Shared Hosting vs. VPS Hosting
Freelancers, bloggers, small and medium businesses, and everyone looking to run a website on a budget must decide which type of hosting will give them the most bang for their buck.
When choosing between shared and virtual private server (VPS) hosting, you’ll need to consider the capabilities of each, what you need to know to run your website, and whether you have room for growth. Numerous features exist, which can differ greatly between hosting providers and service plans.
Shared Hosting
If you have limited to no technical skills and a small budget, this is the perfect hosting option for you. Shared hosting isn’t particularly powerful, but it works well for individuals, as well as small and medium businesses. All the server management is handled by your hosting provider. Random access memory (RAM), disk space, and the central processing unit (CPU) are all shared. Many shared hosting packages include pre-installed software or one-click installations for popular software, such as WordPress. For example, if you intend to start a WordPress blog, you could have your site up and running the same day you purchase a shared hosting plan.
Disadvantages of shared hosting include:- Because resources are shared, your site’s performance may be affected by others on the server
- Even if you’ve hardened your own site, security holes in other sites on your server could leave your site vulnerable
- Very minimal room for site growth
- You may not be able to install your own software
VPS Hosting
When your site is receiving large amounts of traffic, or if it hosts a lot of resource-hogging media, you’ll need more powerful hosting than shared. With VPS, you still share some resources, but you do not share the same space on the server with other websites.
Your virtual server is referred to as a container. Multiple containers reside on the same physical server, sharing a CPU. However, RAM and disk space are allocated solely to you. The amount is determined by which plan you’ve purchased.
VPS service can be purchased as inexpensively as shared hosting, but it requires more technical know-how to run. VPS services are scalable, meaning they can be adjusted as your site grows.
Disadvantages of VPS hosting include:- Hosts sometimes overload a server with containers leading to downtime
- Software installation may be limited
- Sometimes Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are shared, leaving some of your reputation at the mercy of others
- If you accidentally hog resources, you may be penalized or banned
Apartment or Condo
You can think of the difference between these two hosting types as though they’re dwellings. Shared hosting is like renting an apartment. You have to share all the amenities with other tenants, like the pool, laundry room, and parking garage. Also, you’re not responsible for the overall maintenance of your apartment.
VPS hosting, like a condo, requires you to share only some of the amenities. Though it’s located in a building with other condos, you must maintain the interior of your own condo.
Cloud VPS
This version is the perfect solution for sites that experience traffic spikes. You can scale resources from your control panel, usually instantly. You pay only for what you use, instead of paying a flat rate for a package you may not fully utilize. Resources are shared, and access to the server is limited. Cloud VPS is a high availability option for demanding sites.
Features
Among the many hosting providers and their myriad service plans are a wide spectrum of available features. The most important features to compare are those that directly impact your level of service, the expense to you, and the safety of your site.
- Management: : Shared hosting providers manage all aspects of the server, so you don’t have to. They’ll install patches and updates. Software is often pre-installed and your own options for installation will be limited. Typically the physical machines that contain VPS are managed by the host while you are responsible for maintaining your virtual server yourself.
- Support: Nearly all hosting comes with very basic, email or ticketing technical support. VPS usually includes a higher degree of customer support because you’re more involved than with share hosting. Some providers include premium support features, like live tech support over the phone, with all accounts. Others bill it as an add-on, so you only pay for it if you need. It’s very important to compare support options to find what you need.
- Resources: Like the housing example, both shared and VPS hosting share resources. The difference is that VPS accounts have some resources, like bandwidth, allocated strictly to them. Additionally, VPS subscribers can manage their service tier and change configuration of their server with just a few clicks.
- Cost: Both shared hosting and VPS hosting can be purchased on a very small budget. Generally, shared hosting is the cheapest option. You can find shared hosting for just a few dollars a month. Low end VPS plans are also available in the under $10 per month price range.
- Security: VPS is more secure than shared hosting. When you’re on a shared server, other sites located on your server may not have proper security. If another site on your server is attacked, it leaves your site vulnerable, as well . This doesn’t mean that using shared hosting will set you up to get hacked. However, you’ll need to take extra steps to secure your site properly.
How to Choose Hosting
Selecting the type of hosting that’s right for you really comes down to what size and type of website you need to host. Shared hosting is the best choice for small websites and blogs, working with a small budget, and those whose business won’t be severely affected by occasional downtime. It’s also great if you have limited technical skills and need a solution that includes management of the server.
VPS hosting is the better choice for those who need maximum uptime, scalability, room for growth, and more control of resources and software installation. If you have an e-commerce site or video streaming service, for example, VPS may be a good fit.
Though price is usually the starting point for finding a hosting provider, let feature sets and support options guide your choice as well.