You’ve already decided to launch your website. But before your site goes live on the internet, one of the decisions you’ll have to make is choosing between VPS or shared hosting.
Should you use shared hosting, similar to most small website owners? Or do you need the more robust features of Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting?
Figuring out the right hosting plan is crucial when getting your website online. When deciding between these two types of hosting, it’s important to match your website’s needs with what each hosting option offers.
But first, let’s clarify what web hosting is and why it matters for your site.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is a service where a provider stores and maintains your website files on a server and makes your website accessible online.
Think of web hosting as renting an apartment for your website. Just like you need a place to live, your website needs a place to reside online. The server is the building where your website lives, and web hosting providers are the landlords who maintain the building.
When you rent an apartment, you don’t have to worry about repairs or utilities; the landlord handles that. Similarly, web hosting providers handle technical aspects, like server maintenance and security.
In web hosting, your website’s data is stored on the provider’s servers. Your website’s files and data stay safe and accessible because the hosting provider keeps the servers running smoothly. The server that hosts your website is a physical computer.
VPS vs Shared Hosting
There are various types of web hosting that you can use based on your needs and budget. VPS and shared hosting are just some of these types.
Going back to our apartment logic a while ago, shared hosting is like renting a bed space or sharing a unit with some roommates. You share the space and amenities with many other guests, which keeps costs low. Each guest has their own bed and small area, but all share the kitchen, bathrooms, and common areas.
Shared hosting works well if you have modest needs for your website and a limited budget.
On the other hand, VPS hosting is like renting an entire apartment on your own. You still share the building with other tenants, but you have your separate unit. This gives you more privacy and control over your space.
VPS hosting costs more than shared hosting but offers more resources and flexibility, making it a better choice for growing websites with higher traffic.
Understanding Shared Hosting
In a shared hosting setup, disk space, CPU, and memory are shared among all users.
Each website on the server gets a portion of the total bandwidth, power, and memory. Since resources are shared, it’s not suitable for high-traffic sites but works well for smaller ones. This makes shared hosting an excellent starting point for new website owners.
Benefits of Using Shared Hosting
User Friendly
Shared hosting often comes with user-friendly control panels that simplify website management tasks. This means you can manage your website, email accounts, and domains without needing technical expertise.
Comes with Pre-Installed Software
Most shared hosting plans also include pre-installed software and one-click installation for popular applications like WordPress.
Allows for Multiple Domains
Shared hosting lets you host multiple domains with one account. This is helpful if you have several websites or projects. You can manage all your domains from one control panel, making it easier and saving you time.
Drawbacks of Shared Hosting
Shared IP
With shared hosting, you also share an IP address with other users. Unlike a dedicated IP, you can’t use a shared IP to access your site if you have domain name problems.
Performance Issues
If your website is growing fast on a shared hosting plan, you might reach server limits quickly. Shared hosting offers some scalability, but it can’t handle large growth.
Now that you know what shared hosting is, let’s explore VPS hosting, its benefits, and why you might want to switch.
Understanding VPS Hosting
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting falls between shared and dedicated hosting. It divides a single physical server into compartments, making each website owner feel like they have a dedicated server. You have exclusive access to your allocated hardware and resources, even though the physical server is shared with others.
Here’s how it works: Each VPS acts like a separate compartment within the server. A hypervisor divides the server into virtual compartments, allowing each compartment to operate independently with its own operating system and software.
Although resources are shared among users on the same physical server, the resources allocated to your VPS are guaranteed. In fact, VPS hosting has a faster load time of 15 to 35% as compared to loaded shared plans.
You pay for a specific amount of resources reserved solely for your VPS, ensuring they are always available and not used by other accounts. VPS hosting is particularly suited for websites needing more power, flexibility, and control than what shared hosting provides.
Managed and Unmanaged VPS Hosting
When choosing VPS hosting, you can opt for either managed or unmanaged services.
In a way, managed VPS hosting is like shared hosting. The provider handles most of the technical details including server setup, maintenance, and security updates.
With managed hosting, you can focus on your website content and design, using a simple dashboard to manage everything.
In contrast, unmanaged VPS hosting offers more control but requires technical know-how. You get a bare server and must install the operating system, manage updates, and secure it yourself.
Unmanaged VPS hosting is often cheaper than managed ones. However, it demands a higher level of expertise and is best suited for users comfortable with server management.
Benefits of VPS Hosting
Access to the Server
VPS hosting gives you more control over your website. Unlike shared hosting, which often limits certain functions, a VPS gives you greater control over applications. For instance, you can create custom mailers or provide FTP access for your users or coworkers.
Better Performance
VPS hosting helps your website load faster. It uses advanced hardware like SSD storage and high-performance processors. These tools reduce delays and speed up data access, making your site more efficient.
With optimized server settings, VPS hosting can handle more traffic and perform better than shared hosting.
Migration Flexibility
VPS hosting makes it easy to move or upgrade your website with minimal interruptions. It also offers strong backup and disaster recovery plans to protect your data. You can update or transfer your site smoothly and quickly so that it stays online without much downtime.
This kind of hosting is perfect for keeping your website running efficiently, even during upgrades or when switching to a different server. It’s a dependable choice for anyone who needs a reliable hosting solution that can easily adapt to new demands.
Resource Efficiency
Using server resources efficiently with VPS hosting helps lower energy use and reduces the need for extra physical servers. In effect, this cuts down on environmental impact and promotes sustainability.
By optimizing resource use, VPS hosting contributes to a smaller carbon footprint, making it an eco-friendly choice for your web hosting needs.
Compliance
VPS hosting enhances data protection and helps meet industry-specific standards and regulations. It’s a good choice for businesses that need to follow strict data protection rules.
For example, you can set up firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and secure data backups. VPS hosting also provides isolation from other users, adding an extra layer of security.
Apps Support
VPS hosting supports a wide range of applications. It is compatible with popular web platforms like WordPress, Joomla, and Magento.
In addition to popular applications, VPS hosting is great for custom-built solutions. With full root access, you can install any software or libraries your custom application requires.
Enhanced Collaboration
With VPS hosting, you get centralized management of your web projects. This setup makes it simpler for team members to collaborate and access server resources remotely
Additionally, VPS hosting allows easy remote access to your server. Team members can work on projects and make updates from anywhere
Drawbacks of VPS Hosting
Requires Technical Knowledge
Managing a VPS often requires more technical skills than shared hosting. Even with managed VPS hosting, you still need basic technical knowledge.
You need to handle tasks like setting up the server, installing software, configuring security, and maintaining the server. If you don’t have these skills, you might need to hire a system administrator, which can be expensive.
Hardware Failures
Hosting providers do their best to prevent problems, but no system is perfect. It’s important to be aware that your VPS can be impacted if the main server has a hardware failure.
This risk is always present, so it’s crucial to choose a reliable hosting provider with good safety measures in place.
Key Differences Between VPS and Shared Hosting
Resource Allocation
VPS Hosting has dedicated resources to each virtual server, with each virtual layer specifically assigned to one client. Even though you share the same server with other websites, your resources like RAM, CPU availability, and processing power won’t be affected.
With VPS hosting, you also have more control over resource allocation and you won’t have to compete for these resources with other websites. As a result, your website remains stable and performs consistently, even during peak times.
In shared hosting, several websites use the same server resources like disk space, processing power, and bandwidth. This setup divides these resources among all users sharing the server.
Additionally, server resource sharing can slow down your site, especially if another site on the server gets a lot of traffic or uses many resources.
Hosting Cost
Shared hosting is a budget-friendly choice for website owners. It hosts multiple websites on one server, and the cost is split among users. This makes it affordable for small businesses or individuals with limited budgets.
Here at GreenGeeks, for example, you can get one starting at $2.95 per month.
On the other hand, VPS hosting is pricier because it uses a dedicated portion of the server for your site. Despite the higher cost, it offers control over resources and delivers superior performance compared to shared hosting.
Security Measures
Security is very important for any website owner, and both VPS and shared hosting provide strong protection for your website.
In general, hosting providers use advanced security measures to keep their servers safe.
They perform regular security updates and scan for malware to protect your website. They also monitor for suspicious activities to prevent security breaches.
But while both hosting solutions offer robust security protection, they still have their differences that you need to take note of. In shared hosting, If one site has a security issue, it could impact others on the same server.
VPS hosting further reduces this risk by providing an isolated environment for each hosting plan. Each VPS operates independently, which means a security issue on one won’t impact others.
Scalability
Scaling is crucial when deciding between shared and dedicated hosting. In shared hosting, scalability can be restricted because you share resources with other websites on the same server.
As your website expands and needs more resources, you might need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan or switch to dedicated hosting for better scalability.
VPS hosting plans are usually more scalable than shared hosting. Depending on the provider, you can often choose which specific resources to scale up.
This flexibility is a big advantage for growing websites. As your site demands more power, you can easily increase resources like CPU, RAM, or storage.
Customizability
Customizability is another important factor when choosing between VPS and shared hosting.
With shared hosting, your customization options are limited since you share server resources with other websites. However, many shared hosting providers offer control panels for managing aspects like file uploads and email accounts.
In contrast, VPS hosting offers a more isolated and customizable environment. Users have root access that allows them to install and configure software as needed. This level of control makes VPS hosting ideal for those needing specific setups or software for their websites.
When to Choose Shared Hosting
Now that we’ve discussed the key difference between VPS and shared hosting, how do you know if shared hosting is right for you?
To give you some ideas, shared hosting is highly applicable in the situations below:
Small Personal Websites
Shared hosting is perfect for small personal websites because it is affordable. This is your best choice if you are just starting out or have a limited budget.
Another advantage is that shared hosting is easy to use. You don’t need to manage the server yourself, since the hosting provider takes care of its maintenance and security updates.
Blogs
With most shared hosting providers, setting up your blog is straightforward. It’s perfect for beginners who want to start blogging without hassle.
Another benefit is the support provided by shared hosting providers. They offer help with website design and setup. Additionally, they often include automated backup solutions so that your content is safe and recoverable if something goes wrong.
Lastly, shared hosting offers reliable uptime. Leading providers promise over 99% uptime, meaning your blog will be available to readers almost all the time.
While VPS hosting might offer more advanced features, shared hosting provides everything a new blogger needs to get started successfully.
Small Businesses with Low Traffic
Due to its affordability, small businesses can launch their websites without a big upfront cost through shared hosting.
Another advantage of shared hosting is the absence of hidden costs. Shared hosting plans usually include all the necessary services and features to host a website. You won’t need to worry about extra expenses for server maintenance or hardware replacements.
When to Choose VPS Hosting
It’s best to go with VPS hosting when your website demands higher performance like in the following cases:
E-commerce Websites
Unlike shared hosting, VPS hosting ensures your site can grow with your business without compromising performance.
As mentioned previously, scalability is a significant advantage of VPS hosting. As your e-commerce business expands, your website traffic increases and VPS hosting is the better choice to handle this situation.
Uptime is another critical factor for e-commerce sites. Every minute your site is down, you risk losing sales and hurting your reputation. VPS hosting can help achieve high uptime, though it varies by provider.
Resource-Intensive Applications
VPS hosting is great for running apps that need lots of power, memory, and bandwidth. Think multiplayer games or streaming services, they need strong hardware to handle many users at once without delays.
With managed VPS hosting, each account gets its own dedicated hardware. Your app has enough memory to store data fast, enough CPU power for complex tasks, and plenty of storage for huge amounts of data.
VPS hosting also includes load balancing. This spreads traffic across multiple servers, so if your site suddenly gets lots of visitors, it stays fast and reliable.
Plus, VPS hosting uses caching to speed up performance and reduce strain on the server. It stores commonly used web pages or data nearby, so your server doesn’t have to recreate them each time.
Questions to ask yourself before choosing VPS or Shared Hosting
When deciding between VPS and shared hosting, it’s crucial to ask yourself a few key questions.
1. How much are you willing to spend?
A shared hosting plan is cheaper, but a VPS hosting offers more features, has greater scalability, and is better suited for medium to large businesses. Always remember that balancing cost with value is essential when choosing between the two options.
2 . How fast are your audience and website growing?
If you think your website will grow significantly, or at least that’s your main goal, VPS hosting is your better choice since it’s easily scalable and will allow you to upgrade resources as needed. Shared hosting can also be upgraded, but it often requires migrating to a new server, which can be more complex.
3. What are your current resource needs?
Determine how much bandwidth and disk space your site uses now and in the future. If your site requires a lot of resources or experiences heavy traffic, VPS hosting is the better option. It can handle the load more effectively than shared hosting.
Steps to Migrate from Shared to VPS Hosting
If you’ve decided to shift from shared to VPS hosting, migrating involves a few key steps.
1. Create a backup of your website files and databases
Log into your current hosting control panel, use an FTP client to download your site files, and export your databases via phpMyAdmin. Don’t forget to back up your email messages if needed.
2. Set up your VPS
Many hosting providers handle this for you, but if you have a self-managed VPS, you may need to configure it yourself. This usually involves setting up a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) or other server technologies as per your requirements.
3. Upload your site data to the new VPS
You can use a secure SSH connection or your FTP client to transfer the backup files. To restore your database, go to phpMyAdmin on your new VPS, create a new database, and import your backup file. Ensure all your data is correctly uploaded and configured.
4. Test everything to ensure it works correctly
Load your website, check all plugins, and ensure there are no issues. Once everything is verified, update your domain’s DNS settings to point to your new VPS hosting server.
This change may take 24-48 hours to propagate globally, but your site should then be fully functional on the new VPS.
FAQs About VPS and Shared Hosting Plans
Yes, shared hosting is suitable for small to medium WordPress sites, but performance may be limited during high-traffic periods.
Shared hosting often includes automated backups, but the frequency and retention policies vary by provider.
Shared hosting can support small eCommerce websites, but larger stores with high traffic and transactions may require VPS hosting for better performance and security.
Downgrading a VPS plan is possible but may require reconfiguring the server to match the reduced resources.
Technical support for shared hosting is usually more basic, while VPS hosting often includes advanced support options, especially for managed plans.
Yes, VPS hosting provides the flexibility to install and run custom software and applications.
You can host multiple websites on a shared hosting plan, but the total number depends on the provider’s policies and resource limitations.
Potentially. If your website shares an IP with spammy or malicious sites, it can negatively impact your search engine ranking.
Wrapping Things Up
Choosing the right hosting plan is a critical step when building any type of website. By now, you should have a clear understanding of the differences between VPS and shared hosting.
For small businesses with limited traffic and a tight budget, shared hosting is a practical choice since it’s cost-effective and easy to manage.
However, for growing websites or businesses with higher traffic, VPS hosting is the way to go. It provides enhanced performance, better security, and greater control for your site.
As your business expands, VPS hosting offers the scalability and reliability needed to support your growth. Have you decided which hosting plan suits your needs best? Let us know in the comment section below.
Shared hosting and VPS hosting are better from two perspectives. However, VPS is the best in terms of security. Thanks for sharing this valuable information.