If you have or are planning to launch a website you already know that you need someone to host your site. The real question becomes; do you want a shared or a dedicated hosting package? There are pros and cons with each. And knowing which service is right for your website might depend on what kind of site you’re planning. Consider the following:
Shared Hosting
With shared hosting, many websites are run from the same server. This is usually the more cost effective solution for site owners on a very tight budget, because overall costs are reduced and server maintenance costs are split between many website owners. In addition, the actual cost of hosting is also reduced over dedicated hosting.
There are some disadvantages to opting for a shared hosting scenario. Shared hosting is just as its name suggests, it is a server that is home to many website, possibly as many as 1000 different websites. This can result in your site have slow and poor performance based on how much activity the websites on the server are getting at any particular moment. In addition, there can also be limitations on the amount of storage space available to your website or even how large your site can become. There is also a question of security. It is possible that if one site on the shared server is subject to a cyber attack, that attack could harm all the sites on the shared server.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is just as its name suggests. It is hosting your website on a server that is exclusively for your website. In this scenario, the website owner owns the server and pays for how much bandwidth the server can send and receive in a month.
There are many advantages with dedicated hosting. Because the server is for the website owner’s exclusive use, there are a lot of options when it comes to software and hardware. The server can be customized to the site owner’s exact specifications and needs.
Also, there isn’t the security risk that exists with a shared hosting environment. There is still a security threat from cyber attack that would exist for any site, but there is no longer the possibility of having a security problem because of other sites on the shared server.
In addition, because the server is exclusively for the use of your website, storage space is not an issue, and if it becomes an issue, it very easy to add additional storage space to your dedicated server.
The disadvantages of going with a dedicated hosting solution are that the costs are usually much higher than a shared hosting solution, and that the website owner has a greater degree of responsibility for the maintenance and care of the equipment.
Both shared and dedicated hosting has advantages and disadvantages. Make your choice based on your website and which scenario works best for you.