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Types of web hosting: Choosing the right one for you!
In the world of web hosting, there is something for everyone. It all depends on one’s specific needs and budget.
Web host providers have different names for their hosting packages, which could be confusing. With the basic knowledge of the major types of web hosting, choosing the right one for your website becomes easy.
In this post, we will be examining four major types. They are:
- Shared hosting
- VPS hosting
- Cloud hosting
- Dedicated hosting
Shared hosting
As the name implies, shared hosting means one’s web site is placed on the same server with hundreds or thousands of other websites. For beginners, shared hosting is the best and cheapest type of web hosting, especially for a new blogger or hobby writer. It is just like renting a house with a couple of other people, the rent is expected to between the occupants.
It is regarded as the entry level hosting plan because it requires minimum technical knowledge. Therefore, it is recommended for websites that receive low traffic, below 5,000 visitors per month.
As your website grows, the server might become too slow to handle the amount of traffic being received. When this happens, you can contact your web host to request an upgrade, that is a more powerful server.
It costs as low as #3,500 per year.
VPS hosting
A VPS (virtual private server) has its own operating system, disc space, and bandwidth. How does it work? A physical server that resides in a data center is used for VPS hosting. The server is divided into various spaces that creates its own virtual server. The website owner who is put on the virtual server has control over the virtual environment and can reboot their server or use it as if it was their own dedicated server.
With VPS hosting, you are likely sharing the server with tens of websites, rather than hundreds or thousands. Hence, a larger percentage of the server’s power, memory, and storage space are allocated to your website, which brings about more speed and power than shared hosting
This hosting is best suited for websites that need greater control of the server and those that are wary of the technological expertise needed to operate a dedicated server.
Also, multiple websites can be stored on a VPS server, and it is less expensive than dedicated hosting. If you are looking for a more secure, faster and more flexible hosting plan, you should consider a VPS.
Pricing: starts at N8,000 per month.
Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting offers unlimited ability to handle high traffic. To make this happen, a team of servers works together to host a group of websites. The security, hardware resources, and the load are available to be used when needed.
For instance, you own a seasonal business, you are sure to have a spike in traffic on your website (hosted on a cloud server) at a particular time of the year. During this period, you can increase your website’s available resources to be able to handle your website traffic. When the traffic decreases after the season is over, you can release those resources and run your site on what you really need.
It is suitable for websites that receive more than 100,000 visits per month.
Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting is where you rent an entire server to host your website. You get to control and customize the server to meet your needs. Although, it requires high technical skills to configure and maintain the server.
It is highly expensive and harder to maintain as you have no other website sharing the server with yours.
If your website receives more than 100,000 visits per month, and your data privacy and hardware configuration is paramount to you, a dedicated server could be your best option.
Pricing: starts at N32,000 per month.
