5 Standard Types of Web Hosting

If you want the world to see your website you will need some form of web hosting account. The type of hosting package you require will largely depend on the type of website you possess and your intentions for the site.

It is entirely possible to give your website an online presence without spending anything. At the other end of the scale, you can rent an entire server all to yourself with a massive amount of space and resources at your disposal.

The majority of people settle somewhere in between. To help you decide what is best for your website, here is an overview of the 5 most popular web hosting accounts.

Web Hosting Packages Explained

Free Hosting

This is the kind of hosting offered by many Internet Service Providers (ISPs). It will be a very limited amount of disk space, and is usually only suitable for storing photos, small files, or hosting a simple website.

There are also many non-ISP companies that will provide free hosting. Again, this will be space-limited and will not provide the variety of useful applications you would expect to receive with paid hosting packages. The reason companies provide free hosting is to make a profit by placing adverts onto websites and blogs hosted on their servers. They receive a commission-based payment anytime anyone clicks on the adverts.

Cost: Nothing

Shared Hosting

The most popular kind of hosting package is a shared hosting account. This is the basic standard of hosting that most websites and blogs use for an online presence. There are many varieties of shared hosting and the cost will normally reflect the level of service and allowances.

The clue to the facilities provided by this type of hosting is in its name, ‘shared’ hosting. Numerous websites will share the same server, and the resources allocated to the physical server. To clarify, the total amount of RAM, disk space, bandwidth, and CPU power allocated to a physical server will be divided between the websites hosted on that server.

Shared hosting is the cheapest form of paid hosting available and is a perfect solution for most small-medium sized websites. There can be issues if one, or some, of the hosted sites suddenly place a strain on resources. It has been known for a server to crash because of a traffic spike to one website, causing all sites on the same server to suffer. However, this is a rarity.

There are usually various shared hosting packages. Starting from a standard, or basic, package with minimal resources and progressing to business, or premium, packages that offer greater resources at an increased cost.

Cost: A basic shared hosting account will usually start around the $4-$8 a month mark.

Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting allows you to rent server space and resources from a hosting provider and then sell these on to third-parties. In essence, you are becoming your own web hosting provider.

You purchase an allotted amount of disk space and bandwidth (data transfer allowance) from the hosting provider. Then you lease out the space and resources to other websites. You can set your own tariffs, independent of the original hosting provider’s costs.

Your web host will maintain the servers, perform upgrades, and be in charge of overall security measures for the account they have sold to you. A reselling package will come with a specially designed control panel from which you can set up and manage your customer accounts.

A reseller hosting account can be run from a larger shared hosting package. You simply rent out your own allotted space and resources. Many people opt to purchase a more expensive dedicated server account when moving into reseller hosting but this is not essential.

The downside to reseller hosting is fierce competition. You are not only competing against your own hosting provider, but the multitude of other companies providing similar services. Hosting resellers will need to invest time and money towards advertising and marketing their product if they hope to attract customers.

Cost: A reseller account will start around $12 a month for a lower-sized package.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)

A VPS hosting package is another form of shared hosting, but the resources and space you are allocated are dedicated and not shared. The shared aspect comes from the fact that your website will share physical server space with other VPS accounts.

A physical server is virtually split into various segments. These segments are then allocated a certain portion of the physical server’s resources. The amount of resources allocated depends on the overall server’s available resources and the total number of VPS accounts hosted on that server. The more space and resources you are allocated, the more you pay.

The advantage of a VSP package, over that of a standard shared hosting account, is that the various resources are dedicated. So no one website is affected by the actions of another. Security is increased (because resources are not directly shared) and there is greater overall control and customization available.

VPS accounts have the advantage of greater control over what applications, scripts, and programs are installed. There is greater access to root files and the ability to add your own software (to an extent).

Some VPS accounts are sold with a feature called ‘burstable RAM’. This simply means that you have the added flexibility of being able to exceed your allocated RAM allowance if required. This could be due to a sudden spike in traffic from a website promotion etc. But be aware that continued overuse of allowance will require you to upgrade to a package with greater resources. The ability to burst is an exception, not a guaranteed regularity.

Cost: A VPS account with reasonable allowances should set you back approximately $15-$18 a month.

Dedicated Hosting

A dedicated hosting package is the most expensive form of hosting but provides dedicated space and resources. You are renting an entire server for yourself and get all the allotted space and resources. There is no sharing.

The cost of a dedicated hosting account will depend on the size of the server your rent and the resources it contains. Considerable disk space, RAM, and a more powerful CPU will obviously be a lot more costly than a less-equipped alternative.

You will have the greatest level of flexibility and control with a dedicated account (the amount of which depends on the style of management option you select). In most cases, you will be in charge of the programs, scripts, and applications available on the server.

There are 4 main types of dedicated server packages: Unmanaged, Self Managed, Managed, and Fully Managed.

· Unmanaged: The cheapest of the four, but requires a higher degree of technical skill and input from the account holder. You will be responsible for server maintenance. You will also be expected to perform upgrades, patches, and implement security measures.

· Self Managed: Some maintenance and monitoring may be performed by the host but you will be expected to take a greater level of responsibility for the server.

· Managed: The hosting provider will offer some level of technical support. They may perform upgrades and will monitor the server performance. But a lot of the technical tasks will be your responsibility.

· Fully Managed: The web host will provide a full service. They will perform maintenance, monitoring, reboots, upgrades, install patches, and manage security. The best option for users with limited technical knowledge.

Cost: A lower-end unmanaged account could be as cheap as $30 a month. But expect to pay a lot more for greater resources and increased provider management.

Still Confused?

With so many options available, it can seem overwhelming if you are choosing web hosting services for the first time. But if you can get a clear picture in your mind of what you expect from your website it can often help simplify the matter.

For the majority, a basic shared hosting account will suffice to begin with. Even if your website becomes an overnight success, you can easily upgrade to a larger shared hosting account with little fuss. Then as your website expands you can progress from shared to VPS, then finally on to a dedicated server if required.

The most important factor in your decision should be to select a reputable hosting provider that is established, stable, and experienced. Before making your final decision, always perform additional research and look for positive feedback from existing customers and impartial reviews.

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