Creating a website is just the beginning. For the creation to be seen by the rest, you need to post it on the Internet. To do this, special Internet providers rent out space on the server - in fact, hard disk space. Shared hosting - what is it? Pros and cons, criteria for choosing the right company - we will consider in our article.
Shared hosting is… Definition of concept and service
Virtual hosting is the rental of disk space on the server of the hosting company. A server can host thousands of sites; they share its RAM, processor power and have a common software. Since the resources of the section are limited (often by the provider's administrators, so that swollen site traffic does not slow down the work of neighbors), virtual hosting is suitable for business cards, small portals, landing pages - pages whose traffic does not exceed800-1000 people per day.
A company offering virtual hosting services identifies users by domain names (with the hosts having the same IP), or by IP - in this case, the host has several separate web interfaces.
Shared Hosting Features
The cost of monthly placement depends on the characteristics of the tariff option:
- The amount of disk space that stores code files and content - typically 1500 MB to 10 GB or more.
- Monthly traffic - how many people can visit the site every month without overloading the system.
- The number of sites and subdomain names that can be registered in one section - usually 1 site requires 1000-2000 MB.
- Number of available mailboxes.
- Number of databases and memory for them.
Pros of using shared hosting
For small sites, shared hosting is the best choice because it:
- Economical: the owner of the Internet resource pays only for renting space on the hard drive of the company's server, and the hoster takes care of data center maintenance, timely updating of databases and software, security concerns, attendance analytics.
- Easy to maintain: the site is managed through a convenient Russified administrative panel. Working with the site does not require special knowledge.
- The size of memory and traffic, the number of domain names depend only on the selected tariff plan, that is, you can chooseplacement conditions in accordance with the budget and needs of the site.
- Various promotions and special offers of the hoster: free domain name, trial period, the ability to host sites written on different CMS, etc.
Disadvantages of shared hosting
- Hosted Internet resources cannot use their software. This is critical if the site is based on a self-written or unpopular CMS - you have to transfer it to the provider's software.
- The level of security provided by the host always leaves much to be desired. Even if there is protection, among the sites hosted on the same server there will be at least one whose code is vulnerable to hackers - this will be the weak link in the overall system.
- The site shares the processor power and RAM with its server neighbors. If there are no traffic restrictions, then a domain that is gaining popularity will take resources from the rest. Hence - long loading, "lying" pages, unresponsive databases.
Those who care about the security of an Internet resource (for example, a corporate portal or a page with subscription forms), whose traffic is more than the provider offers, need to pay attention to the virtual server. Hosting on a shared server - for small sites, a separate machine in the data center - for larger sites.
What is the difference between virtual hosting and a dedicated server?
Dedicated server (VPS, VDS) is located on a separate computer.
- Administration of the VPS lies entirely with the tenant of the server. It can install softwareinclude scripts of varying complexity, flash animation, etc. However, managing such a system requires special knowledge, the ability to program in a web environment.
- VPS can be used for various trading platforms ("Forex", auctions), game servers (from browser-based to MMORPG), etc.
- If on dedicated hosting the provider's administration is responsible for the availability of the portal on the Internet, then when renting a VPS, the hoster monitors only the physical state of the computer. Protection against hacker attacks, software updates, general web resource security are the problems of the site owner.
- VPS resources are limited by the capacity of the machine they rented. But none of the neighbors in the data center will be able to take away these capacities.
- The hosts depend on the OS installed on the provider's server: Linux or Microsoft. In some cases, VPS completely modulates a physical server: you can install any OS on it, configure it.
So, virtual hosting - what is it? This is a separate place for hosting the site on the server of the provider company. On a space of 1500 MB or more, code, content files, a database are stored - everything that is needed for the functioning of an Internet resource. Hosting capabilities are limited, so this type of hosting is chosen for sites with less than 1000 visitors per day. However, it is easy to manage your partition using the admin panel, and the landlord takes care of the server. For large projects, a dedicated server is suitable - a separate machine in the provider's data center.
