

Shared Hosting

This is the kind of hosting you will usually get when you set up your first blog or website. It’s the least expensive kind of hosting, because you are sharing a server with many other people.

Check out the top 10 shared web hosting plans on 100webhosting.com.

While shared web hosting doesn’t give you the kind of control or flexibility that more advanced plans offer, this isn’t a concern for people who are only setting up a small or modest sized website. As the infographic points out, shared hosting offers both the convenience and limitations of living in a large apartment complex. All of the basic services are taken care of for you, but you don’t have the opportunity to make any significant changes as you are only a tenant.

If you are going to get shared hosting, make sure you find a plan that’s right for you. Many hosting companies offer several different shared hosting plans. Sometimes, for example, the cheapest plan only allows you to have one domain while another plan gives you unlimited domains. Be sure to read all of the features and prices before making your choice.

VPS Hosting

If you want something more private than shared hosting but don’t want to get a dedicated server, you can opt for a Virtual Private Server. With this type of hosting, you have full access to your hosting account so you have the ability to make changes when you want. This is good for people who do their own website design or hire someone to do this.

The infographic compares this to a terraced house, giving you some privacy but not a completely separate home. With VPS hosting, you are still sharing hardware such as CPU and RAM with others. You are also responsible for many administrative tasks such as installing and maintaining applications, so you need to be at least a little tech savvy (or have someone on hand who is).

Dedicated Server

This is the kind of hosting to get if you want an entire server to yourself. In this case, you aren’t sharing any resources with other users. Out of all your hosting options, this gives you the maximum amount of control and flexibility. It also helps your site to run faster and keeps your data more secure.

The downside is, you will have to pay more for this. Dedicated servers are mainly for people with large business websites. It also requires the most technical know-how, or more costs if you hire someone to maintain your site. Referring once again to our graphic, we can see that having a dedicated server is akin to owning your own detached home. There are both advantages and responsibilities (and costs) to being a homeowner -or having a dedicated server.

Cloud Hosting

The final type of hosting we will look at is cloud hosting, which uses the combined resources of several connected servers. The advantage of this is that it allows you to use whatever resources you need and no more. This allows you to save money if, for example, you have certain months when your website traffic is low.

Cloud hosting is the newest type of hosting, but it’s becoming increasingly popular with businesses. Not all web hosts offer it, so you may have to shop around if you are seeking this type of hosting plan. It doesn’t offer the same amount of control as a dedicated server, but it’s less expensive.

Conclusion

Choosing the Right Type of Hosting Plan

We’ve looked at some of the features of shared, VPS, dedicated server and cloud hosting. Only you can decide which is right for you, but the more information you have, the easier it is to find the right solution.

Many people start off with shared hosting. This is sufficient for most blogs and websites, even businesses. If you think that you may need another type of hosting later on, you should pick a web host that makes it easy to upgrade. If you want to try cloud hosting at some point, find a web host that offers this option.

The web hosting types infographic is quite useful at giving you a visual representation of what the different types of hosting offer. Once again, you can find it on the designer’s website 100webhosting.com.

The comparison with apartments and homes is really apt, because the internet actually is all about virtual real estate. The type of web hosting you prefer really comes down to whether you prefer the convenience and low cost of shared hosting or whether you’re willing to pay for more control and security.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR > Bono

Ninjacrunch is a design blog showcasing the best of all design- and art-related topics today. Ninjacrunch helps the design community by providing inspirations, tutorials, web resources and a lot more!

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