VPS Hosting vs. Shared Hosting
by Mashum Mollah Cloud Computing 02 April 2019
Most websites start with a shared hosting plan since it offers the basic features required for hosting a website, it is less costly and allows them to assess the market before they invest more money and time into the website. Over time as the website grows in popularity, the site owner starts looking at better hosting options to offer uninterrupted services to site visitors. Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting is one such option. In today’s article, we will compare the features of VPS Hosting vs. Shared hosting.
VPS Hosting Services:
In VPS Hosting, your website lives on a virtual server which is created by the division of a physical server. A layer of virtualization creates sections in a physical system to create multiple virtual private servers. The virtual system has dedicated resources even though the physical web server is shared between all the virtual servers. In other words, it is a blend of Shared Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting service.
Shared Hosting Services:
In Shared Hosting, your website lives on a physical web server which several other websites share. Therefore, you have access to shared resources and the hosting plans are hence, cheaper.
VPS Hosting vs. Shared Hosting:
| Feature | Shared Hosting | VPS Hosting |
| Costs | Since your website is hosted on a shared web server wherein the resources are shared between many sites, the hosting plans are cheaper than most other hosting options. | VPS Hosting plans are costly as compared to Shared Hosting plans. This is because despite the physical web server being shared, your site has access to dedicated resources. |
| Security | Most hosting providers take necessary steps to offer maximum security in Shared Hosting plans but the fact that the resources are shared between several websites makes it more prone to a cyber-threat or attack. Being shared, even if one website gets infected, then there is a huge risk of the threat spreading to the other websites too. | VPS Hosting plans are much safer than Shared hosting plans because virtualization isolates the virtual servers from one another. Hence, if one website faces a cyber-attack, the other websites don’t get affected unless the virus/threat reaches the hypervisor level. |
| Server Administration | Shared Hosting plans require minimal server administration to be done by you. The hosting provider takes care of most of these tasks (basic level). Therefore, these plans are good for new as well as small websites. | VPS Hosting plans generally come with complete root access which allows you the flexibility to manage your resources, configure an application or software and improve your site’s performance and/or security. Therefore, you might need a server administrator to manage these tasks. |
| Scalability | While scaling up your resources is possible, it can be a time and cost-consuming process. Therefore, managing unpredicted traffic can be a problem. | Most providers offering VPS Hosting in India have quick and easy scalability features. This allows you to manage sudden traffic spikes with relative ease. |
Summing Up:
Therefore, Shared and VPS Hosting plans are good for different types of sites. If your site is new or if you are targeting a niche segment with limited visitors or if the site needs less space and/or bandwidth, then a shared hosting plan should suit you well. On the other hand, websites with heavier traffic or those requiring control over specific server functions must opt for VPS Hosting. It all boils down to what your website requires. Assess your requirements and research well before buying a hosting plan. Good Luck!
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