After deciding to create a website, the next step you’ll have to take is choosing the web hosting service that best suits your needs. Selecting the right webhost is essential since clearly you aren’t building a website simply because you can, but instead because you want it to be a successful extension and/or representation of your brand.
The option you go with plays a significant role in the security, ranking, performance and uptime of your website. You will come across two main types of hosting options, Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting and Shared web hosting. Essentially, they both carry out the same task; they provide storage for the files and data that make up your website. What separates the two are their functions and features.
It may be hard to decide between the two. To help you come to an informed decision, here is a detailed look into shared hosting and VPS hosting.
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Basic Differences Between Shared Hosting and VPS
With shared hosting your website uses the same server that many other sites use. It is the cheapest hosting option but that comes with limitations in performance, bandwidth and administration. With VPS hosting, your website is stored on a separate virtual server. This type of hosting is more premium and site boosts performance, has more bandwidth and gives you the ability to do more customisation. These benefits come at a cost. As a result, VPS hosting costs more than shared packages.
1. Availability of Resources
When it comes on to resources, a shared package will do just that – customers will use the same resources on the server. With a dedicated hosting plan, you will get a devoted server for your website alone. VPS falls in the middle and you will get virtual server with its own dedicated resources
Shared hosting
Shared resources result in limitations. With shared hosting there is a maximum amount of disc space, RAM and CPU space available despite the number of persons who share it. It’s like buying pizza with friends. The fewer friends the more slices you get but if several of your friends show up there might not be enough to go around. If you don’t need a lot of processing power or space for your website this limitation won’t be an issue.
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting allows you to enjoy access to more resources, dedicated CPU, RAM and your own Operating System. This hosting option gives you the ability to create a better user experience for customers, is great for expanding your business, and facilitates increased website traffic.
2. Website Safety and Security
Security breaches can occur regardless of the type of hosting service you use. However, the security feature on some are more efficient when compare to others.
Shared Web Hosting
Shared servers are cheap but you may pay the price another way as the security of your site depends on the webhost provider. Generally, shared hosting is safe, however you cannot always prevent a security breach and a 100% security isn’t guaranteed. Because your website resides on a shared site, the actions of other websites on the same server have an effect on yours.
If your website doesn’t collect personal customer information using a shared server may not be a huge security problem.
VPS Hosting
With VPS you are in charge of the security of your website. Plus, VPS comes with more safety features than a shared hosting plan. If your website collects customers’ personal data, upgrading to a VPS is a great way to improve security of this data.
3. Overall Performance
Speed results in performance. Increase resources result in better performance. Shared hosting is dependent on the software and programmes implemented for speed and efficiency by the webhost provider. With VPS you have more control over the programmes, software and performance.
Shared hosting
When you share the same server your website is potentially affected by what happens to other websites on that server. Remembering that there is a set bandwidth and a maximum amount of resources for everyone, the more websites there are on your shared server the fewer resources you get. So the slower your website might become.
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting allows better overall performance because it offers more bandwidth to its users. It is more flexible and you can configure your applications on the server. VPS is a better option if your website has high traffic demands or if you manage multiple sites.
4. Ability to Scale
Scalability is the great separator of the two. If your website gets more than 30,000 visitors each month, you will start running into problems with your shared account. You may even start to receive internal error messages. At this point an upgrade to VPS may be in order. VPS can handle just about any amount of traffic.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a great short-term option because once your website starts to grow you will run into scalability problems. Once you start maxing out your storage capabilities and/or your demands start exceeding your server space an upgrade is necessary for better performance.
VPS Hosting
VPS comes with many customisable features making it quick and simple to scale. Shared hosting is normally recommended for persons with a new website. However, if you believe that your business will grow rapidly from the onset, you should invest in VPS hosting from the get-go.
5. Price
Webhosting costs can be a little tricky. If you aren’t careful you may find yourself paying a lot for even shared hosting which is the cheapest kind of hosting. And depending on how much additional resource you want, VPS can cost a pretty penny. However, if you are getting value for your money then it’s all worth it.
Shared Hosting
Since you share space on a server you also share the expenses for the running and maintaining of it. As a result, shared hosting is the most economical webhosting option.
VPS Hosting
With paid service, the more you pay the better the features, as it is with VPS Hosting. You will pay more for this premium service but it will help you to improve the performance of your website and help to increase your business’s online services.
Who Should Consider Shared Hosting?
- Shared hosting is great for persons building their first website.
- It works well for small websites with little content and relatively moderate traffic.
- If you are still in the planning phase of your website.
Who Should Consider VPS Hosting?
- Persons whose businesses are well established and the volume of traffic is increasing rapidly.
- Your needs have changed as a website owner and you require more storage and bandwidth than a shared server can offer.
- If you want greater control, flexibility, security and customisation of your server.
Conclusion
Both shared hosting and VPS have their own unique pros and cons. It’s a matter of choosing the one that suits the needs of your website. Shared hosting is a beginner-friendly option, while VPS hosting gives you the flexibility to control, customise and scale your website. It’s a great option for large and mid-sized website owners.
Whichever website hosting option you choose, be sure to keep in mind the needs of your website and the respective functions and features different hosting packages offer.
