In an age where almost every web server hosting service provider claims to be offering an edge over others, choosing between a shared and dedicated server hosting plan becomes a daunting task. Whether you choose a shared server hosting or a dedicated server hosting, educating yourself about their pros and cons for a particular environment can help you make an informed decision. To help, this post distinguishes between the two hosting services on different parameters.
Shared Server Hosting vs Dedicated Server Hosting – Few Comparisons:
1. Bandwidth
Bandwidth in the hosting industry means the frequency of traffic experienced for a specified time frame. To get an estimate of user’s bandwidth need, most hosting service providers analyze the volume of the data that a company needs to manage over the course of a month.
Shared Hosting
When looking for shared web hosting services, you are sure to come across service providers claiming unlimited bandwidth, however, the fact is there is no such thing called unlimited bandwidth in the hosting industry. As web hosting will always have a limit, it is, therefore, important to ask your service provider about the ‘soft limit’ and purchase the bandwidth depending on the volume of traffic you are receiving.
Dedicated Hosting
If your website is among those experiencing heavy traffics, dedicated hosting makes the right choice for you. In dedicated server hosting, some providers can provide you unlimited bandwidth and disk space.
2. Performance
Shared Hosting
The performance of your website is very important to enrich user experience, but because shared hosting service almost always has limited resources, smooth site performance is unlikely with increasing traffic. In a shared hosting if a website experience a surge in traffic, it utilizes more of the resources to support its traffic than the websites with average traffic. Consequently, the website with average traffic becomes slow. In case your web site comes in the category with heavy traffic, some shared hosting providers may even penalize you for usurping extra bandwidth.
Dedicated Hosting
Unlike shared hosting, in dedicated hosting, there is no worry about dealing with another user’s traffic. As the name suggests, you have your dedicated server, and you are free to experience any amount of traffic without having to worry about the downtime. If you want to offer your visitors a great browsing experience, without worrying about the surge in traffic, dedicated server hosting is the perfect choice for you.
Read more about – Dedicated Server Hosting
3. Security
Shared Hosting
The term ‘shared’ itself makes the service less secure than dedicated hosting, as your website would be sharing a server with other websites. Moreover, in a shared hosting even a single technical glitch or erroneous script could crash the server resulting in downtime. Lastly, in shared server hosting, you are never sure of what kind of websites are sharing server space with yours.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated server is more secure and reliable than shared server, as there is no risk of any erroneous script from another website. In addition, the web host monitors your dedicated server on routine basis to ensure that your website is secure and running smoothly. Though this is one of the reasons that dedicated web hosting costs more than shared hosting.
4. Control
Shared Hosting
In shared hosting clients don’t have control over the server resources, and there is a limitation on the type of script language and the file that can be used on the website. If your website uses advanced applications and features shared web hosting is a big no, however, if it doesn’t think that it makes an economical option.
Dedicated Hosting
Unlike shared hosting, dedicated web hosting offers complete control over the server resources, provided clients have some technical expertise to manage their account. Dedicated web servers offer flexibility to run almost any type of software and supports a range of scripting languages. In addition, clients can customise their hosting environment according to their specific needs. If you don’t have resources to manage hosting services, you can go for managed dedicated hosting, for which you may have to pay an additional fee.
The Bottom Line
The type of hosting service you choose depends on your budget, server, website, and the level of control you desire on the service. It is also important to educate yourself on the types of options available. That’s where we can help. Whether you need a shared or dedicated hosting service, the experts at i2k2 Networks can help you choose the right solution meeting your business needs and budget. To learn more, call us at +91- 9711774040 or +91-120-466 3031. Alternatively, fill out our contact form and we’ll take it from there.