The Different Types of Web Hosting and How To Choose
If you are planning on starting your own website, then one of the first things that you need to think about is hosting. Hosting is when a company gives you the facilities required to create, maintain, and make a website accessible. The companies that provide these services are called web hosts. There’s no shortage of web hosts on the internet. Not all web hosts are the same, however. Some are much better than others.
This article will explore the topic of website hosting, explaining what the different types are, and how you can choose a good host:
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a very common type of web hosting, used mostly by beginners. It is an extremely affordable method of hosting but doesn’t come with the same advantages and benefits as some of the other hosting solutions that have been outlined in this article. Shared hosting involves sharing resources with other websites, using a single server. Most websites don’t actually need a server of their own, so more often than not this works very well. Because resources are split using this method, it saves hosts money, and therefore they are able to offer to host very affordably.
However, because this method involves sharing resources, resources are finite. Each website sharing the server has a limited amount of resources, which is usually outlined in their plan’s information pack. Shared servers have their disadvantages, including lags and delays if one website on the server has a traffic spike. If you choose this solution and happen to be sharing a server with a website that’s rising in popularity, you will regularly experience performance issues. It is important that you consider this when you are signing up for a shared server package because you could be locked into a contract. It’s also important to bear in mind that shared servers aren’t scalable.
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting is without a doubt one of this article’s best hosting solutions. VPS stands for virtual private server. It is usually the next step after shared hosting because unlike some of the other methods outlined here, it is relatively straightforward and easy to use. VPS hosting still involves sharing a server with other websites however the number of websites is very little when compared to the amount one can expect to share using traditional shared hosting.
When using VPS hosting, a single server is split into several virtual servers. These servers can then be purchased and customized by website owners. There are two types of VPS, which are SSD and NVMe. Most experts agree that high frequency NVMe VPS is far superior to SSD, primarily because NVMe uses newer interfaces, and can withstand power cuts. When you use VPS servers, your site has more resources, which means it can perform better. VPS servers give you the ability to make custom configurations of your own, have higher uptime rates, are more cost-effective, and have dedicated server resources. They are great for business owners that want faster servers, without having to pay for their own private ones.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting isn’t something that most websites need. It is one of this article’s best choices but is usually much too big and far too unnecessary for most websites. When you have a dedicated server, it belongs entirely to you. Its resources aren’t shared by anybody else. You get more benefits and don’t have to worry about other peoples’ websites impacting your website’s performance. This translates to faster speeds and more uptime. The primary downside to dedicated hosting is that it is extremely expensive, especially when compared to the other solutions already outlined. Because you aren’t sharing resources with anybody else, you have to pay for them all yourself.
When you have a dedicated server, you have total control over it. You can choose its configurations and software, in addition to being able to customize it, and scale it up or down. If you need a website with very fast performance and total uptime, then dedicated hosting is likely for you. This method of hosting is typically used by websites that exceed 100,000 visitors a month. Anything less than that and it really isn’t worthwhile. You also need to be making a lot of money in order to afford the server – they are really expensive.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is very similar to VPS hosting, but not as effective. Cloud hosting involves the use of multiple remote servers, each with its own responsibilities. If one of the network’s servers is damaged, the other one takes over. This means that there isn’t as much downtime, but Cloud hosting isn’t without its problems. Unlike VPS hosting, Cloud hosting prices aren’t always fixed. Large amounts of traffic can significantly boost costs, also. There is also limited customization. On the other hand, Cloud servers are scalable. It is a good option for reasonably sized businesses that have a large amount of traffic coming to their website. It is an alternative option to VPS, though most people agree that VPS servers are much better, mostly because they are cheaper.
Reseller Hosting
Finally, we arrive at reseller hosting. Reseller hosting is very simple. It is when a reseller sells hosting to clients, meaning that they have purchased some from a provider, and sell it directly to people. It is a very common sort of hosting. Reseller hosting is a very reliable, although pricy form of hosting. If you want to have your own servers and don’t want to rely on another person or agency, then this isn’t the method for you.
How To Choose A Host?
If you want to choose a host for your website, then you need to weigh up all of the individual pros and cons set out in this article. You need to factor in how much you have to spend, how fast you need your website to be, and whether or not you want to share with another website. You also need to figure out whether you want to purchase hosting on a subscription basis from a reseller, which many people do prefer to do nowadays.
If you want to start your own website, then you need a host. If you aren’t experienced in digital affairs, then finding a host might be difficult for you. The first thing that you need to do is to weigh up the pros and cons of working with each respective type of host. Once you have done that, you can go ahead and make enquiries.
