Shared vs. VPS vs. Dedicated vs. Cloud Hosting: Which Is the Best Option?

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is where your website will be located on the internet.

Most of your current files(documents, pictures, software etc) are sitting on your personal computer/laptop.

Only you can access them. If you want to show those files to other people, you have to send the files to those people.

Why Do We Need Web Hosting?

It allows you to put all your website content up on the internet. It allows everyone to view what you have uploaded there, whether it’s a professional website, a blog, or just some pictures.

Instead of sending files to people, it allows you to host those files online so that other people can access them. In terms of a blog, instead of writing the documents offline and having to send them to everyone, people can simply read them online.

When hosting a web project, be it a website, a blog, a forum, or something more specialized such as bitcoin WordPress hosting, there are a lot of different choices. In this variety of choices, you have to do research as each has their own advantages and disadvantages.

Are you setting up a business website? Running a blog? Showing a bunch of photos (thinking of making the next Instagram)?

There are four main hosting solutions – Shared, Dedicated, VPS and Cloud hosting.

Shared Hosting

Prices vary from $2 to $25 (per month)

Shared hosting is a traditional and cheap method a lot of people use to get their first websites up and running. It is the most classic and popular hosting plan. Shared hosting means that you will share resources with other websites such as data, CPU time, memory, and disk space on a server.

It has no dedicated resources, and your site is put up on a server with everyone else using server resources at the same time with no seniority. f you don’t need a lot of overhead or dedicated resources, shared hosting is an economical solution.

Pros

• It is a very cheap solution as hosting costs are only a few dollars a month.
• It is secure.
• Affordable and a good entry level option.
• Easy to use and setup.
• Does not require very much tech knowledge.

Cons

• It can be slow, lack high-level control, and stability is often not viable.
• You get what you pay.
• No control over performance.
• Meant for smaller websites.
• There’s more than one website on the same server.

Recommended hosts for shared hosting:

• Bluehost
• A Small Orange
• A2 Hosting
• SiteGround

Dedicated Hosting

Prices vary from $60 to $800 (per month).

Dedicated hosting is the most powerful hosting solution. With it, you are the only ‘resident’ of the server and have complete control over its use, content, and resources. If you need high levels of security, complete control, and have the resources to manage it, dedicated hosting is a solution with a lot to offer.

Pros

• It is fast and comes with high-level customer support(often 24/7) when you need it.
• Full control over the server.
• Great performance.
• Most resources are available.

Cons

• Most expensive.
• You are responsible for performance.
• Requires extensive technical knowledge.

Virtual Private System Hosting (VPS Hosting)

Prices vary from $10 to $70 (per month).

It is a type of shared hosting solution. Unlike traditional shared hosting, there are fewer users and your site has a specific baseline amount of resources dedicated to it. VPS is a suitable upgrade to traditional shared hosting if you need more control, scalability, and dedicated system resources.

Pros

• No “sharing” with others.
• More powerful than shared hosting.
• Usually better performance and faster loading times.
• Is fast and scalable.

Cons

• Private space is more expensive than shared.
• Requires a little more technical knowledge.

Recommended hosts for VPS hosting:

• Web Hosting Hub
• Dreamhost
• InMotion Hosting

Cloud Hosting

Prices vary from $1.60 to $170 (per month).

It is entirely different. With normal hosting, you get a machine that gives you resources, like memory and CPU time.

With Cloud hosting, you don’t have a machine. Your hardware is virtual, which brings a whole host of cool benefits. It’s pretty advanced and can be pretty cost-efficient when compared to the other types of hosting. It’s definitely something that is trending.

Pros

• It is scalable and efficient.
• It is flexible which makes it very cost effective.
• Only pay for what you use.

Cons

• Requires advanced technical knowledge.
• Potentially insecure.

Conclusion

The best solution depends on what you need and what you can afford. Before signing a contract be sure of two things;

1) what service levels are absolutely critical for your site.

2) what features are nice to have but optional. This helps avoid overspending while still meeting your basic hosting needs.