Why Shared Hosting?

ayushextreme · Share | #1 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 07:52 AM

I want to know more about this hosting stuff! If shared hosting is available with unlimited space and bandwidth, why are people buying VPS and Dedicated Servers??

**Bob Barr** · #2 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 08:18 AM

In a shared hosting environment, you are sharing the server with many other accounts. The numbers vary but you can expect that at least hundreds (if not thousands) of other sites will be hosted on your server. That sharing imposes some resource limitations such as CPU usage, RAM space, and disk speed, especially if your sites require a lot of processing. (Static HTML pages require the least resources.) The cost of shared hosting is low because the hosting company's costs can be spread across a large number of customers. In many cases, shared hosting is perfectly adequate.

Once your site starts requiring more resources than are reasonably available on a shared hosting plan, it would be a good idea to move up to VPS (still shared, but with fewer other accounts) or dedicated (all yours). Actually, your hosting company may require you to upgrade at some point. (I'm nowhere near that point with my shared hosting.) Of course, you do need to pay more for the additional performance at each level.

ayushextreme · #3 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 08:22 AM

So, if i am hosted in blogger, i have a dedicated server?

**Bob Barr** · #4 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 08:42 AM

You're referring to a free account where you've posted your blog, right? In that case, undoubtedly not.

I'd expect that free services would have even more heavily shared servers than paid shared hosting plans do. (I'm open to correction on this point since I have no direct experience with free hosting.)

energizedit · #5 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 09:21 AM

Bob explained this perfectly. Yes if you are using a free service like blogspot those are heavily shared accounts, but since they are managed by blogspot they can handle the resource management much more effectively, since they are only hosting one type of software.

**Bob Barr** · #6 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by energizedit

Bob explained this perfectly. Yes if you are using a free service like blogspot those are heavily shared accounts, but since they are managed by blogspot they can handle the resource management much more effectively, since they are only hosting one type of software.

That's a very good point about the single type of software being run. In such a situation, efforts at optimizing their particular code set could compensate for the additional accounts being serviced. (A lot of memory caching of commonly used portions of the code would probably have been put into place as well.)

In a shared hosting environment, there could easily be a huge number of different packages running simultaneously across the various accounts.

Puripong · #7 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 10:34 AM

Bob has already given a good explain and I would like to add a little more. Not all shared hosting are equally. They all are the same in theory for shared resources among websites hosted altogether.

The different is reliable. Most of identical cheap hosting package are come with a thing that never stated in their TOS - Oversold. Oversold is mean an unethical practice for a hosting company to reap the most out of each server resources. A standard server is generally capable around 1,000 websites per each. If they sold spaces for 2,000 websites then their profits will go 2X but all websites in a whole server will got a lot of downtime and slow loading.

You should carefully reading reviews from customer before decide choosing a hosting company. The website backup and further transfer is not an easy task for newbie. Fortunately many hosting company do offer website transfer service but it would better if you could stick with a company you were since the beginning.

Mia · #8 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayushextreme

I want to know more about this hosting stuff! If shared hosting is available with unlimited space and bandwidth, why are people buying VPS and Dedicated Servers??

Because Shared Hosting is not offered with unlimited space

Because Shared Hosting SHARES resources with every other shared hosting customer.

Where as Dedicated and VPS allocate those resources, space, etc., solely to the person using them, not everyone on the server.

**ScriptMan** · #9 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayushextreme

I want to know more about this hosting stuff! If shared hosting is available with unlimited space and bandwidth, why are people buying VPS and Dedicated Servers??

I think Bob, Mia and the other posters made very good points but I want you to clearly understand there is no such thing as unlimited space and bandwidth. It is all a marketing ploy. If you read the TOS of the people offering such deals you will find so many restrictions that even a semi-newbie will realize the truth.

Mia · #10 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScriptMan

I think Bob, Mia and the other posters made very good points but I want you to clearly understand there is no such thing as unlimited space and bandwidth. It is all a marketing ploy. If you read the TOS of the people offering such deals you will find so many restrictions that even a semi-newbie will realize the truth.

Just ask John Pinette about the all you can eat buffet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdwuiyO7hOU

There are limitations to everything!

infocraze · #11 (**permalink**) 12-13-2010, 04:24 PM

Shared hosting is sufficient for basic users with limited traffic and scripts running. As you grow, you will find many restrictions being imposed by your hosts forcing you to upgrade. Unlimited of anything simply does not exist. Promoters are very quick in footnoting their "Fair Use Policy" clearly stating if you over-use, you will be suspended.

f1seo · #12 (**permalink**) 12-14-2010, 07:17 AM

Totally agree. Shared hosting is great to start off with, and for personal use websites. If you're hosting client sites then you need more support to address 'what happens if the server goes off'?

**Bob Barr** · #13 (**permalink**) 12-14-2010, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infocraze

Shared hosting is sufficient for basic users with limited traffic and scripts running. As you grow, you will find many restrictions being imposed by your hosts forcing you to upgrade. Unlimited of anything simply does not exist. Promoters are very quick in footnoting their "Fair Use Policy" clearly stating if you over-use, you will be suspended.

At my hosting company, Bluehost, the limits are huge but do come with a few restrictions:

1. Storage is only for files used in your websites. (They're selling hosting, not off-site backup capacity after all.)

2. If your account exceeds a file count of, I believe, 200,000 files, it will not be backed up as part of their automated server backups.

3. If your sites use 'excessive' CPU resources, they will be throttled back at the kernel level to share processing power across all of the accounts on your server. There's a cPanel report that tells you the amount of throttling your sites have experienced in the past day.

ayushextreme · #14 (**permalink**) 12-14-2010, 07:37 AM

So, can i use my PC as a server and host my website?

f1seo · #15 (**permalink**) 12-14-2010, 07:39 AM

You can but it's a bit of a pain to set up.

Also when you're out how do you know your machine hasn't crashed?

Web hosting is very affordable these days so it's better to go with a hosting service for the few pounds (dollars) it costs.

**Bob Barr** · #16 (**permalink**) 12-14-2010, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayushextreme

So, can i use my PC as a server and host my website?

Depending on the Terms of Service set by your Internet Service Provider, you probably won't be allowed to do that since most ISPs forbid hosting on their accounts. It would be a huge undertaking to try and would be quite unreliable besides.

You could easily go with free web hosting or, preferably, a cheap shared hosting plan for a few dollars a month. Self-hosting on a home PC just isn't a good idea for a variety of reasons.

ServerSea · #17 (**permalink**) 02-17-2011, 08:14 PM

There is nothing unlimited in this world companies use unlimited world just to attract the clients.On shared hosting there are hosted hundred,s of accounts. If a person use huge bandwidth it effects the server and the company suspend the accounts that's why people buy VPS or Dedicated server because you will get your own server there will be no bandwidth or load issue.

ameerulislam · #18 (**permalink**) 02-22-2011, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mia

Because Shared Hosting is not offered with unlimited space

Because Shared Hosting SHARES resources with every other shared hosting customer.

Where as Dedicated and VPS allocate those resources, space, etc., solely to the person using them, not everyone on the server.

Actually shared hosting do provide unlimited disk-space. But the catch is that you have to follow certain rules. You cannot create websites that naturally requires a lot of disk space. Such as file sharing sites.

balivillas · #19 (**permalink**) 02-22-2011, 12:43 AM

1. Shared hosting is much cheaper
2. Dedicated server hosting is costly

1 is best recommended for those who only owns few websites especially those who only maintains one while 2 is for those who owns a lot of domains and updates them all regularly.

ServerSea · #20 (**permalink**) 02-22-2011, 07:21 PM

Websites which requires heavy Traffic, Audio and video files only require Dedicated Server or Vps you cant host host it on Unlimited Shared hosting plan because there are limitations of every thing on Shared hosting. Shared hosting only works for the websites whose requirements are not very high.