6 Best-known Web Hosting Types You Need To Aware Before Start

Here are some value-added services and features you can expect from your hosting provider:

• Domain name registration: so you can buy and manage domain names and hosting from the same provider.
• Website builder: easy-using web editing tool to create a website, like SiteGround’s WordPress Starter.
• Email hosting: let you can send and receive emails from email@yourdomain.com
• Basic hardware (server settings) and software (content management system, server operating system, etc.) support

Different Types of Web Hosting

1. Shared hosting

Shared hosting plans are the most common choice for website owners. Your website will be stored on the same server as multiple other websites. All domains share the same server resources, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and CPU (Central Processing Unit).

Cons:

• Only support specific programming languages and environments such as HTML and PHP.
• You will pay more when the bandwidth exceeds a certain traffic threshold.
• Limited storage space or expensive upgrades.
• For websites with high traffic, sharing plans usually don’t perform well.
• The surge in traffic on other sites may affect the availability of your site, resulting in slower loading times and lower uptime rates.
• To get the best price, you will often have to sign up for a multi-year contract.

2. VPS(Virtual private server) hosting

Compared with shared hosting, VPS hosting is a more stable and safer solution. You still share the physical server space with other website owners, but “private,” so you can access private hosting resources (RAM, CPU, bandwidth) and not share it with others. And “virtual” means that your server is not a physical machine but a partition on the server.

It is ideal for website owners who need more control but don’t necessarily need a dedicated server.

Pros:

• Scalability: Ability to install any software you want/need. Once your site grows, you can just upgrade server resources as needed.
• Stability: The surge in traffic and issues of the rest of the users of the server will not have any impact on your site.
• Higher uptime rate and faster loading speed.
• More cost-effective than dedicated servers.
• Root access to the server.
• Can enjoy better privacy because your databases and files remain locked from your fellow server users.

Cons:

• Still share the main server with other websites.
• There are still limitations in what you can control.
• Software patches and security are your responsibility.
• Need some technical know-how to config/manage.

3. Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting provides website owners with maximum control over the server that their website is stored in.
This means that you have full root and admin access to control everything from security to the operating system you are running.

However, it is the most expensive type of web hosting.

Since you will not share resources or anything else with other websites, your website will run at its peak performance. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about traffic from other websites affecting your performance.

If you are still struggling with how to lead a few thousand of traffic each month into your website, don’t even consider using this type of hosting service. Dedicated hosting plans are typically reserved for enterprise-level websites.

Pros:

• No need to share with any other websites, guarantee resource availability, and high security.
• Fast loading times, high uptimes, and best performance.
• Unrestricted configuration/customization, full access control to the hosting server.

Cons:

• It’s an expensive option.
• A high level of technical knowledge is required for the installation and ongoing management of the server.
• You are responsible for everything.

4. Cloud hosting

Cloud hosting is like a hybrid version of VPS, but more cost-effective.

Cloud hosting plans come with multiple remote servers. Each server has different responsibilities. If one of the servers is compromised or has a problem, the other servers on the network will take over those responsibilities. So rather than renting space from one shared server and one location, you gain access to distributed resources.

Your website will have higher uptime rates using cloud servers and will not cause unexpected downtime due to server errors. As a result, your website will remain smooth and perform at a high level.

Cloud hosting can enable instant provisioning (or de-provisioning) of resources to accommodate increased traffic. So, respectively, when your traffic surges, you can add more resources to ensure excellent website performance. But, when the trend goes down, you can downscale and pay fewer monthly bills.

This is why cloud hosting is the ultimate solution to the traffic surges problem. In addition, the best cloud hosting plan will allow you to expand your resources as needed.

Pros:

• Provides high scalability, can expand resources as needed.
• High security.
• Reduce unplanned downtime, lower latency.
• Pay-per-use pricing, access to value-added services.

Cons:

• The payment structure for cloud hosting can be a bit complicated, pricing is not always fixed.
• It is not suitable for users who have no experience in configuring servers, insufficient resource usage leads to higher costs.
• Unpredictable traffic will increase costs.
• Limited customization.

5. Managed hosting

This is not a plan but a service. A managed service provider (MSP) provides you with a hosting plan, infrastructure support, and occasional hardware management and maintenance; otherwise, these tasks will be undertaken by you.
There are managed shared plans, managed VPSs, and even managed dedicated servers. Of course, you will have to pay additional fees in all these cases, but since then, you don’t have to worry about the hassle of hosting, and you can focus on developing a blog, product portfolio, or e-commerce website.

Pros:

• Make your life easier. If you don’t like to perform website maintenance tasks and don’t mind paying extra for white glove services, you can consider using managed hosting.

Cons:

• It tends to be more expensive than regular hosting plans.

6. Colocation

You can choose to rent space in a colocation center instead of keeping the server in-house or in a private data center. The cost will include bandwidth, electricity bills, IP address, cooling systems, and server monitoring/maintenance.
You will provide your servers, storage devices, and network equipment. In addition, if required, you are still responsible for managing server software, IP/DNS configurations, and hardware replacement.

Pros:

• Excellent choice as a disaster recovery site.
• Own full control of equipment.
• Higher compliance.

Cons:

• IT expertise required
• Need long-term contract

Which is best for you?

Everyone’s answer will be different. It all depends on factors such as the type of website you have, the resources required, budget, and traffic.

• Shared hosting: The most cost-effective option for low-traffic sites.
• VPS hosting: In short, it is the best option for websites that have outgrown shared hosting.
• Dedicated hosting: expensive option, enterprise-level server for large websites.
• Cloud hosting: It is most suitable for fast-growing websites that require scalable resources.
• Managed hosting: Very suitable for non-technical users, who would instead delegate more technical tasks to experts.
• Colocation: The most expensive option that gives you maximum control over hardware and software.