If you are looking set up a website then you need to find a website hosting service.
Website hosting puts your website on the Internet and makes it available to your visitors. There are various different options for your hosting service and many companies providing a hosting service. Each has its pros and cons, so before you decide, read this comparison which will help you choose which web hosting package is right for you.
There are four main types of website hosting:
- Shared Hosting
- Dedicated Hosting
- Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
- Cloud Hosting
Read on to find out what each of these mean....
Shared Hosting
With shared hosting a server is divided up into small parts that are given to a client to use. In many cases there will be over 100 websites hosted on one server. Generally each client will be given an allocated section of the server with limited resources based on the package purchased. If a client's website uses more than their allocated resources it can overload the server causing poor performance for all the other sites hosted on the server, or in extreme cases cause the server to crash meaning everyone's websites are unavailable.
Shared hosting can create problems with email as well. If one of the users on the server is frequently reported for sending out spam, your email can get flagged as well. This could cause your emails to be blocked by spam filters or sent back as undelivered, simply because the server has been blocked.
However on the plus side a shared server is the most affordable web hosting option, because the web host can provide many clients with hosting service using just one machine. There is also a lot of competition for shared hosting services, and this drives the price down meaning shared hosting is easily affordable for just about everyone! Set up time for a Shared server is minimal, often it is immediate so you can be up and running within a few minutes.
Dedicated Hosting
A dedicated server is a server that is used by just one client to host their websites. It has its own address that is not shared with anyone else.
A Dedicated server can stand up well to heavy traffic to your website because your sites are the only ones hosted on it. A dedicated server can be better customised to the needs of your website since you have full control of what you can place on the server in terms of software, you can even modify the web server software itself to your needs!
Unlike shared servers, a dedicated server is not affected by the actions of any other client. If the server has too much traffic to handle, only the client is to blame!
The biggest con to dedicated hosting is the cost - most personal websites and small businesses cannot afford a dedicated host, and they do not require the resources provided by one either.
When looking at dedicated hosting it is important to look at the level of support offered – many hosting companies will only provide limited support for their dedicated servers and leave the maintenance of the server to the client since they may not know how it has been set up and configured. This may leave you in a situation where you are paying for the server as well as additional IT staff to keep your server running and secure.
VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting provides a balance between dedicated hosting services and shared hosting. In a VPS setup, the server is actually shared, but does not appear to be. The server is split up into large segments of resources, or "virtual servers," that are completely separate from one another. To users, the virtual server looks like its own server. The websites are not affected by the actions of others who share server space. You will be given a set amount of sever resources included in your package but there may be additional resources such as RAM and CPU available to you when your website gets busy.
Cloud Hosting
With Cloud Hosting you get the best of all the other hosting options – your website is served by a multitude of connected servers meaning the processing power and resources are virtually unlimited as the hosting provider can always add a new server to the cloud!
Since Cloud technology is highly scalable (load balancing, hardware upgrades, etc), your website can expand with minimal limitations as there are always additional resources available if your website suddenly gets as popular as Facebook.
Cost is another huge plus if you need a lot of processing power. Many Cloud hosting providers charge their users based on the quantity of computing power consumed. It’s like your electricity bills – you only pay for the resources you actually use, so there is no need to predict what you are going to use before launching your website and paying for resources you don't actually require.
I know this has been a lot of information for you to digest, so below is a table detailing the main pros and cons of each of the hosting types listed above :)
| Shared Hosting | Dedicated Hosting | Virtual Private Server | Cloud Hosting |
Details | There are many different websites on one server all sharing the servers resources. | Complete server only used by one client. | A Dedicated server split up into several parts each appearing as if it is a single server | A multitude of servers connected together all serving your website |
Advantages | Low cost. Easy setup. | Greater reliability. Full control over the server. | Full control of the server. Server not affected by other clients. | No need to allocate resources, the hosting grows as you need it. Low cost. |
Disadvantages | Less flexibility. Slower than other options and can easily be disrupted by other clients. | Higher costs. Require technical skills to maintain the server. | Still has limited resources. Also require technical skills to maintain the server. | None really :) |
This type of Hosting is for you if… | Small companies or individuals that don't require many resources or control. | A Larger company or running websites with lots of visitors. | Companies that require a dedicated server but without the costs. | Everyone |
Hopefully this guide will help you choose the right kind of website hosting for your site. If you have any questions regarding website hosting why not call aerweb.co.uk today on 0800 95 00 163 or email us and we'll help you in any way we can.
