Web hosting has become an essential component of website development. While you can build websites offline or on your internal network, to make them accessible to the world, they must be hosted on a server online 24/7. Many web development companies offer hosting services; others recommend reliable hosting partners while building your website.
Web hosting is where your website files and emails are stored. It connects your website visitors to these files when they browse your website. In this post, we will look at the different types of hosting services and their pros and cons to help you decide which is suitable for your website.
Shared Hosting:
Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where many websites reside on one web server connected to the internet. It is the most economical option for hosting, as the overall cost of server maintenance is spread over many customers. For example, it’s like living in an apartment where every tenant has their apartment but shares the same server resources and IP address with other tenants.
Pros: It’s affordable because the cost is spread over multiple users.
Cons: Shared resources sometimes mean generally slower websites, and when there’s burglary in the block (a virus), it might affect all tenants.
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting:
In this instance, one physical server acts like many multiple virtual servers that run their copy of Operating Systems (OS). It’s like a co-working space or an office building many companies share. Each tenant has their server (virtual) and IP address and is completely cut-off from their tenants.
Pros: It’s more reliable and secure, and offers better performance than shared hosting.
Cons: Shares physical hardware resources with other VPSes, and depending on the workload, performance may suffer.
Dedicated Server Hosting:
A dedicated server hosting service is internet hosting where the client leases an entire server not shared with anyone else. You have control over the entire server and can decide what OS to install, the amount of memory to use, the storage space, and more. You are safe from negative neighbours.
Pros: Maximum control over the web server
Cons: It’s very expensive since you bear the responsibility of the whole server. You need to have server know-how or hire someone who does.
Cloud Hosting:
Cloud hosting is a type of web hosting in which physical storage is saved across a pool of multiple servers in different locations to maximise uptime and loading speed. When a user browses a site, the files are loaded from the server closest to them, significantly improving site speed. With cloud hosting, your website is always online because when one server fails, another will take its place and keep everything running.
Pros: Maximum uptime, easy to scale, access to a broad range of resources and applications, and more.
Cons: Data security.
Managed Hosting:
When you buy any of the aforementioned hosting plans, there is some sort of setup, management, and maintenance involved. When you opt for a managed hosting plan, the Managed Hosting Company (MHC) takes care of all that for you and allows you to enjoy the service without the headaches. It’s like renting a hotel room where you can order anything you want and do things on demand.
Pros: Everything is managed for you, and quality customer support.
Cons: Costly.
Self-Service Hosting:
With self-service hosting, the user buys all the web server equipment and sets up the software needed to power the server. You do everything to your taste and can upgrade when needed. It’s like building your own house. You DIY the whole infrastructure or hire someone to do it for you, but you own it completely.
Pros: Maximum control. Easy to upgrade both hardware and software
Cons: Very expensive. Requires a lot of hard work and maintenance
Conclusion
The beauty of modern web hosting plans is that they are easily upgradeable. You can start with
the lowest shared hosting plan if your website has low traffic and upgrade to a VPS or dedicated
server as the site grows with very negligible downtime.
If you are just starting your business then managed hosting will give you the opportunity to focus on growing your business while the hosting company takes care of all the technical bits for you. Managed hosting companies built specifically for WordPress like Gbefunwa can ensure maximum uptime for your WordPress site and give you top-notch support while ensuring your server is optimized at all times.
