Finding the right host for your website is no easy task. It can be even more difficult if you’re not particularly tech-savvy. Even with technical know-how, it can be hard to choose between the overwhelming number of hosting options out there. In this article, we’ll look at the two hosting types that most websites start with. These options are shared hosting and VPS hosting.
Both shared hosting and VPS hosting operate within a shared hosting environment. This means that multiple sites share the resources of a single server. With shared hosting, multiple sites draw on the resources of a single server. VPS hosting, by contrast, creates a virtual environment within a server so that your website doesn’t share its resources with the other sites that share the server.
Another way to look at it is to think of these hosting types as property rentals. You have your room in a shared house with shared hosting, but you share amenities like the bathroom and kitchen (or bandwidth and storage). VPS hosting is like having your own apartment in a building complex. In this case, you aren’t sharing the bathroom or the kitchen (bandwidth and storage).
Resource Allocation
Imagine that you want to use the bathroom at the same time as someone else. With shared hosting, you’ll have to wait your turn. What this means for your website is that if another website is using all the bandwidth, your site may be slower or even go down. However, if you have VPS hosting, you have a bathroom all to yourself, so you never have to wait for your turn. Or, in other words, your site will never be affected by the actions of another site on the server. Therefore, VPS’s advantage is that you never have to worry about your website being affected by other sites as you have your own allocated resources.
Security
Continuing our property rental metaphor, let’s consider the kind of security you’d get with shared hosting versus VPS. Your shared housing has all the necessary security measures, but with so many people having access to your house, this increases the risk of a security breach. If one person makes a mistake and leaves the front door open, you’re vulnerable. With VPS, you have the only key to the door, so you can make sure it’s locked. You can also add security features to increase your safety. What this means for your website is that with VPS, even if another site on the server has a security issue, your site shouldn’t be affected. However, with shared hosting, there’s a greater chance your site will be affected if a site on the server has a security breach. Additionally, with VPS, you can get additional security features from your host provider. Therefore, for anyone who processes personal user data through their site, VPS is the best option.
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Performance
Imagine that you want to host a party. In your shared housing complex, you can only fit so many people if your room before they start spilling out into the communal areas, affecting your roommates and potentially decreasing the experience of your partygoers. If, however, you’re having a party in your apartment, you can fit a lot more people in and won’t disturb your neighbors. This will also mean a better experience for your guests.
When it comes to a user’s experience of your site, what matters most is page load time and uptime. For this reason, you’ll need a hosting option that can handle varying waves of traffic without compromising load speeds or going down. Shared hosting cannot handle large volumes of visitors. This is because you’re sharing bandwidth with other sites. By contrast, VPS gives you more bandwidth and is, therefore, better able to handle spikes in traffic.
Customization
When you have to share your house with others, you only get so much input on what you can customize. The house manager will have decided on how things are setup. However, when you have your own apartment, you can customize things the way you want them. What this means for your website is that with shared hosting, your provider configures things and sets limits that you can’t alter. With VPS hosting, you can alter your limits and decide how you want things configured.
Conclusion
While it might be more cost-effective to rent a room in a house, you get more perks when you rent an apartment in a building complex. Shared hosting means that you share the resources of a single server with multiple sites. As a result, your site can be negatively affected by those other sites, compromising performance and security. VPS hosting, by contrast, offers you flexibility and control. You won’t be affected by other sites on your shared server, and you can customize your setup. This will ensure that your site performs optimally for your users and keeps their data secure.
