What is Dedicated Hosting?
If you’re running a resource-hungry site that pulls a lot of traffic, the software, hardware, or configuration options available on a hosting provider’s shared or virtual private server (VPS) may not be sufficient to meet your needs. A dedicated server may be the solution.
How Does Dedicated Hosting Work?
If shared hosting is similar to living in an apartment with many other tenants, dedicated hosting is like moving into your own home. When you choose a dedicated hosting plan from your provider, you’ll be leasing your own physical server. This machine is reserved solely for hosting your website(s), applications, and files.
You have the run of the place, and your website, applications, and files are the only information stored there. You can set up plenty of space for your own website, or break up the resources and rent out space to tenants of your own.
Of course, owning your own home comes with its own set of challenges. Just as a homeowner is responsible for furnishing their home and selecting the utilities and enhancements they want, dedicated hosting customers must choose the hardware and software configuration they want for their machine. And if you want a “super” to help with upkeep, you’ll need to foot the bill for server management services.
Dedicated hosting is one of the more expensive hosting options available, but the configurability, security, and versatility afforded by such plans often makes them worth the cost for those with high-traffic sites.
Take a closer look at the differences between several varieties of hosting:How to Set up Dedicated Hosting
Setting up a hosting account is a fairly uniform process, regardless of level or plan type.
The first step is to find a host with the features you need, at a price your budget will support. Your needs are unique, and this process can take some time as you narrow down your choices. Remember, publishers’ or providers’ ideas of what matters often differ from the specific features, support options, and configuration you want and need.
After finding a host that suits your needs, it’s simply a matter of signing up with your new provider, linking your domain name to your new account, and then uploading or building your website.
How to Choose Dedicated Hosting
You’ve probably heard of at least a few hosting providers, either through advertising or from friends and associates. A quick Internet search for “Dedicated Hosting,” “Dedicated Servers” or similar terms can quickly turn up dozens of additional choices.
Most hosting providers list their features in easy-to-navigate tables on their sites, making it easy for you to evaluate plans, compare features, and determine monthly hosting costs. Find a few options that have the features you want and need, then pick the one that provides the most bang for your buck.
Once you’ve decided on a host, it’s simply a matter of signing up for their service, and paying the fee. Hosting plans are usually advertised with monthly rates, but some hosts require you to pay for at least one year at a time—in full and in advance—to get the best prices, so budget accordingly.
Benefits of Dedicated Hosting
Choosing a dedicated server lets you:
- Configure hardware, operating system, and software options to your specifications
- Reboot or perform upgrades and updates on your schedule
- Manage the server at the root level, making server, site, and application maintenance easier
- Host your own high-traffic sites, and control resource allocation to each
- Organize, serve, and store enormous amounts of data
- Host other sites and create your own reseller hosting business
Dedicated servers also benefit from being physically located in your hosting provider’s data center. Because it shares the redundant power management and protection system, as well as the high-speed datalines, built into the facility, you’re better protected against sudden power failures, network lag, and other performance issues. Plus, dedicated hosting saves you in the long run because you don’t have to purchase or upgrade any of the hardware, software, or infrastructure necessary to maintain your server (although upgrades purchased as a plan upgrade may incur varying fees, depending on your provider).
Managed Hosting
In addition, many hosting providers will provide managed hosting as an option with their dedicated hosting plans. Managed hosting shifts responsibility for software and hardware maintenance to the host, including:
- OS and other software updates
- Firewall maintenance and management
- Backup and disaster recovery services
- Hardware maintenance and upgrades
- Traffic monitoring and intrusion detection
Managed hosting frees you (or your tech staff) up to attend to more pressing matters, like site development or running your business. It also often includes greater security and more robust support options (e.g., 24/7 phone support, a dedicated support representative for your account, etc.).
Again, the extra expense can seem daunting, but it may ultimately prove to be a cost savings if you find you’re spending extra time maintaining or improving the server for an especially popular site.
Learn more about the features and benefits of managed hosting:Dedicated Hosting Limitations
While there’s no denying that dedicated hosting plans provide the most power and features available, they still have a few limitations:
- Expense – There’s no getting around the fact that leasing your own server, purchasing or licensing software, and (optionally) paying your host to manage it adds up to a pretty penny.
- Downtime – since you’re the only tenant of your server, if a software or hardware issue arises that can take down the whole server, your site is going with it. Data centers are, as a rule, outfitted with advanced redundancy loops for power and data access, but nothing’s absolutely foolproof, and every second your site is down is a second that’s costing you money and potential customers.
- Hefty fees for overages – Many providers eschew the “unlimited everything” model used by most sharing plans in favor of hard limits for dedicated hosting customers. Physically, your server’s only limited by its hardware capabilities, but upgrades usually come at a cost. And if you exceed your allotted bandwidth for the month, you can quickly accrue substantial overage fees.
- The learning curve – Dedicated hosting requires a fair bit of technical knowledge, because some plans may provide little more than a server and operating system. Unless you choose managed hosting (at additional expense), are very familiar with server management, or have your own IT staff, you may find setting up and managing your site on a dedicated server quite a challenge.
Dedicated hosting plans are the ultimate in configurability and control but they’re not the optimal choice for everyone. Moving to this tier of hosting is generally reserved for sites who need the high-volume resources that come with it, and can bear the cost. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility—you may be on the hook for additional fees for hardware upgrades, setup costs, and additional support options. Be sure to read the fine print before you sign on the dotted line.