Different Types of Web Hosting

 All servers are different. That’s why different web hosting options exist.

Multiple websites might share a single server. Meanwhile, some websites have a server to themselves.

There are four main types of web hosting:

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is the most basic type of web hosting. It’s cost-effective and the best choice for small or entry-level websites.

As the name implies, websites using shared hosting will be sharing resources with other websites on a singular server.

That’s how shared hosting remains so cheap. By splitting resources, it’s less costly for the web host.

As such, each website on the server will have a limited amount of resources as defined by their specific hosting plan.

Think of it as renting an apartment with roommates. You have your bedroom, but you and your roommates will share resources like water, electricity, and common spaces throughout the house.

The nature of sharing a server with other websites has its drawbacks. If another website on your server has a traffic spike, it can potentially cause performance issues with your site. These situations are out of your control.

So while shared hosting is a great option if you want to save some money, it definitely won’t deliver the most high-quality web hosting experience for you or your website visitors.

VPS Hosting

VPS stands for “virtual private server.” This hosting type is a step above shared web hosting. When a website outgrows its shared plan, it’s common for owners to upgrade to a VPS.

With a virtual private server, your website will still be sharing a single server with other websites. However, the number of websites you’ll be sharing it with is significantly lower.

The main server is split into multiple virtual servers—hence the name. These virtual servers can be customized by individual websites.

Even though the main server is shared with other sites, your website will have dedicated resources with a VPS.

Your site will generally perform better since you aren’t sharing resources. This means you’ll benefit from faster loading times and higher uptime rates. You won’t have to worry about another website causing your site to crash.

Most websites do not need a dedicated server (we’ll get to that next). But a VPS gives you some of the benefits of dedicated hosting at a fraction of the price.

A virtual private server is like renting an apartment on your own. You won’t be sharing a kitchen, bathroom, living room, or other common spaces with any roommates. This gives you much more freedom and flexibility to do what you want with space.

However, you’ll be sharing some resources with the other units in the building. So there will still be some limitations.

WordPress Hosting

WordPress hosting optimizes for WordPress as your content management system.

You’ll normally see two different types of WordPress hosting offered by providers.

• Shared WordPress hosting
• Managed WordPress hosting

Shared WordPress hosting works the same way as regular shared hosting, except WordPress might be pre-installed.

Managed WordPress hosting provides added benefits like enhanced security, server caching, staging, and faster-loading speeds.

The best WordPress hosting plans come with one-click WordPress installations as well.

WordPress hosting usually has added security that’s specifically designed for websites that are running on WordPress. Since WordPress is the most commonly used CMS across the globe, those websites are at a higher risk for cybercrime. So that added security is a great benefit.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated servers are the top of the line in web hosting. As the name implies, you’ll have a dedicated server that belongs to you, and you alone. This is the most expensive type of web hosting, but it comes with added benefits.

Since you won’t be sharing resources or anything else with other websites, your site will operate at peak performance.

Websites being hosted on a dedicated server have complete technical control over the server settings. You choose the software, configurations, and anything else you need.

If you get a dedicated server, you should expect extremely high uptime rates and lightning-fast loading speeds. You won’t have to worry about traffic from other websites impacting your performance.s