Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

January 12, 2011

Shared Hosting or Dedicated Servers - Which to Choose?

Most people with a website will be hosting it on a shared or VPS (Virtual Private Server). However, as your website grows you might need a greater level of resources. A dedicated server could provide the flexibility that your website needs to grow and expand.

What is a VPS or Shared Host

A shared host will use one server for many different websites. This is normally acceptable for small or temporary websites. However, if you are attracting huge numbers of visitors or offering multimedia services then you might need your own server.

VPS servers are popular with most people because they are cheaper and much easier to maintain than a dedicated hosting account. 

Dedicated Hosting

A dedicated server is when you rent a server rather than a hosting account. This means that only your site will be hosted on the server. A dedicated server will be quite expensive as you will need to rent an entire server.

When using dedicated hosting you will be able to make decisions about the configuration of your server. This makes it possible to get exactly what you want for your website. Dedicated hosting can also be used to run important services which are not affected by any other websites running on the server.

Operating System

Most shared hosting servers use Linux as their operating system and have an Apache web server. However, it’s possible to choose a Microsoft Windows Based dedicated server if you prefer. The type of operating system will affect how the server behaves.

Updating

When using a shared hosting account you will need to wait until they update to the latest version of PHP or other software on the server. However, with dedicated hosting you are free to upgrade at any time you want.

Co-Location Hosting

Dedicated hosting allows you to rent a server from the hosting company. This makes it possible to use it however you wish. However, it’s also possible to buy your own server and then pay to put it in a data enter. This is known as Co-location hosting, which provides you with an added advantage of visiting the actual server on site if you desire. It also makes it possible to upgrade hardware whenever needed.

Tags: Shared Hosting,  shared host,  server resources,  dedicated hosting plan,  premium hosting,  dedicated hosting