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Perhaps we should start with what the two have in common: web hosting providers, servers, and websites.
While web hosting (often referred to as shared hosting) may be the most popular hosting plan, their own accolades fade when compared to the new features that come with cloud servers (also known as cloud hosting). Want to know which one is best for you? Read on!
The main parameters we look at include uptime, site support, security, pricing, performance, speed, and additional features.
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Shared hosting has the longest history in the web hosting space. On the other hand, cloud servers (or cloud VPS) first entered the market in 1996 and have been growing rapidly since then. Next, we're going to break down these two hosting services and see what sets them apart.
What is Web Hosting
Web hosting is a hosting plan where multiple different websites are placed on a single physical server, sharing server resources including disk space, memory, bandwidth, databases, etc.
Basically, most of the web service providers offer this kind of hosting plans. In terms of low cost and ease of use, shared web hosting is popular, however, it is not the best choice for websites with huge traffic.
What is Cloud Server
A cloud server means that your site is hosted on a cluster of servers (rather than a single server) and if one of the servers goes down, your site can always be replicated to the other normal servers.
Based on cloud computing technology, multiple computers work together as one entity, and the presence of a large number of servers ensures the success of cloud hosting.
Cloud hosting wins everyone's favor with its speed and flexibility. In addition, when you experience a surge in traffic or need more resources, you can quickly upgrade various hardware, such as increasing CPU cores, memory, bandwidth, disk space, etc.
Features of Web Hosting and Cloud Servers
Web hosting and cloud servers differ in many ways, here are some of their main features.
Uptime site support add-on
Shared web hosting can guarantee 99.99% uptime, however, achieving this goal can be challenging. One of the main reasons is the shared nature of the service, and if one site experiences an unprecedented spike in traffic, it may have an impact on other sites on the same server.
On the other hand, cloud hosting has impeccable uptime because individual websites are hosted on dedicated servers. Even though it is a shared resource, when one server encounters problems, the websites are seamlessly migrated to other normal servers.
Cloud servers have the upper hand in this regard; they offer unlimited everything from storage to bandwidth and databases.
Shared hosting is susceptible to server specifications, and while such hosting plans often promise unlimited resources as well, the monitoring team may suspend their web hosting service if they notice excessive usage by users.
Shared hosting is the clear winner in this regard. Since various web hosting companies are trying to promote their shared hosting plans, you can easily find a large number of attractive services for free, such as domain names, unlimited traffic, and website building tools.
Cloud subscribers do not have access to such offers, or have very limited options.
Advantages of Web Hosting and Cloud Servers
Safety performance speed price
Virtual Hosting
With shared web hosting, security is based on databases and applications, which makes it vulnerable to hacking. This is because once someone hacks one of the shared hosting services, they can easily access the rest of the sites. When a website is hacked, most people will leave a back door for re-entry.
Because security threats on shared hosting are so common, most hosting providers recommend that users use a reliable anti-virus program. They also recommend that you use strong passwords and disable unnecessary options in PHP for added security.
Cloud Server
Cloud servers use security controls to deal with potential problems, and there are four main controls behind their security architecture.
- Threat Control
- Preventive Control
- Detection and control
- Error Correction Control
- While cloud hosting may encounter traditional security issues such as network eavesdropping, break-ins, and misuse of cloud services and side-channel attacks, among others, they will strictly control the confidentiality, security, and integrity of data. Most importantly, the hosting service will also employ encryption algorithms to further protect data and privacy.
Winners
Cloud Servers -- The reason is simple, this hosting plan uses dedicated servers to provide users with absolute security control, and if there are any hardware problems, your website will be seamlessly migrated to a stable server.
Virtual Hosting
Even with custom architectures or SSD servers, resources on shared hosting can still be a limiting factor that hinders speed. While some companies do a good job of this, most web hosts struggle to provide enough resources for this popular product, and you may have to deal with constant downtime and other issues.
Cloud Server
With a cloud server, you get a fast, customizable, and automatically scalable platform that won't take down your site even when you experience unexpected traffic. In fact, for sites with high traffic, we recommend using cloud servers.
Winners
Cloud servers -- with more available resources to keep websites running at their best.
Virtual Hosting
The physical servers with shared hosting are almost always running at full capacity, which means that if one site is suddenly flooded with traffic, all other sites are affected. In the case of a slow website, users must wait until the problem is resolved before they can resume normal online presence.
Cloud Server
Once again, it all comes down to resource allocation. Cloud servers allocate various resources in a cluster to the same site, and your site is automatically migrated to a stable server whenever a hardware problem is detected.
Winners
Cloud servers -- the availability of resources means that your site can run at breakneck speeds.
Virtual Hosting
Shared web hosting is usually cheaper, this is because although the resources are shared, the cost of the service is spread over all websites. With shared hosting, you can pay monthly or pay a lump sum for 1 to 3 years. In fact, to enjoy the lowest price, you may need to lock in for a longer period of time.
Cloud Server
Most users of cloud hosting will tell you that they don't have to pay for the server when they are not using it. Having said that, the cost will depend on the way you build your infrastructure.
If you have a lot of applications in the cloud, but don't track them, you will end up with an expensive bill. However, if you have clearly planned the goals to focus on, then the cost will be cheaper.
Winners
Web hosting -- Since payments are made on a monthly or annual basis, you don't risk exploding costs by overusing resources.
Summary
The comparison between web hosting and cloud servers is over. All in all, web hosting is superior to cloud servers in terms of price and additional features, making it a perfect hosting plan for individuals or businesses on a lower budget.
On the other hand, cloud servers have been successful in terms of security, speed, performance, uptime, etc. This hosting plan includes almost all the features that medium and large businesses expect for sites that have a lot of traffic.
By now, VPS is the most popular kind of cloud service and we have compiled some of the best web hosts and VPS:.