October 29th, 2020
Consult almost any checklist for building business websites and you'll find hosting on that list. Unfortunately, telling a business owner they need hosting doesn't say very much.
Even worse, the differences between cloud hosting and shared hosting often make little sense for beginners without a tech background. As long as the service stores website files and grants internet users access to them, the type of hosting doesn't matter much. Right?
It turns out the differences matter quite a bit. Keep reading for an essential guide on cloud hosting and shared hosting that will help shed light on the differences.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting takes a different approach than shared hosting. Where shared hosting puts all your files in one server, cloud web hosting spreads them out across several servers.
For example, your HTML, CSS, and Javascript files might sit on one server, while your database sits on a different server. This lets your website leverage the resources of all of those servers.
Cloud Hosting Pros and Cons
Cloud hosting comes with one main disadvantage depending on your provider: cost. Many services charge you based on the total server resources used, which can drive up the price. Although, you can find fixed pricing on cloud hosting through some service providers.
On the pro side, you typically get outstanding performance from your websites. Your site won't stall under heavy traffic loads because it can switch servers if necessary. You also see a more reliable performance.
Cloud hosting typically offers your site better security than shared hosting.
Shared Hosting
The term shared hosting plan describes the situation pretty clearly. A single server gets divided up between many customers' websites. All of your website files co-exist with countless other website files on that server.
So, for example, your website for your freelance graphic design business may live on the same server as a bakery website, an apartment complex website, and an antique shop website.
Shared Hosting Pros and Cons
Shared hosting offers business owners with one major benefit. It's cheap. You can often find shared plans for $10 a month or less.
On the con side of things, shared plans mean your site must compete for resources. Each server comes with a limited amount of RAM and processing power. If another site soaks up a lot of resources, your site's performance can tank.
Choosing Your Hosting
As with many business decisions, your choice between cloud hosting and shared hosting will hinge on your needs.
For a brand new website that you expect will get light traffic, cloud hosting could prove overkill. Shared hosting at a lower price will often get the job done. If you can get a cloud hosting at a similar fixed price point, however, there's no downside in getting the extra benefits.
If you deal with sensitive data, such as credit card info, the better security offered by cloud hosting may prove invaluable.
Sectorlink offers cloud web hosting at a fixed cost similar to other companies' shared hosting costs. For more information about our hosting services, contact Sectorlink today.