When it comes to launching your first website, one of the essential aspects is web hosting. Understanding the differences between hosting types like what is shared hosting, reseller, dedicated, etc., and plans are vital for the expansion and success of your website and business.
Fortunately, hosting isn’t as tough as it appears. You’ll be well-equipped to choose the best hosting plan for you and your website after just a little research.
Talking about web hosting, shared hosting is the most used web hosting type. This hosting is recommended for new websites because it is the most affordable and resource-rich web hosting.
Shared hosting is a commonly used web hosting platform utilized by numerous websites. The shared hosting platform is preferred by bloggers, small business owners, and startups; it is considered the best platform for setting up a website immediately with a limited budget.
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If you are planning to use shared hosting for your blog or website, here are the essential aspects you should know:
What Is Shared Hosting?
Shared hosting is a web hosting type that shares server space to accommodate multiple websites. All the websites hosted on the server share the resources of the server. Every website on the shared server gets a specific amount of server resources and space. The resources are allocated according to the selected hosting plan.
The website or blog owner can choose between Windows shared hosting or Linux shared hosting. The choice of the operating system depends on the website’s preference.
Linux or Windows shared hosting plans can be selected concerning the coding language and development platform used for developing the website. For example, if you want to work with ASP.NET, you can opt for Windows shared hosting.
Know, How Shared Hosting Works!
A hosting server is partitioned to host multiple websites. Every customer has control over the website, blog, emails, and databases. The customers share the cost and server resources in the shared hosting.
Simply put, shared hosting is like renting an apartment with people – You have your room, but the resources (electricity, water, and the common areas) are shared within members. Shared hosting is affordable because the cost and maintenance are distributed equally among all the members.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Shared Hosting?
Although the shared hosting platform has its limitations, it is an ideal hosting platform to set up a new website.
Take a look at the best benefits of shared hosting!
- Affordability: Shared hosting is highly affordable. If you want to be cautious before making a big web hosting investment for your website, shared hosting is best for you. You can get shared hosting for the lowest cost from MilesWeb.
- It is Flexible and Adaptive: New online businesses can start with a shared plan and easily upgrade as their site grows.
- Simple to Self-manage: The setup of shared hosting is straightforward. Most service providers provide a control panel through which you can manage your website. This streamlined user interface manages administrative tasks and any monitoring responsibilities associated with running a server.
- Multiple Domain Hosting Option: If you have unlimited shared hosting plan, you can install as many websites as you want in your user directory; just make sure the domains you buy are linked to it. One person might have different domains for their website, like for hobby, their business.
- Built-In cPanel / Plesk: You get built-in cPanel (Linux shared hosting) or Plesk (Windows shared hosting) for managing your website. These control panels are offered for free, and with the help of these control panels, you can effortlessly manage the website settings, DNS settings, email settings, etc.
- It’s Professionally Managed: Shared hosting requires little upkeep. Your host will take care of basic server administration tasks, relieving you of the burden of running your server. Web management is the most convenient option unless you are willing to run your own server. Leave your website hosting with our pro hosting – Professional technical support is available for everything from hardware upgrades and maintenance to software updates, and network outages.
How Is Shared Hosting Different From VPS And Dedicated Hosting?
| Shared Hosting | VPS Hosting | Dedicated Hosting | |
| Definition | In shared hosting, multiple websites are hosted on the same server. These websites share the server resources and space. | In a Virtual Private Server (VPS), complete root access is provided to a customer. Customer accounts are hosted on a physical server shared by other virtual private servers. | In dedicated hosting, the physical server is dedicated to one client account. |
| Performance | Resources on a shared server are limited as they are shared by multiple accounts. As a result of this, the speed and performance of the website might get affected. | VPS provides complete root access and a more extensive amount of resources compared to shared hosting. In VPS hosting, you can: • Deploy your application stack on the server and get complete control over its operations and upgrades. • Manage and run medium and large-size websites and applications. | Dedicated hosting provides complete root access, and all the resources are dedicated to one client. In dedicated hosting, you can: • Deploy your application stack on the server and get complete control over its operations and upgrades. • Run large websites and applications that need enormous computing and storage resources. |
| Security | In shared hosting, your website shares a server with the other websites. As server space is shared, there are possibilities of your IP getting blacklisted because of malicious activities performed by another client on the same server. You can still be safe with the SSL certificates installed on your website. | In a VPS, the number of websites on the physical server is less than in shared hosting. The client is responsible for the websites and applications running on the VPS. For the IP associated with the VPS, the chances of getting affected by the other websites are extremely low. | In dedicated hosting, the server is dedicated to your website. The risk of virus attacks and other threats to your websites is significantly reduced. Also, the hazard of your IP getting blacklisted is eliminated. |
| Resource Scalability | VPS hosting is best known for resource scalability. You can scale up or scale down the resources as per the requirements of your website. VPS hosting usually works on a pay-as-you-go model, so you only pay for the resources you are using. | VPS hosting is best known for resource scalability. You can scale up or scale down the resources as per the requirements of your website. VPS hosting usually works on a pay-as-you-go model, so you only pay for the resources you are using. | Dedicated server hosting is, by definition, a scalable solution for growing businesses, as these servers offer unparalleled customization when compared to other hosting options (such as shared and cloud hosting). This is significant because if your company’s website experiences an unexpected surge in traffic, you may need to quickly adjust your bandwidth and other settings to accommodate it. |
Is Shared Hosting the Best Option for You?
Shared hosting is definitely the best if you fit in the following!
1. What is your budget, and what features do you require?
Shared hosting plans are typically less expensive than other types of hosting, such as Virtual Private Server (VPS), cloud hosting, or dedicated hosting. Because you’re only using a portion of a server’s storage space and resources on a shared plan, your hosting provider can afford to charge less.
Shared hosting is extremely affordable, even for those with a small initial investment in their website.
2. How big is your website, and how many resources does it need?
Shared hosting accounts have a limited amount of storage space. If your website is quite large, shared hosting may not be the best option for you. Furthermore, other sites on your server can grow and consume more storage space, pushing your website to the outskirts.
If you start getting a lot of visitors to your site all at once, your shared server is more likely to become overloaded than a dedicated server. Similarly, a traffic spike on another site that shares your server could temporarily take your site offline.
Even if your pages are highly optimized, their size and traffic levels may result in slow loading times for visitors.
Before hosting a website on a shared server, understand the needs of your website.
3. What Are Your Technical Capabilities? How Simple Is the Hosting Dashboard to Use?
As a beginner, it’s possible to have no experience managing a server. The server is handled for you by the hosting experts with a shared hosting plan. Managed shared hosting plan is helpful if your technical skills aren’t advanced.
You should also look into the control panel of your potential web host. It will be necessary for troubleshooting, billing management, plan upgrades, and other essential tasks. Making sure yours is simple to use can simplify your site management process and save you a lot of headaches in the long run.
Which Hosting Provider Should You Choose For Shared Hosting?
When deciding between shared hosting providers, there are some essential factors to consider beyond price.
Features to keep an eye on!
- Uptime: When looking for a shared hosting plan, make sure there are uptime guarantees. The absolute bare minimum you should accept from a host is 99%.
- Speed: Website loading speed is the crucial thing to consider while buying hosting for a website. See that you select a web host that offers the best website speed and performance.
- Website Traffic: Consider your expected website traffic when making your decision. It’s challenging to predict web traffic, but if you anticipate a high volume of traffic for any reason, a shared hosting base plan may not be appropriate because you may be violating the fair use policy of the service provider.
- Support: Just because shared hosting is cheap doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect client support. Look for a host having support representatives available around the clock and through the channels you prefer, such as email, or live chat. Above all, you must remember that you are sharing. You share a server with numerous other customers, all of whom, ideally, have small websites. Because these sites are relatively lightweight, they do not require many resources, so the server will not be overburdened by hosting them all at once.
- Disk Space: Disk space refers to the hard drive space that a hosting company makes available to its customers. If your site contains images or offers audio files for download, you’ll want to have enough space. Using your host’s control panel, you can keep track of how much disc space or bandwidth you’re using. See to it that you get SSD and not a traditional HDD.
- Control Panel: Check if your host’s shared hosting plan includes a control panel. It’s essentially a web-based interface that lets users manage their server settings from the convenience of their web browser.
- Install Applications with a Single Click: Choose a host that allows easy integration with services like WordPress CMS or a website builder.
A Gist About The Best Host You Can Opt!
You will come across many web-hosting providers, but it is crucial to do your research before signing up with any web hosting company. At MilesWeb, you get a comprehensive range of features with all the shared hosting plans. You get free SSL certificates, hosting on powerful SSD servers, email accounts, free malware scanning and removal, Cloudflare CDN, free website migration, etc., at a highly affordable cost. MilesWeb provides 24/7 assistance when it comes to setting up the website or migrating the website along with a risk-free money-back guarantee. Also, you can choose your preferred data center location from India, the UK, the USA, Singapore, Canada, and Australia.
To Sum up About Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the ideal hosting solution for small and medium-size websites. Shared servers can host blogs or dynamic websites at ease. Through shared hosting, the website owners get the convenience and flexibility to start their online business website.
Moreover, if you start a small website or a blog, shared hosting is ideal. You can start with shared hosting initially, and then as the business grows, you can consider upgrading to a higher and more resourceful web hosting package.
