The difference between hosting plans goes beyond cost and hardware. For example, in some cases you will find complete hosting services built around specific platforms like WordPress. With that in mind, let's take a look at the seven most common types of web hosting you'll come across, so you're well equipped to make an informed decision.
1. Shared hosting
Shared hosting plans are the most popular choice for website owners. In this type of plan, a single server is shared among many users. This means that a single computer (a shared server) will host many websites (even hundreds).
Although you share resources with other users, you do not have access to their files, personal information, or other data. The advantage of shared plans is that they tend to be cheap because hosting providers can share server maintenance costs among multiple users.
Shared hosting doesn't always have the best reputation, but the quality of service you get will largely depend on your hosting provider. While some shared hosting plans are very limited, others can manage websites with good traffic.
2. Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
Virtual Private Servers (VPS) are a step above shared plans in terms of performance and customization. The way VPS works is that a single physical server will contain several virtual partitioned parts. Each container, or VPS, acts as a complete system just for your website. So you get dedicated resources, and in some cases, access to that server`s configuration.
In practical terms, VPSs provide a higher degree of isolation between users, although you do still share the same physical server. Nevertheless, this can enhance performance and security. Plus, depending on your hosting provider, you might be able to configure your VPS from scratch, so you get precisely the resources you need.
To give you an idea of what you`re looking for, a single-core VPS with 1 GB of RAM is enough to run a simple WordPress website. However, figuring out how many resources you need per project can be difficult, which can make VPS less appealing if you're new to web hosting.
With a VPS, you may not have access to an external control panel. This means that you may need to use the command line to configure your server and create a website. Unless you have experience with the command line, this can be a complicated process.
3. Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is where things get a little more complicated. When people talk about "the cloud", they are usually referring to a distributed VPS. The way it works is that instead of having a virtual server hosted on one computer, it is hosted on their entire network.
This computer network is what we call “the cloud”. The advantage of this approach is that with a single network you can easily scale your server resources as needed. Additionally, with cloud storage, downtime is rarely an issue, as is data loss thanks to built-in system redundancy. This all sounds great on paper, but cloud storage isn't always beginner-friendly. For example, many cloud storage providers charge by the hour. You "launch" an instance, essentially a VPS, configure it to your needs, and start increasing the load.
Cloud hosting can be very cheap or extremely expensive, depending on your server configuration. This is the type of setup that many large internet-based companies, such as Netflix, use to power their operations. However, for a regular website, you may not need something like setting up Netflix.
4. Dedicated Storage
So far we have only talked about hosting plans where you share the server with other users. Servers are expensive, and if you want your own, you'll have to pay a premium for it.
With a dedicated server, you get exclusive access to a single server (or sometimes multiple servers). This means that you will have full control over its configuration and the web hosting provider will simply host it for you.
If you are starting a new website as a hobby, a dedicated server will be overkill. This type of hosting solution only makes sense for businesses and established websites that need access to powerful hardware.
5. Managed hosting
Managed hosting is a bit different. It is not a plan type, but a service type. With managed hosting, your provider will take care of most of the day-to-day maintenance that would otherwise be yours. Some of these tasks include backups, security monitoring, software updates, and more.
It is important to understand that managed hosting plans come in all types. There are managed shared plans, managed VPS, and even managed dedicated servers. In all of these cases, you pay a little extra so you don't have to worry about hosting details and you can focus on growing your blog, portfolio, or e-commerce website.
What passes for managed hosting varies greatly between providers. Some hosting companies offer 24/7 support for every aspect of running your website. Others will simply take care of maintenance.
6. WordPress Hosting
To understand the concept of WordPress hosting, it is important to understand how incredibly popular this content management system (CMS) is. As a platform, WordPress powers more than 30% of the web. The DreamHost blog itself also uses WordPress, as do millions of other sites ranging from giant corporations to hobbyist blogs.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that many web hosting providers offer plans tailored to WordPress users. Typically, WordPress-specific plans include some level of managed service. They also often come with free licenses for plugins, themes, or other premium tools.
Remember that you don't need to use a WordPress-specific plan to set up a website with this platform. However, these types of plans tend to be optimized for better performance and to make your life easier. If you are going to use WordPress, this type of hosting can be a good choice. In addition to the WordPress-specific plans, there are also full-featured hosting platforms that only work with this CMS. Often this means they have WordPress experts on their support team, which can be a nice bonus. Even better, WordPress-specific plans often cost about the same as their more generic plans.
7. Reseller hosting
If you run a business focused on building websites, such as a development or design agency, you'll likely need to take care of hosting. Many customers don't fully understand how hosting works and may need help getting everything up and running.
Reseller hosting offers a solution for these types of situations. In a nutshell, you get access to an account that allows you to offer hosting to your customers. These customers pay you directly, and you are responsible for managing their accounts.
If you think it's part-time, you're 100% right. However, reseller hosting offers many benefits if you can take advantage of it. Most web hosts offer reseller accounts that allow you to charge whatever you want for hosting. This means that if you run a web development agency, you can turn hosting into a recurring revenue stream.
Controlling your client's hosting also lets you take care of the maintenance of their sites, so you can make sure everything is running as it should. Reselling hosting is not intended for personal projects or general users. If all you're looking for is some sort of plan that allows you to create your own website, you might want to consider another option on this list.
Social Plugin