If you want to buy a domain name and hosting for your business website or personal blog, you need an efficient hosting plan.This is a critical decision since the type of hosting solution you choose determines website performance and user experience.
This is where understanding the difference between shared, VPS and dedicated hosting can help you select the right plan for your website. Simply put, selecting the right hosting plan and Australian web host is a crucial decision for any business or website owner.
Let’s understand when you should choose which type of web hosting.
Primary Types of Web Hosting Services
1. Shared Hosting
As the name suggests, shared hosting is when one physical server is shared between multiple websites or web applications. The hosting resources are shared among all the tenants.
2. VPS Hosting
A Virtual Private Server is a type of web hosting solution in which a physical server is partitioned into multiple virtual servers using virtualisation technology. Multiple websites are housed on those virtual servers. Unlike shared hosting, all the websites are supplied with exclusive resources.
3. Dedicated Hosting
True to its name, dedicated hosting refers to the type of hosting where one physical server houses one website or web application. All the server resources are dedicated exclusively to this one website or application.
Choosing the Right Type of Web Hosting Solution
● Shared Hosting
If you are hosting a small website that is low-maintenance, is not resource-intensive and does not expect high traffic, you can choose shared web hosting services.
Pros
- Affordable
- Beginner-friendly
- Ease-of-use
Cons
- Limited performance
- Limited control
- Lack of resources
- Slow loading time
- Offers limited security measures
● VPS Hosting
If you run a medium-traffic website and are seeking a limited scope of scalability, you must choose VPS hosting. It offers enough room for expanding your website without increasing your budget.
Pros
- Better control
- Dedicated resources
- Flexibility
- Scalability to a point
- Basic security measures
Cons
- More expensive than shared hosting
- Requires a certain level of technical knowledge
- Not very flexible
● Dedicated Hosting
If you want to host a website that will attract huge volumes of traffic, you must purchase dedicated web hosting services. This type of web hosting solution is also suitable for resource-intensive or task-oriented websites. Some of the most famous use cases of this type of hosting are media streaming platforms, eCommerce websites, gaming servers and banking websites.
Pros
- Exclusive hosting resources
- Top-notch server security measures
- Maximum control
- Root access
- High-end performance
- Faster loading speed
- Robust server management services
Cons
- More expensive than shared and VPS web hosting services
- Requires high-level technical expertise
- Rigid server management
- Scalability limitations
Things to Consider When Choosing Web Hosting Service
Budget
Determine the budget you are willing to spend to purchase web hosting services. Purchase the type of hosting that aligns with your budget.
Traffic Volume
You can estimate the traffic you expect for a website. If you expect low traffic, choose shared hosting. For medium traffic, opt for VPS hosting and for high traffic, choose dedicated web hosting services.
Customisation Needs
If you need high customisation, do not opt for shared or VPS hosting. Dedicated hosting is your best bet.
Conclusion
Each type of web hosting has its advantages and ideal use cases. As you observe in the above discussion, the size of your business website requirements determines the web hosting service you choose. Once you evaluate your website’s needs, budget, long-term goals and overall expectations you have about your website.
