This is the first part of the 3 part Web hosting for starters series.
In this post, I’ll be talking about different types of web hosting available in the market. We will evaluate each of them as we go along. By the end of this post, you will have a fairly better idea on the type of hosting you should choose for your website.
There are different types of web hosting available in the market, which mainly vary on cost, performance and flexibilty. Below is the list of different types of web hosting:
Shared Hosting is the most economical form of hosting and is the place you should start off with. Here lots of websites share(are hosted on) a single server. There is no allocation of resources done here, so if there is a busy website hosted on the same server as yours, then your site too will be slow. Usually there is no performance guaranteed in this form of hosting, other than up-time, so sometimes, the site may be slow. Shared Hosting packages already comes with a number of features, so you need not worry about installing the server etc, but most of the time(almost all the time), you will have to settle for these features. You wont be able install any specific software on the server. You can host your websites for less than $10/month here.
Advantage
Low cost
Has the basic and necessary softwares already installed
Easy to use, as they come with web interface control panel
Disadvantage
Less Flexible, cannot install additional softwares
Performance not guaranteed
This comes between shared hosting and dedicated hosting, in terms of power, flexibility and cost. When shared hosting is not working out for you, and dedicated host too costly, then VPS is for you. VPS is like dedicated hosting, but on a smaller scale.
In VPS, a server will be hosting a fixed number of websites, and there will be proper allocation of resources for each of them. You will be allotted a fixed amount of RAM for you website, so you are guaranteed of resources and hence performance. You will have a root account using which you will be able to install any software you want. VPS costs varies anything between $20-$100/month
Advantage
Relatively cheaper cost compared to dedicated hosting
Flexible, can install softwares
Performance is better
Disadvantage
Might have to spend time on maintaining the account unlike shared
Technical knowledge required to effectively use VPS
Should take care of security(installing firewalls etc) by ourself
Resources might not be enough
This is the ultimate form of hosting, where the whole server is hosting your website, and only your website. You have all the 100% resources of the server dedicated to you. You have all the flexibility to install whatever software you need on the server. You can choose the power of the hardware you want for your server. Prices vary between $100-$300/month or might be even more.
Advantage
Same as that of VPS + more power
Disadvantage
Need to spend time on maintaining the account
Need to have technical knowledge to use a dedicated server
Should take care of security(installing firewalls etc) by ourself
Here you can have your server kept at a data center in security cages. They provide for the necessary bandwidth, power and space. You can have your custom built server hosted, without you bothering about the hosting infrastructure.
In my next Post we will evaluate criteria on which you should choose the type of hosting and also, how to choose a ISP to host your site.
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
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hey man,
i was wondering what kind of hosting you are using and how much are you paying to use the same?
Hey Anil,
I am using shared hosting at present, and last month it costed me about $2.5. I have hosted my site at http://www.nearlyfreespeech.net, which is a bit different from the other shared hosting services. It uses pay as you use model, and doesnt oversell.
I like very much the writings and pictures and explanations in your adress so I look forward to see your next writings. I congratulate you.
Thanks for the great information on web hosting. Check out http://hubpages.com/hub/GoDaddy-Web-Host-Review and let me know what you think on the article I have posted on that site. Keep up the great work!
[...] Part 2 - Different types of web hosting [...]
Thank you for sharing your information