5 Types of Web Hosting You Need to Know About In 2022
Deciding on the right type of website hosting for your business can be a daunting task. With all of the different options and technical jargon, it’s enough to make your head spin! But never fear; we’re here to help.
To make a WordPress website, you will need website hosting.
Once you start researching your options, you’ll quickly discover that there are different types of hosting, each with different prices, performance, features, and technical complexities.
Choosing the best web hosting plan isn’t just about the cost, though. An e-commerce site will have different needs than a WordPress blog, just to give you one example. Selecting a plan that offers you the right resources and features is essential to set up your website for success from the start. In this blog post, we’ll break down the five different types of website hosting so that you can make an informed decision about what’s right for you and your business.
In this article, we will cover:
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is vital in ensuring website performance, speed, and availability. It’s a technical medium for making your website accessible to anyone on the Internet.
Simply put, web hosting is where you store (or host) your site’s data: media, formats, backups, etc. Site data is stored on servers (including cloud servers) that your customers access directly when they visit your site.
Regarding hosting, there are two main types: shared and dedicated. Shared hosts allow multiple websites on one server, whereas a dedicated host can support an unlimited amount of sites with its hardware configuration; however, these options come at higher costs than mutual-hosting solutions due to added features like domain registration or transfer pricing (in case you need help setting that up). It depends on your budget, so do thorough research before making any final decisions!
If you are looking for a hosting provider, you’ll quickly discover different hosting types with different prices, features, and technical specifications. But knowing what is right for you can be challenging with all the other options. To help you make an informed decision, we’ve put together this guide explaining the five different types of website hosting.
5 Different Types of Web Hosting
Unless you know how to build and maintain a server, you may need to work with a web hosting company. As mentioned above, some website builder platforms include hosting when you sign up, so in a sense, they are your web hosting provider.
1. Shared Hosting
The idea of using one server to host multiple websites has been around since the early days of online. With this service, each site gets its own space on your single web disk – usually in an isolated part or “data center” where many other customers’ sites are also stored away, waiting for someone with enough bandwidth (and money!) The great thing about Shared Hosting compared directly to offers nowadays is that you don’t need any technical knowledge! All you have to do when signing up at some providers like BlueHost, Amazon Webhostinger, etc., is make sure they give access to both remote control panels. The downside is that you don’t have much space yourself, so it’s only suitable for sites that don’t have much traffic.
Your monthly payments to the hosting provider will get you access to a certain amount of resources that you share with other users on that server.
Resources such as:
- RAM (Random Access Memory)
- CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- Storage (capped at an X GB)
- Bandwidth (also limited to X Mbps)
Price and usability make shared hosting the most popular option for new small business websites, personal blogs, affiliate websites, and early-growth startups.
A lot of shared hosting plans also come with add-on services like:
- Free domain name
- Free SSL certificate
- Integrated website builder
- Security and anti-malware scans
- User-friendly control panel (cPanel)
- Auto-backups
Pros
- No Technical knowledge is required.
- Cost-Effective
- User friendly
- Easy to manage
- Pre-configured server environment
- Out-of-the-box native website management features
Cons
- Security Risks
- Bandwidth limits
- Limited storage space or expensive upgrades
2. Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
A virtual private server (VPS) is a hosting that allows businesses to have their isolated server environment. A VPS is created by partitioning a physical server into multiple “virtual” servers. Each virtual server can run its operating system and applications independently of the others.
VPS hosting is an excellent option for businesses that are outgrowing shared hosting or are ready to take their website to the next level with a more robust, scalable hosting solution. Keep reading to learn more about the critical benefits of VPS hosting.
There are two keywords in this hosting:
- Private: you receive access to personal hosting resources (RAM, CPU, bandwidth) and don’t share them with others.
- Virtual: your server isn’t a physical machine but a partitioned piece (virtual machine) set up on a “parent” server that hosts other VMs.
Think of VPS hosting as renting a flat in a multi-store building. You can do anything you like within your rental, but you can’t make changes to the building itself.
Pros
- Improved Performance and Reliability
- Enhanced Security
- Flexibility
- Scalability
- Root access to the server
Cons
- Software patches and security are your responsibility
- Server performance tuning and “housekeeping” tasks are on you too
- Requires technical acumen for installation/management
- It still has config and control limitations
3. Dedicated Server Hosting
A dedicated server is a physical server leased to and used by a single customer. That customer has complete control over the server and its configuration, including what operating system is installed, what software applications are run, and how users access the server. A dedicated server offers many advantages over other types of hosting, such as shared hosting or virtual private servers (VPS).
Dedicated servers are more reliable than other types of hosting because the server’s resources are not shared with other customers. This means that your website will never be affected by another customer’s activities, whether they are consuming too many resources or causing some security issues.
Dedicated servers also offer better performance because all the server’s resources are dedicated to your website. With other types of hosting, your website shares the server’s resources with other websites, which can lead to slow loading times and decreased performance during peak traffic periods.
Finally, dedicated servers offer better security because you have complete control over the server and its configuration. You can install only those appropriate security measures for your website, and you don’t have to worry about other customers on the same server jeopardizing your site’s security.
Pros
- Non-constrained configuration/customization
- Full-access control over the hosting server
- Guaranteed resources availability
- Improved privacy and security
- Stable and predictable website performance
Cons
- Price — The most expensive type of web hosting plan
- Requires technical resources for management
- Regular maintenance and upkeep needed
4. Cloud Hosting
In the most basic sense, cloud hosting is a way to store your website’s data on multiple servers instead of just one. This has a few significant advantages. First, it makes your site more resilient to outages. If one server goes down, your site will still be up and running because it’s being pulled from multiple sources. Second, it can help improve your site’s performance. When your data is spread out across multiple servers, there’s less of a chance of congestion or other bottlenecks that can slow down your site.
Cloud hosting is also much more scalable than traditional hosting. If you have a sudden surge in traffic, you can quickly add more resources to accommodate it without migrating your entire site to a new server. This scalability is one of the main reasons why cloud hosting has become so popular in recent years.
Why Choose Cloud Hosting?
There are many reasons cloud hosting has become a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. In addition to being more resilient and scalable, cloud hosting is usually much more affordable than traditional hosting options. Pay-as-you-go pricing models make it easy to control your costs, and you don’t have to worry about investing in expensive hardware that quickly becomes obsolete.
Another significant advantage of cloud hosting is that it’s much easier to manage than traditional hosting options. You can typically do everything from a single control panel—from provisioning servers to monitoring your site’s performance. This increased convenience and flexibility make cloud hosting an attractive option for busy entrepreneurs who don’t have time to deal with the complexities of traditional hosting options.
Other benefits of cloud-based hosting include the following:
- Instant scalability
- Higher uptime
- Access to the latest hardware
- Greater security
- Value-added cloud services
5. Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting is a special type of hosting unique to the WordPress space.
You can host a WordPress site on all the other hosting methods, so this is definitely not the only way to host a WordPress site. However, unlike the other hosting types, managed WordPress hosting can only host WordPress sites, which can be limiting in some situations. For example, you couldn’t install your self-hosted analytics tool (e.g. Matomo) to go along with your WordPress site.
It can use different hosting environments, such as shared hosting, cloud hosting, etc. In this way, managed WordPress hosting isn’t entirely separate from the other types of hosting.
The key thing differentiating it from “regular” hosting is a suite of concierge services added specifically for WordPress sites.
Typically, this includes the following types of services:
- Automatic daily backups, with the option to manually back up your site if needed.
- WordPress staging sites.
- Automatic WordPress updates.
- WordPress-specific performance optimizations, such as page caching and maybe a content delivery network (CDN).
- WordPress-specific security rules.
- Expert WordPress support.
The main benefit of managed WordPress hosting is convenience. You’re getting more than just web hosting, and those other services can save you time when it comes to maintaining your site.
The main downside, however, is the price. Assuming you’re talking about plans with identical resources, managed WordPress hosting will be more expensive because you need to pay for those extra services.
This means that managed WordPress hosting can be a good option for people willing to pay a bit of a premium for convenience and extra features.
Pros of WordPress hosting:
- Often comes with some level of managed service.
- You get access to WordPress-specific perks, such as free plugin licenses and one-click installations.
Cons of WordPress hosting:
- It’s only valid for WordPress users and limits your ability to use other platforms.
Who should consider using WordPress hosting: You can set up WordPress on any type of web hosting plan you sign up for. However, if you want to use a plan tailored to the CMS from the ground up, WordPress hosting can be an excellent investment.
Summary
Now that you know more about the different types of website hosts available, you can decide which one is right for your needs. If you’re just starting with a small website, then shared hosts could be a good option. However, if you expect a lot of traffic or need more control over the server and its resources, Then you might want to consider dedicated. VPS or cloud hosts. And if you’re planning on using WordPress, Then WordPress-specific hosts could be a good option. No matter which type of host you choose, make sure to do your research so that you select the one that’s right for you.
Are you ready to get to work on your first website? Our shared hosting plans are affordable and offer all the features you need to build the website you’ve been dreaming of!
