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User:Avinrude

[edit] The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Three Main Web Hosting Options

More and more persons are realizing that having an online presence is a great way to get persons all over the world to know about various products and services that they offer. Of course to do this one must first have a website on the internet. You need to however bear in mind that having a website on the internet will not be possible without first choosing the best method of web hosting for your website. Here are the three main options along with their advantages and disadvantages for you to consider.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting refers to the option in which many websites are made to run on the same web server. As a result clients are in effect sharing the server. This is made possible by allocating different storage space and features to each user. In this case, the provider is responsible for the maintenance of the server and also provides technical support to each client. It is therefore perfect for those persons who are not very technological savvy or those who do not have a staff dedicated to technical support.

The main advantage of this type of web hosting is that it is very affordable; it is actually the cheapest of the three options. Also due to the fact that the provider is in charge of the maintenance of the server, you will not have to be concerned with the general keep up. It is the provider who would now be responsible for uploading the latest updates and ensuring that the site is as secure as possible to protect from malicious attackers and hackers. In addition, once your website is uploaded to your shared hosting site, the support staff will be there to offer you assistance in configuring the website.

Unfortunately, the actions of the other clients on your shared server can have a impact on your website. For instance, if you are sharing server with clients that end up using too much of the RAM on the CPU you could actually see a slower response in certain request made on your website. Also, if their website happens to be hacked in, or contracts a virus this can also be passed on to your website.

VPS/Virtual Private Server Hosting

If you have outgrown a shared server but are not able to afford a dedicated server, or are not in need of all that a dedicated server has to offer, you can opt for a Virtual Private Server or VPS. This type of website hosting allows you to have your own virtual server for a price that is much less than that for a dedicated server. It does this by creating multiple virtual servers on one physical machine. Even though you essentially share the physical machine, your virtual server is dedicated just to your websites. This allows you to get all the flexibility and independence that a dedicated server would give. You can therefore not be affected by the actions of the other clients on the server and you also get more control over your account.

On the other hand this option though attractive is not for everyone. If your website doesn’t have a lot of graphic and doesn’t require a lot of memory the shared server is good enough for you. Also, if your business is very big and receives a high amount of traffic on a regular basis this would also not be the best option for you. This option is therefore suited to persons with small to medium sized companies who have outgrown their shared accounts but are not in need of all the features of a dedicated server or have websites that do not generate enough cash to finance a dedicated server.

Dedicated Server

Companies which are very large with a booming business will more than likely be receiving traffic regularly and on a daily basis. Persons in this case should definitely consider a dedicated server. As the name suggests, the server is not shared in any way and is only dedicated toward your website/s. With this website hosting option persons will enjoy a lot of flexibility both as it relates to storage, types of software being used and level of management. Due to the fact that the server is not shared you will have increased security and the actions of other clients belonging to the same provider cannot have a negative impact on your account. You will also have root or administration access to your dedicated server giving you the opportunity to install anything you want and also have the website customized in any way you want. The only major disadvantage of this option is that it is extremely expensive.