Cloud hosting is great for people who like a pay-as-you-go model of web hosting. And shared hosting is great when you have a small website that doesn’t have much traffic or need much storage space. But if you have a bigger website that has thousands of users every week, you won’t get the most out of your site unless you use dedicated hosting.
If you’re new to the wonderful world of web hosting, Welcome! It is fascinating and filled with all kinds of fun jargon. This means that sometimes, you’ll hear terms like “dedicated hosting” that mean absolutely nothing to you. But if you have a website that needs lots of server space, or you want to create a gaming server, or you want to create your own Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), you’ll want to know at least a little bit about web hosting.
First…
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Web hosting: What is it anyway?
If you want to create a website, you need a server. A server stores your website, so that your visitors can find it on the internet. But servers are expensive, and maintaining them sucks up a lot of time. So, when most people create a website, instead of going out and buying their own server, they’ll get in touch with a web hosting company.
Web hosting companies have servers where you can store your website in exchange for a tiny monthly fee. (Seriously – our hosting packages start at £2 per month!)
What’s dedicated hosting?
With dedicated hosting, all the resources of one server are dedicated to just your website.
Dedicated hosting is the premium package offered by most web hosting companies, but it’s still way more affordable than buying and maintaining your own server. (Also, if it makes you feel better, dedicated server hosting is probably not nearly as expensive as you think it is. The belief that dedicated hosting is prohibitively expensive is one of the biggest myths about it.)
What’s so great about dedicated hosting?
You haven’t truly experienced your website at its best until you’ve stored it on a dedicated server. With dedicated hosting use, you never compete with other websites for server resources the way you do when you choose shared hosting. It’s true that VPS hosting gives you a bit more privacy and control than shared hosting, because with VPS hosting, the shared server is virtually separated into separate private servers, but dedicated server hosting takes that to the next level.
Because all the server’s resources are dedicated to your website, when you choose dedicated hosting, your website runs faster and more smoothly than it does with any other kind of hosting. But that’s not the only benefit.
Here are some other great things about dedicated server hosting that you probably didn’t even know about:
- Dedicated servers have their own unique IP address: If you share a server with other websites, you have a shared IP address. This means that if one website on the server does something to get its IP address blacklisted, your website also goes down with that ship. When you have your own IP address, you don’t need to worry about any website but your own.
- Dedicated servers are more secure: Because you’re the only person who has access to your server, dedicated hosting is automatically more secure than other types of web hosting. Also, companies that provide dedicated hosting use enhanced security measures for their dedicated servers, because the websites that use dedicated servers typically need more security than other websites.
- Dedicated servers give you more control over your server: When you choose dedicated hosting, you get administrator access to your server, which means you can install apps and customise your server to your heart’s content.
Who is dedicated hosting for?
Dedicated hosting gives you a lot of server space, so if you have a tiny website that doesn’t get much traffic, dedicated hosting might not be for you. (Although that depends on why you’re getting dedicated hosting, but more on that later.)
If you have a bigger, more complex website or a website that gets millions of monthly users, dedicated hosting will be perfect for you.
If your website is smaller but still needs more security, for example if it’s connected to the government, or if it stores sensitive information, dedicated hosting will be perfect for you, too.
What can I use dedicated hosting for?
Everybody knows you can use dedicated hosting to host massive websites or websites that need lots of security, but that’s not the only thing dedicated hosting is for.
There are lots of ways to use dedicated hosting, and you can even use some of them to make money.
Here are three ways to use dedicated hosting for something other than storing your website:
Make your own VoIP
A Voice over Internet Protocol is a system that lets you send your voice over the internet. (Think Skype.) If you need a more secure way to communicate, you can use a dedicated server to make your own VoIP. That way, you’re not at the mercy of a third-party company that may or may not prioritise your privacy.
Make a game server
Games guzzle bandwidth like nobody’s business, and the more players you have, the more stress you put on your game server. If your games have been plagued by the dreaded lag, you might want to try a dedicated game server. It will change your life.
Make some money
If you have a dedicated server, but you’re not using all your server space, you don’t necessarily need to downgrade to a smaller hosting plan. Why not lease your unused server space to other people who also need somewhere to host their website? With the money you make from this, you could afford to pay the monthly fee for your dedicated hosting and make a profit!
How can I get started with dedicated hosting?
At our company, we know web hosting can be a little intimidating, so we take all the guesswork out of it. If you want to get started with dedicated hosting, all you have to do is sign up for one of our dedicated hosting plans!
Our website is super easy to use, but we do have 24/7 customer support, so if you get stuck, just get in touch with us and we’ll walk you through it!
Wrapping up
Dedicated hosting use is on the rise, and for good reason! It’s the most versatile of all the web hosting options. You can use it for storing top-secret information, for making money, or just for having a less lagging gaming experience.
Not everyone needs endless server space and bandwidth, so dedicated hosting isn’t for everyone. But when it’s right for you, it’s perfect. With so many great ways to use dedicated hosting, it would be a mistake not to at least consider whether it’s what you need to take your hosting experience to the next level.
