5 Types of Web Hosting — Which One Should You Choose?

Having a web hosting service at your disposal is the first step of ensuring a clean digital presence today. You cannot do things like hosting a website or keeping a blog without a reliable web host. Twenty years back, it was quite easy to pick a web hosting, because there were just a few options. Now, that is not the case and we are talking about thousands of web hosting options, both old and new. It’s important that you understand the best web hosting type for your needs before making the final call.

As it happens, there are five types of web hosting that you should know about. In this article, we have talked about the important aspects of these five types of web hosting services. We will be covering both the Pros and Cons so that you can make an informed decision.

Web Hosting Types

#1 Shared Web Hosting

Shared Web Hosting is the normal in the world of web hosting. This is the first place to start and you can get a shared web hosting plan for as low as a few dollars per month. As it happens, shared hosting is the most popular option in the world of web hosts, and you can find that almost every web hosting company offers a shared hosting service.

Shared hosting servers are quite easy to manage as well. They mostly use easy-to-use panels like cPanel and support technologies necessary to run popular Content Management Systems like WordPress. Because the web host takes care of the physical web server infrastructure, you can worry less about security, backups and updates.

Coming to the downsides, the biggest problem is that you are getting shared resources. Although there is an unlimited tag with most of the shared web hosting plans, that’s not really the case. This in turn makes shared hosting not so suitable for high-end web applications or websites with a lot of visitors. You may also find an issue with performance in the long run.

#2 Business/Managed Hosting

Business Web Hosting is something that has become popular in the last decade. This is partly due to the rise of CMSs like WordPress and the necessity of having a business website. Now, compared to shared hosting, you have access to better resources. That is, there will be fewer accounts allocated per single server. This is great for extra speeds.

The management aspect of business hosting is almost the same as shared web hosting. You get the same amount of user-friendliness throughout the controlling process. It should also be noted that some business hosting packages are tailor-made for platforms like WordPress and Magento. So, you are likely to find them named WordPress Hosting.

The shared nature of resources seems to be the problem here as well. While it’s true that your website would run quite smoothly, this account won’t be enough for managing big-enough websites and blogs. It is also a point that these plans maybe a little more expensive than standard hosting. Conclusively, though, the extra money you spend is worth it.

#3 Virtual Private Server

Virtual Private Servers are commonly known as VPS hosting and it’s the next step if you want to get better performance and speed. Now, instead of shared resources, we are talking about private servers. However, it should be noted that the demarcation is virtual. That is, in a single physical server, there could be tens or hundreds of virtual private servers.

Although more expensive than shared hosting plans, VPS has its own advantages. Because you have more or less a private server, you can choose the desired platform, Operating System and even the right amount of specifications that you want. It also means better control over things like network management and data utilization.

With great power comes great responsibilities, and that’s the same with most VPS services. You will need to spend more time to manage the server and take care of aspects like security and maintenance. You can get rid of these tensions by choosing VPS hosting from a web host like the ones from king-servers.com, who get the basics right at all the time, though.

#4 Dedicated Servers

Dedicated Servers are where we get rid of the virtual tag. Here, we are talking about individual servers that are dedicated to your account. Resources in the server won’t be shared by anyone else. This means a higher amount of resources, speed and performance. Of course, you guessed it, dedicated servers are quite a lot expensive.

The possibilities with this hosting, however, is endless. You are getting so much performance and resources that the site can manage millions or billions of visits per month. There are little or no restrictions from the web hosting provider’s side as well. However, you are given the task of taking care of the dedicated servers — unless you have a managed server.

A managed dedicated server is something that is managed by the host. You don’t have to worry about server management but will still be getting the necessary boost in performance and speed. You may have to pay a steep amount here, but the results are worth it. And, did we say that dedicated servers are more reliable for important tasks?

Also Read: Reseller Club hosting review 

#5 Cloud Hosting

This could be the newest member in the list, due to obvious reasons. Cloud hosting makes use of all the huge powers of cloud computing. In the simplest words, you can have the benefit of storing your website in not just one but multiple places, thereby increasing the reliability and performance. When compared to the old types of hosting, cloud hosting is more scalable as well.

Most of the cloud hosting companies actually offer a pay-as-you-go plan. This means you can keep using the account while paying only for the resources that you use up. And, you don’t have to worry about bandwidth or speed limits as well. Since everything is virtual, these aspects can be managed through a simple interface as well.

Cloud Hosting is not exactly expensive but it’s more suitable for advanced users. At the same time, we have been seeing the rise of some affordable cloud hosting services as well. It’s always good to get the service via a trusted company, though.

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The Takeaway

We hope we were able to mark clear lines between the five types of web hosting. Depending on your needs and how much money you can spend, you can make the right choice. That said, make sure that you always go for a company with industry experience, versatile options, and great customer services.

Jacob Keifer

Jacob Keifer is the main author of Kawa College of Education. He spends most of his time writing the best online course reviews, learning new skills, and playing chess. Jacob is a Texas-based writer and blogger with more than a decade of experience covering online education. Before launching his education blogs, he was a professional teacher who has trained many students and helped them pursue their careers.

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