There are multiple web hosting services for you to choose from, which can prove to be extremely overwhelming. To streamline this process, we offer clarity in this guide between shared and dedicated hosting that forms the simplest and most complex of hosting options. You will get an in-depth understanding of what each brings to the table and can serve your requirements better. It will help you make the best decision for the growth and success of your business.
What is Shared Hosting?
Shared Hosting is the starting point of web hosting making it a popular option for startups. It is a physical server that hosts several websites and can be accessed by their users. All of its resources are also shared including RAM, CPU, bandwidth, disk space, and much more. Sharing a server means you share the cost with other users as well, so it is quite a budget-friendly option if you are just starting or have a limited budget.
What are the benefits of shared hosting for eCommerce websites?
1. Simple admin access
Straightforward admin access is one of the biggest advantages of shared hosting as they use hosting managers such as cPanel. It helps all aspects of running a website including file upload, plugin installations and to get access to website data.
2. Economical
Shared web hosting is extremely economical and simple to handle allowing you to use it from the get-go which makes it such a popular option.
3. Powerful performance
Regardless of sharing its resources it still offers great performance for you to start your business and get a handle on its workings. A lot of web hosting can also guarantee maximum uptime.
What are the disadvantages of shared hosting?
1. Storage
Once your business starts growing and evolving you require additional space for all of your website content, files, and data. While you can upgrade your storage, however at some point there will be no more space available.
2. Control
You will receive packages that have already been configured with shared hosting. There are no custom features that you can use or additional options for handling your server and streamlining its functioning. If you want to completely control your server and hosting, shared hosting is not the right fit.
3. Safety
You get basic safety features but cannot put in any advanced ones with shared hosting. Plus sharing the server with other users in itself can be quite a risk to your security.
What is Dedicated Hosting?
Dedicated hosting, on the other hand, assigns the whole server to a single website and user, along with all of its resources. It proves to be extremely beneficial to keep up with the growing demands of the website compared to shared hosting. Since dedicated hosting comes with a lot of resources, it is usually the perfect choice for businesses that are well-established and have high requirements. It can prove to be extremely expensive though, so you need a pretty big budget if you want to opt for dedicated hosting.
What are the benefits of dedicated hosting for eCommerce websites?
1. Complete control
Having the entire server dedicated to you means you get a say in every action and decision on the server including software installation, OS, and much more.
2. Complete access to resources
All the resources in a dedicated server are assigned to you resulting in robust performance.
3. Several prices
You get to pick from a variety of managed dedicated server hosting plans even though they might be expensive as compared to shared hosting. Dedicated hosting can still fit into your budget if you find the perfect web hosting provider. So you get to benefit from all the best features and resources of dedicated hosting at a rather reasonable price.
What Are the Disadvantages of Dedicated Hosting?
While there are plenty of advantages when it comes to dedicated hosting, there are going to be a few drawbacks that you need to know and take into consideration. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons dedicated hosting might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
1. Price
You need to pay a lot more for dedicated servers as compared to shared servers. This can be a huge liability if you have a limited budget and cannot exceed it.
2. Points of failure
If you rely on just one server, a hardware failure can be detrimental to your operation and cause downtime or even a crash. While it does not happen that often, you need to keep this in mind regardless.
Conclusion
Several points separate shared hosting from its dedicated counterpart. Both options have advantages and disadvantages that can help your business excel or pull it back. There is a perfect fit for web hosting but it depends on the requirements of your business. Startups and new business owners usually opt for shared hosting. On the other hand, well-established companies prefer dedicated servers as they fulfill their requirements for resources and offer the right features and tools as well
