Navigating the waters of web hosting for the first time can be somewhat overwhelming. The number of web hosting companies alone can make the choice difficult. Couple that with all of the feature options, and you are left with a monumental task.
For the moment, however, we will leave the matters of choosing a hosting company and hosting features to another day, and instead focus on the types of hosting that most web hosts typically offer. Those include shared hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), and dedicated servers.
Shared Hosting
A shared hosting account does just what the name implies. It shares a server with other similar accounts. The most important thing to know about shared hosting is that it does not necessarily equate to hosting for only small sites or to limited functionality. Some shared hosting accounts are quite robust and designed for businesses with high-quality and high-volume websites.
In all cases, however, your website will be one of many on a single server. You will still be able to use your own domain or even several domains, but they will all operate within a single virtual host. When a shared hosting server goes down, all of the sites hosted on it go down as well. In this way, it is somewhat like an apartment building. Every tenant must respect the rules and safety of their neighbors or risk the possibility of causing disruption of service for everyone.
Because of the cooperative benefit and shared loss you can experience with shared hosting, most web hosts will have restrictions in place to make sure all sites function well. These may include access restrictions, memory limitations, and bandwidth caps.
There are two types of shared hosting:
- Name-based virtual hosting – Several sites share the same IP address and are distinguished only by their domain names. In most cases, this is sufficient and less expensive.
- IP-based virtual hosting – Each site has its own dedicated IP address. The primary reason you might need your own IP address is to use a signed SSL certificate for your domain.
Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
Shared hosting accounts are essentially virtual servers, but they are not private. Because of this, only the system administrator has root access. A VPS allows you to have administrative access to your virtual server, and it operates as though it were a server within itself. Most VPS setups utilize some form of virtualization, allowing you to run a completely unique instance of an operating system within a virtual machine.
Someone who logs into a VPS will use it as though it were a separate server all by itself, and there is no practical way for them to ever see the larger server. Virtual private servers generally cost more than shared hosting accounts even when they do not offer as much disk space, bandwidth, etc. The trade-off is that you get your own IP address and your own independent server environment. In most cases, that is the only reason you would actually need a VPS.
Dedicated Server
A truly independent dedicated server is the only option for having a server all to yourself. Unlike shared hosting or a VPS, a dedicated server is all yours to essentially do with what you please. You have administrative access, full use of the system’s CPU, RAM, and disk space, and as many IP addresses as you can afford.
There are two types of dedicated servers that web hosts commonly offer: managed and unmanaged.
With a managed server, the web host maintains a higher level of responsibility for its upkeep. The degree of management may vary, from simply maintaining updates and software to completely hands-off service, where they control everything on the server according to your instructions. You will likely need this type of server if you expect to have a large, high traffic website but do not have the expertise to run one yourself.
An unmanaged server places the responsibility for upkeep on your shoulders. You are responsible for everything, from security updates to software installation. You have full root access and full control over your server. This type of server is great for those with the experience or IT staff to handle server management.
Making the Choice
Choosing the best hosting services for your needs can be tricky, but once you have a clear vision of what you want to do with your websites, the next step is simply a matter of gaining knowledge about each type. This guide is only the beginning of that knowledge, as there are many aspects of each hosting type that we have not explored and that might differ from one host to another. Learning as much as you can will help you make an educated decision – one that is best for you and your website.
Tavis J. Hampton is a writer and Linux system administrator with several years of experience in each. You read more of his writing at TavisOnline.com.
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