Dedicated Hosting vs Shared Hosting: The Difference
Web hosting has evolved over the years, and site owners have a wide array of hosting plans available to them. These include Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, VPS Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting. While it feels good to have options, they also make the process of determining the right purchase overwhelming. Today, we will talk about two of the oldest forms of hosting services – Shared Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting – and highlight the differences between them. This will allow you to get a grip on both these hosting types and eventually make an informed decision about the kind of hosting you need for your website.
Shared and Dedicated Server Hosting
Traditionally, web hosting has been all about a physical web server storing all your website data. Most organizations that had websites would purchase these servers and use them dedicatedly for their site – hence the name Dedicated Servers. Over time, as the popularity of the internet grew, the demand for economical web hosting services increased, and some hosting providers came up with the idea of Shared Hosting. In this service, one web server housed multiple websites. The resources were shared, and hence the price of the hosting plan was lower.
So, in Dedicated Server Hosting, the entire web server is dedicated for your website’s exclusive use, and in Shared Hosting, you share the server and its resources with several other sites. Here is a quick look at the differences between the two.
Shared Hosting vs Dedicated Server Hosting
| Feature | Shared Hosting | Dedicated Server Hosting |
| Customizability | While some hosting providers allow users to personalize a few settings, customization is not possible with these plans since the server is shared. | You can customize the server as per your requirements – no restrictions. This is because you have complete ownership of the server. |
| Reliability | Since the server is shared, one bad neighbor can bring the entire server down affecting your site too. Hence, these plans have a higher probability of experiencing slow speeds or server crashes. | These plans are more reliable than Shared Hosting plans because you have more control over the hosting environment. |
| Security | Since there are multiple sites on a Shared Server, hackers and other cybercriminals have multiple points of entry, making these plans slightly less secure. However, reliable hosting providers adopt a fair usage policy and ensure secure Shared Hosting setup. | You have complete root access and hence, total control over the security of the server. You can install any software or applications to ensure that hackers and other online threats are kept at bay. |
| Scalability | These plans are usually not scalable or offer limited scalability options. Shared Hosting plans do not allow resource scalability, but they do offer the flexibility to upgrade the plans. | All resources are dedicated to your site. Major Dedicated Hosting providers offer instant server provisioning. If you think that you need more resources, simply contact the provider and get added resources. |
| Price | Shared Hosting plans are much cheaper than Dedicated Server Hosting plans. They usually vary between $2.5 and $5.5 per month. | Dedicated Server Hosting plans are costlier than Shared Hosting plans and usually cost more than $50 per month. SSD-based Dedicated Server plans cost more than HDD-based plans. |
Summing Up
While Dedicated Server Hosting might seem better than Shared Hosting, it is also much heavier on the pockets. Hence, ensure that you assess your site’s hosting needs and ensure that you choose the right hosting server and consider all the relevant aspects before buying. Good Luck!
