There are a lot of options to consider when it comes to web hosting and the existing offer on the market right now. When analyzing these options, it all comes down to what are the needs of the website’s owners.
The starting point is that all of them are a storage place for the website. The difference is when it comes the storage capacity, servers speed, reliability, but also the technical knowledge required.
Either way, in this big world of web hosting, experts agree on the most commons used types. Here they are, detailed:
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is exactly what it says it is. The hosting account is shared, and the websites are located on the same server. That would be even thousand of other websites to share the server with.
One big advantage is sharing the cost along with the server, but also not having to deal with the setup. On the other hand, sharing the same place with so many other sites means just a small finite part of the big chunk of resources. Reduced loading speed or even downtime are the risks of this type of hosting.
Bottom line, it is a good idea for budget sites, especially for one which don’t get that much traffic yet.
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting
VPS hosting is like passing from sharing to dedicated hosting. Is not a server just for your own website, having only one physical server, but still it has separate virtual machines.
On the pros list we have a bigger reliability and stability than the shared type of hosting. And that comes from the fact that its resources are split evenly among 10 to 20 websites for each server. The effect is simple: You reached your limit of resources, too bad, but the neighbors won’t be affected, and vice versa. The con part is that the costs are slightly a few times higher than of the shared hosting, but still that is a pretty good price to pay.
Cloud hosting
Very similar to VPS, cloud hosting means having the website on a network, instead of a physical server. For that reason, is common to call this type of hosting Cloud VPS.
The biggest advantage is that it has no limit on resources, due to the many computers combined to form this cloud. It also enables the owners to pay as they consume resources, and it has a better security when it comes to DDoS attacks. Not having a fixed price, though, makes the biggest disadvantage, as owners cannot predict every time how much resources will be used.
Dedicated hosting
Having an entire server just for one website must have some interesting ups and downs. First, website owners have the most control over the server – they are the only ones there, aren’t they? This means full control of security and operating system, and also full admin access. There are also no resources stealers, and the security risks are minimal.
The higher costs are the cons, but that is not a surprise. Also, being alone on the server requires a technical knowledge for the best management.
Managed hosting
Managed hosting is precisely what its name tells it. Describing what is managed hosting, the best part is that companies provide the technical services for the websites hosted. That means taking care of the operating systems, but also the hardware. The companies offer maintenance, technical support, update and monitorization.
In this way, businesses don’t have to bother about all the technical ups and downs, to support or optimize it, and just focus on the goals of the website. Another big advantage is that the usage of the hosting space is exclusive for the customer website.
Colocation hosting
Colocation hosting means renting the space in a colocation center, which provides all that the server needs – bandwidth, IP address, security, power, expert support, and cooling systems. Basically, each website owner will have to work on their own devices, and maintain the hardware and the software.
Also, in this case, each website owner is responsible for the backup facilities and for the hardware failures. In exchange, you get a secure operational environment, and the prices are lower than of the cloud hosting, for example, because there is no equipment rentals.