Are you trying to decide what type of web hosting is right for you? If so, you may be wondering about the difference between shared hosting and a dedicated server. In this post, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each option so that you can make an informed decision.
Difference between Dedicated and Shared Hosting
According to Liquid Web, “Shared hosting is a service in which multiple websites reside on a single server.” The server owner contracts with a web host who installs and maintains the hardware needed to run a website, but there are a limited number of resources available for all the sites sharing that same server. This limits what your dedicated hosting provider can do because they have to share those resources with every other website on the server.
Dedicated server hosting is a service in which one or more websites reside on an entire server dedicated to their use only. This means dedicated hosting customers have full control of the resources and settings for their site. Consequently, they can do whatever they want without worrying about the impact of their actions on the other people using the same server.
What are the benefits of dedicated hosting?
Dedicated server hosting provides users with total freedom when it comes to their website, including dedicated disk space, dedicated memory, dedicated IPs, and more. Users can also have full control over security settings for their website, so they aren’t sharing with other websites on the same server.
With dedicated hosting, you can also customize your server configuration with minimum downtime by adding more disk space or memory. This way, you won’t be worrying about unplanned service interruptions like short notice downtimes that dedicated server providers may experience due to network maintenance or hardware upgrades. Through dedicated hosting, you have full control of your dedicated hosting environment.
What are the benefits of shared hosting?
Shared hosting provides a simple, affordable solution for customers who do not require an entire server dedicated to their site.
Typically, you have a limited amount of available disk space and memory, which can negatively impact your website performance or even result in it being temporarily unavailable if you use too many resources. With shared hosting, you are sharing all of your resources with every other website on the same server, so there is no dedicated IP address assigned to your site or dedicated disk space for backups. You can create backups, but they will be stored on the shared server and may not be secure depending on how much storage space is available. If the storage is used up, you will need to purchase more space or start deleting old backups.
What are the disadvantages of dedicated hosting?
However, dedicated hosting is quite expensive and often requires a dedicated IT staff for installation and maintenance, which can be costly in itself. You also need to pay your dedicated server provider whether you’re using your dedicated hosting or not, so dedicated hosting is not for short-term projects.
What are the disadvantages of shared hosting?
With shared hosting, your data and website speed may be impacted due to many websites sharing the same server resources. You also need to share an IP address with all other websites on the same server, which can become a security risk if you don’t have dedicated disk space to create backups. If someone hacks your website, they could access all the websites on that server. You are also limited by the available storage capacity, restricting your ability to install apps or store backups.
Dedicated hosting and shared hosting both have their pros and cons, but dedicated hosting is the more secure and reliable option of the two. It’s crucial to weigh your options before deciding which one will work best for your business or personal website.
