While 71% of businesses across the globe have websites, over 28% run their operations online. With all truth, this is as per Forbes’ report in 2023. Such a fact basically emphasizes the inescapable functional role of the website for the business in the current digital era.
Having said that, finding your ideal web hosting type is equally essential to ensure your website is accessible, performs well, and supports business activities without hitches. Understanding web hosting types and their selection can considerably influence a business’s online success.
This is your ultimate web hosting comparison guide covering the basics of web hosting and its different types.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is a service that will give you the underlying infrastructure for your site to work and also for it to be visible on the Internet. As you develop a website, you will create files, such as those of HTML, CSS, pictures and video. Web hosting companies keep those files in the servers and shield them from any unauthorized access.
Also, they play a role of acting as a bridge between your domain name and files. Thus, when somebody types your domain name in a browser, they can have access to your website.
The web hosting providers tackle all the technical aspects of server management. Therefore, they guarantee the servers work properly and are always optimized for performance and safety.
There are different kinds of web hosting available, such as:
- Shared hosting (several sites share resources)
- VPS hosting (dedicated Virtual Server Space)
- Dedicated hosting (the website has its server)
- Cloud hosting (network of servers for scalability)
Thus, you must have an overview of web hosting options before choosing one for your website to make an informed choice.
Understanding Different Web Hosting Types
The market growth for global web hosting services is expected to be substantial, growing from $108.54 billion in 2023 to an estimated $395.84 billion by 2030. The level of expansion that can be seen represents the continuously changing and improving web hosting industry which is manifested by the emergence of new kinds of hosting services.
Choosing the right web hosting for your website can be moderately confusing if you have no idea about the web hosting options available today. Thus, to help you here is a detailed look at different web hosting options and their pros and cons:
1. Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most common and economical hosting option. It includes multiple websites sharing resources on a server. Each user gets a section on the server where they can host their files.
Shared hosting currently holds a significant share of the global web hosting market at 37.64%. This part of the market will keep growing by 15% CAGR, and it is expected that by the end of 2026, it will be worth more than $72.2 billion.
Pros
- Shared hosting is regarded to be the lowest-cost web hosting option. Hence, it is a great fit for the sites with a small number of visitors only and that are newbies.
- Service providers take care of server maintenance, operating system updates, and security; users require no/limited technical knowledge.
- With shared hosting, websites can be set up quickly with minimal configuration required.
Cons
- Since resources (CPU, RAM, bandwidth) are distributed among multiple websites, this results in slower loading times during peak traffic.
- Users have limited control over server settings and configurations.
2. Virtual Private Server Web Hosting
Through Virtualization Technology, VPS hosting has a dedicated share of the server environment with other users. Like shared hosting, the server is shared among different websites. Nevertheless, VPS is one of the most popular choices for hosting as it provides users with more flexibility and bandwidth while being cheaper compared to dedicated hosting.
Pros
- Each VPS is isolated from others physically and operates independently with allocated CPU, RAM, and storage to provide better performance and reliability than shared hosting.
- Resources can be easily scaled up or down based on website requirements.
- Unlike shared hosting, a VPS is isolated from other users, which increases security and reduces the risks associated with shared hosting.
Cons
- More expensive than shared hosting.
- The customers may need to have more technical skills to manage and maintain a VPS environment.
3. Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting provides exclusive use of an entire physical server dedicated to one website. While server resources are split between numerous websites in the case of shared and VPS hosting, dedicated hosting offers the stability and speed required to maintain high-traffic websites and applications.
Pros
- Dedicated resources ensure optimal website performance and reliability.
- Users have full control as they can choose decentralized services and they are free to personalize and optimize their settings.
- The dedicated servers can provide unsurpassed security thanks to their own IP addresses and isolation from other websites.
- Resources can be customizable to meet the needs of growing businesses without affecting the system’s performance.
Cons
- The dedicated hosting plan is the most expensive one that is based on the physical availability of server resources.
- The in-depth management and maintenance of a dedicated server is only possible by skilled experts or server management services.
4. Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is a network of interconnected servers (cloud) that share resources to maintain an optimum performance level. AWS, as one of the first cloud providers, was one of the leaders who opened new horizons and launched the cloud services revolution. As a result, in the first quarter of 2024, AWS held a significant share of 31% of the total cloud hosting market.
Pros
- On-demand resources are scalable, and users adjust server resources based on traffic fluctuations.
- In cloud hosting, to ensure high uptime and reliability, the use of extra server infrastructure is employed.
- Users will pay only for the resources they use and this approach will be cost-effective for workloads that are not constant.
Cons
- Costs are subject to changes depending on resource usage so it is difficult to know how much will be spent every month.
- Using cloud services of third-party providers brings up data security and privacy issues.
The Bottom Line: Which is the Right Web Hosting Type For You?
Different hosting types provide varying levels of performance. Shared hosting, where resources are shared among multiple websites on the same server, slows the loading time and performance during peak traffic. On the other hand, VPS and dedicated hosting provide dedicated resources, which consequently provide faster response times.
In addition, your hosting type must be consistent with the growth trajectory of your website. If you are running a small, low-traffic website now and want to start from the shared hosting service, you will soon realize it can no longer accommodate you as your site grows. With VPS hosting and cloud hosting, the capabilities are endless—you can scale your resources or upgrade them at any time.
Finding your ideal web hosting type also depends upon the level of security you want for your website. The most secure form of hosting is dedicated hosting since you have full control over the server configurations and can adjust access permissions as needed. The providers of cloud hosting also make sure that the websites they host are secure by installing firewalls and DDoS protection devices.
Explore the world of web hosting with Freeparking. To serve you better, we provide a variety of hosting services such as Linux, Windows, eCommerce, and WordPress hosting.
For each hosting plan, you have a free domain for life, which is complemented by cPanel for easy navigation, DDoS protection, unlimited data transfer, email protection, FTP and SSH access, and a whole bunch of other advanced features.
Contact us today to learn more about our web hosting services.
