Seven Essential Differences Between Shared and Dedicated Hosting

Web hosting is an expansive industry encompassed by a wide variety of niche services.  Two of the most common services you will find on today’s market are shared and dedicated hosting.  These variations are about as distinct as they come.  There are some major differences between these two types of hosting and this article will go over seven of the most essential.

1.) Hardware - Perhaps the most obvious and significant difference between shared and dedicated hosting lies in the actual server hardware.  A dedicated server is made exclusive to you and your website or business while shared hosting calls for you to share server space and equally important resources with other users.

2.) Cost - Another major difference between these two types of hosting is the cost of service.  A dedicated server account is almost always more expensive than a shared hosting plan.  However, both can prove to be very cost effective depending on your particular needs.

3.) Power - With a dedicated hosting account, you can expect a faster and more efficient performance.  This is mainly because you have your own server and do not have to share disk space, CPU, RAM and bandwidth with other customers.

4.) Security - Although reputable shared hosting companies provide their customers with secure hosting environments, the level of security offered can never compare to that of a dedicated server.  Shared hosting platforms generally have fewer resources available for troubleshooting, data backup, disaster recovery and other critical tasks.  Organizations that are financially dependent on the availability of their website and cannot afford to compromise security can benefit tremendously from a dedicated hosting plan.

5. Availability - Both shared and dedicated hosting platforms can be optimized to deliver a high level of availability.  In most cases however, a dedicated server can ensure you a better uptime.  This goes back to the fact of having more resources and the entire machine to yourself.

6.) Features - All web hosting packages come with different features.  The shared hosting environment usually gives you more upfront, but a dedicated server can be implemented with all the features and functionality you require.

7.) Overall Value - The overall value of any hosting plan depends on various factors including the price, features, benefits and reliability of the hosting provider.  In the end, only you can determine the overall value of a shared or dedicated hosting solution.

Conclusion

There is a lot to process when it comes to choosing between a shared and dedicated web hosting plan.  While someone can give you sound advice and point you in the right direction, it is essentially up to you to determine what is best for your particular needs.  A reputable hosting company can tell you all about the pros and cons of each solution, but the final choice is all on you.  It is not always an easy decision, but when gathering some good information, expert advice and exercising a little practical sense, you can make the right choice and come out with the perfect hosting solution.

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Jul 02, 2009 : Shared Hosting No responses yet

VPS: Shared Hosting with an Added Dose of Power

If you are looking for more control and no longer wish to compromise performance by hosting on a shared server, it may be time to move up to a bigger and better hosting solution.  A VPS (virtual private server) could be the answer you seek.

What’s Different About VPS?

Simply put, a VPS refers to one or more servers that run within another server.  Each virtual server looks and feels like a dedicated server with the one major difference - they all share the same hardware, essentially making it a more advanced form of shared hosting.  View it as a multi-unit luxury condominium.  Each apartment has its own bedrooms, kitchen and storage area within a single larger unit.  There are numerous software vendors that created virtualization software including Ensim, Sphera and Parallels, the company behind the popular Virtuozzo platform.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the advantages that makes a VPS so different from its closely related shared hosting counterpart.

Performance Isolation - With a virtual private server, CPU load and heavy traffic have no impact on the other private servers running on the same machine.  Thus, regardless of what your neighbors have going on, it will not affect the performance of your personal hosting environment.

Functional Isolation - A VPS is not required to share services or applications with its neighboring servers.  Because the servers are independent and appear invisible to each other, they also are not required to share processes or the same file system.

Fault Tolerance - Errors and faults within one virtual private server do not affect the others.

Unique IP - In a VPS environment, each private server gets its own IP address and network stack.

Root Access - With root access, you can install your own software applications and completely manage your VPS as you would a dedicated server.

Guaranteed Resources - Unlike the typical shared hosting arrangement, a VPS does not call for you to share critical resources such as CPU, memory, bandwidth and disk space.  Since you don’t have to compete for these important elements, a VPS hosting solution tends to give you higher availability and better uptime.

Enhanced Security - A virtual private server is able to ensure better security for the fact that you are not required to share disk space, processes and TCP/IP stacks.

The promise of better performance and security makes VPS hosting an ideal solution for web developers, resellers and businesses of various sizes.  The platform offers the power you need to run everything from custom made software applications and multimedia technologies to database servers and even your own operating system.  Although getting a VPS solution is usually more expensive than shared hosting, the price tends to be economical and far more affordable than leasing a dedicated server.  Virtualization isn’t for everyone as there are technical aspects involved.  After all, it is quite similar to having your very own server.  Fortunately, control panel software and comprehensive management tools can greatly simplify the administrative process for anyone equipped with a little computing knowledge.

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Jun 30, 2009 : Shared Hosting No responses yet

Putting Your Shared Host Through the Test

Because shared hosting is usually available in the form of low-end services, it is necessary for the customer to be very selective when it comes to choosing a provider.  There are literally thousands of shared web hosts in existence and while some are reliable, others are providing a service that is less than desirable.  Since making the decision is such an important process, one must take due diligence and evaluate prospective hosts in and out before purchasing a subscription.  In this article we will go over one of the most overlooked aspects of the evaluation process - testing the server.

Why Testing?

Testing the technical capacity of a shared web host will ultimately reveal whether or not the services they provide are good enough to suit your needs.  By doing so, you can make sure you are not wasting your money on a bad service, even if it is only a seemingly low risk shared hosting package.  Thorough testing can be achieved through the utilization of advanced network tools that monitor the web hosting provider’s server.  These tools can help determine how often the server experiences outages and also generate a list of reasons why the service may be unavailable.  Using such tools is quite beneficial in ensuring that you get the maximum uptime with the shared hosting solution you choose.

The Tools You Need

Most web hosting companies like to boast that they can deliver a 99.9% uptime guarantee.  While this has effectively become standard on the market, very few customers actually perform the necessary tests to make sure these claims are true.  It is the smart customer who goes beyond the norm to authenticate these advertised uptime service guarantees.  They rely on services of established server monitoring companies such as Keynote’s NetMechanic.  This service is a fully integrated suite of tools capable of detecting problems with your website.   Server Check Pro is another one of the company’s solutions that can tell you if your site is up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  This tool does a ping, traceroute and attempts to access your website via HTTP on a routine schedule to verify that the server is up.  For a minimal fee, these services constantly monitor servers and can alert you if it goes down by contacting you via phone or email.  It also generates real-time performance stats that allow you to monitor outage patterns so you know that you are getting a respectable uptime from your shared hosting provider.

Taking the Extra Step

One should keep in mind that a quality shared hosting service is backed by a solid network infrastructure capable of making sure your website stays available.  While thousands of companies are waiting and willing to serve you, landing a good shared hosting service is only possible when conducting extensive research and thorough evaluation.  Fortunately, there are many tools available to can aid both individuals and small businesses in their search for reliable shared hosting solutions.

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Jun 04, 2009 : Shared Hosting No responses yet

The Shared vs. The Unique IP Address

One term most internet users recognize is IP address.  Though quite familiar, many have know idea of what an IP address is or how it impacts a website.  In this article we will go over its importance and explain the difference between a shared and unique IP address.

What is an IP Address?

For beginners, an IP address is a machine code expressed in 32-bit numeric form and written as four numbers separated by periods.  These four numbers can range from anywhere between 0 to 255.  When requesting an HTML web page or sending an email, the IP (Internet Protocol) part of TCP/IP includes the IP address of the sender and then transmits it to the IP address of the server you are trying to communicate with.  Each machine connected to the internet is assigned a static or unique IP address in order to communicate with one another.  In simple terms, an IP address is analogous to your residential address at home.  If someone sends you a letter, they write down your address on the envelope, put it in the mail and it is delivered to your mailbox.  An IP address essentially works the same way.

The Hosting Factor

When it comes to web hosting, there are essentially two types of IP addresses: shared and unique.  Although there is really no difference in the actual IP address itself, there are some differences in terms of the servers they lie on.  A unique IP address refers to a website that has its very own IP address.  This means that whether a visitor types in your domain name or IP address, they will be directed to the same web page.  A shared IP address refers to the situation in a shared hosting arrangement where all websites on the sever share the same IP address.  In this instance, the server is forced to do a little extra work when receiving a request in order to take the visitor to the correct web page.  With the shared variation, simply typing in the IP address will not direct a visitor to the desired web page on most occasions.  So, what is the purpose here?  Well, if every internet website had its own IP address, there wouldn’t be enough of them to go around.

Using our analogy of residential addresses, you can consider a unique IP address as a standalone residential unit.  There is only one home and thus, mail is only delivered to that specific address.  A shared IP address can be viewed like an apartment building.  There are many different households in the unit, mail is delivered and then distributed to the correct owners.

Does a Unique IP Address Matter?

In most cases, it doesn’t matter whether you have a shared or unique IP address.  However, the unique variation might be required if you need to provide special access to your site.  Perfect examples would be utilizing Anonymous FTP or installing a private SSL certificate.  If you don’t have these specific needs, a shared IP address will suite you just fine under most conditions. With that said, if you happen to reside on a server which possess an IP address that has been banned due to spamming complaints, this could negitvely impact your domain with regards to SEO.

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Jun 02, 2009 : Shared Hosting No responses yet

Shared Hosting is a User-friendly Solution

If you are not familiar with the concept, shared hosting is the most common type of web hosting there is.  In fact, most of the sites you run across on the web are powered by shared hosting.  As the name implies, this is the kind of arrangement where you are sharing the server and its resources with a number of customers.  This in turn, lowers the cost of service, making shared hosting a viable option for individuals along with small to medium sized businesses as well.

Simplicity and Easy Management

Apart from cost efficiency, the major draw to shared hosting is simplicity.  Whereas dedicated hosting calls for you to have a special set of skills, shared hosting can be mastered by users with little to no experience in server administration.  This simplicity is all made possible by a control panel.  Hence the name, a control panel is a type of software that allows you to control all the critical aspects of your website and hosting environment.  The most intuitive applications offer ease of use that gives you the ability to manage everything from a centralized interface.  Programs like cPanel, H-Sphere and Plesk all play a significant role in the simplicity and user-friendliness of shared hosting.

Although the level of control and flexibility varies greatly, all hosting solutions essentially rely on the same components.  At the very core of every type of web hosting is an operating system.  While the platform you choose to host is paramount, it is actually of little importance in a shared hosting arrangement.  This means that you can choose a hosting package irrespective of the underlying platform as well as the operating system residing on your PC.   So even if you have no experience working with Linux, the structure of shared hosting allows you to still excel in this environment.

In comparison to a dedicated server, the major disadvantage of shared hosting is the lack of control and flexibility it offers.  However, this very downside can also be viewed as a benefit.  Regardless of the hosting solution, each type of service requires a great deal of server administration and maintenance from the back-end.  Kernel and operating system patches, security updates and more need to be performed on a regular basis.  In a shared hosting arrangement, these tasks among others are handled by the web hosting provider, allowing customers who lack time and server administration skills to focus solely on promoting their website.  This factor alone has made shared hosting a big hit with individuals looking for personal sites as well as those with aspirations of doing business online.

Finding a Shared Hosting Solution

Shared hosting providers are widely available so with a little research, finding a hosting solution isn’t difficult at all.  In fact, there are thousands of hosts offering this type of service in the United States alone.  All across the world, these companies have emerged to cater to the demand created by the increasing popularity of the internet.  By leveraging the latest technological innovations, shared hosting providers have made possible for anyone to a voice on the web.

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Apr 17, 2009 : Shared Hosting No responses yet