If you’re thinking about starting a website, then you may have come across the term “web hosting” without entirely understanding what that means. When you see that web hosting usually comes at a cost, you may start to wonder, “Do I need web hosting?”
In this post, I’ll try to give answers of the following questions, related to the term Web hosting
- What is Web hosting?
- Which Type of Web hosting is best for me?
- Where to Buy a Web hosting?
Let’s start our discussion with the Definition
What is Web hosting?
According to Wikipedia, “A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients, as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data centre. Web hosts can also provide data centre space and connectivity to the Internet for other servers located in their data centre, called colocation, also known as Housing in Latin America or France.”
To find some exciting offers on Web hosting, click here
Which Type of Web hosting is best for me
All servers are not the same, which is why different web hosting options exist. Some servers are shared by multiple websites, while other servers are dedicated to just one website.
There are Six main types of web hosting:
Shared web 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.
One’s website is placed on the same server as many other sites, ranging from a few sites to hundreds of websites. Typically, all domains may share a common pool of server resources, such as RAM and the CPU. The features available with this type of service can be quite basic and not flexible in terms of software and updates. Resellers often sell shared web hosting and web companies often have reseller accounts to provide hosting for clients.
Shared hosting is a great choice for beginners and smaller websites. It’s cost-effective and doesn’t require lots of technical knowledge to get started.
Shared web hosting pros:
- Most cost-effective type of web hosting.
- Easy to set up.
- No technical knowledge required.
- Great for beginners and small websites.
Shared web hosting cons:
- Sharing server resources with other websites.
- Performance issues are out of your control.
- Slower loading times and lower uptime rates.
- Not scalable.
From where you buy Shared website hosting plans
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting also known as Virtual Dedicated Server
VPS stands for “virtual private server” also known as Virtual Dedicated Server, divides server resources into virtual servers, where resources can be allocated in a way that does not directly reflect the underlying hardware. This hosting type is a step above shared web hosting. When a website outgrows their 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.
VPS hosting is best for small or medium-sized businesses that can’t afford to have unexpected downtime on their website. It’s a great option for website owners who have outgrown the resources of a shared hosting plan.
VPS hosting pros:
- Dedicated server resources.
- Ability to make custom configurations to your server.
- Higher uptime rates and faster loading speeds.
- More cost-effective than a dedicated server.
VPS hosting cons:
- Sharing the main server with other websites.
- Not as easy to set up as a shared server.
- Still has limitations in terms of what you can control.
From where you buy VPS hosting plans
Dedicated hosting
The user gets his or her own Web server and gains full control over it (user has root access for Linux/administrator access for Windows); however, the user typically does not own the server. One type of dedicated hosting is self-managed or unmanaged. This is usually the least expensive for dedicated plans. The user has full administrative access to the server, which means the client is responsible for the security and maintenance of his own dedicated server.
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.
Dedicated hosting plans are typically reserved for enterprise-level websites. These servers are intended for websites that have high volumes of traffic.
I wouldn’t consider a dedicated server unless your site was getting upwards of 100,000 monthly visits.
Large e-commerce sites and enterprises should consider a dedicated hosting plan because they can have complete control over the functions of their server. Sites that require the highest levels of security, such as websites that store financial data or medical information would benefit from a dedicated server.
Dedicated hosting pros:
- Complete control over the server.
- Not sharing resources with any other websites.
- High security.
- Fast load times, high uptimes, and optimal performance.
Dedicated hosting cons:
- Most expensive type of web hosting.
- Requires technical knowledge.
- You are responsible for everything.
From where you buy Dedicated hosting plans
WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting is another very specific type of web hosting. As you can probably imagine from the name, it’s intended for websites using WordPress as a CMS.
In the simplest terms, WordPress hosting is basically web hosting that’s been optimized for WordPress.
You’ll normally see two different types of WordPress hosting offered by providers.
Shared WordPress hosting: Shared WordPress hosting works the same way as regular shared hosting, except WordPress might be pre-installed.
Managed WordPress hosting: Managed WordPress hosting provides added benefits like enhanced security, server caching, staging, and faster loading speeds.
If you want your hosting to be optimized for your WordPress site, then you should look into this type of web hosting.
WordPress hosting pros:
- Optimized for WordPress.
- WordPress pre-installed or one-click installations.
- Enhanced security for WordPress sites.
WordPress hosting cons:
- Less control and flexibility.
- Updates aren’t always smooth.
- Sharing resources with other WordPress sites.
From where you buy WordPress hosting plans
Cloud hosting
This is a new type of hosting platform that allows customers powerful, scalable and reliable hosting based on clustered load-balanced servers and utility billing. A cloud-hosted website may be more reliable than alternatives since other computers in the cloud can compensate when a single piece of hardware goes down. Also, local power disruptions or even natural disasters are less problematic for cloud hosted sites, as cloud hosting is decentralized.
Cloud hosting also allows providers to charge users only for resources consumed by the user, rather than a flat fee for the amount the user expects they will use, or a fixed cost upfront hardware investment. Alternatively, the lack of centralization may give users less control on where their data is located which could be a problem for users with data security or privacy concerns.
Cloud hosting is the best option for medium and large business websites that are growing at a rapid rate.
If your website traffic is unpredictable and you’re planning on it scaling at a steady rate in the coming months or years, then you should consider a cloud hosting plan.
Any website with more than 50,000 monthly page visits could consider a cloud plan.
Cloud hosting pros:
- High security.
- Scale resources on demand.
- Less unexpected downtime.
Cloud hosting cons:
- Pricing isn’t always fixed.
- Unpredictable traffic can increase costs.
- Limited customization.
From where you buy Cloud hosting plans
Reseller web hosting
Allows clients to become web hosts themselves. Resellers could function, for individual domains, under any combination of these listed types of hosting, depending on who they are affiliated with as a reseller. Resellers’ accounts may vary tremendously in size: they may have their own virtual dedicated server to a colocated server. Many resellers provide a nearly identical service to their provider’s shared hosting plan and provide the technical support themselves.
Reseller hosting is for agencies, web designers, and web developers. These are people who already have clients in this space, so they can just add web hosting to the services that they currently offer.
You can make it easy on your clients by allowing them to get all of their website needs in one place, as opposed to finding a web hosting plan on their own.
Reseller hosting pros:
- set uncapped prices to your clients.
- Get recurring and sustainable income.
- Improve your existing services.
Reseller hosting cons:
- Need lots of clients to make it worth your time and effort.
- If something goes wrong, your clients will turn to you.
From where you buy Reseller hosting plans
Final Words!
Once you figure out what type of web hosting is the best option for your website, then you need to pick a hosting provider and plan.
If you have any doubt or query then feel free to ask me in the comment section below.
Thanks, guys for reading this. If you liked it then please support me by sharing this post on your social media profiles. Happy Blogging!