VPS vs Shared Hosting: Which one to choose

Every single website has a hosting provider offering background solutions to keep it online, but the strongest websites use only the best hosting solution. The two most prominent options are shared hosting and VPS hosting. Shared hosting provides a user-friendly and cost-effective entry point, while VPS hosting offers dedicated resources for greater control. However, choosing the right one for your website needs can be challenging. Throughout this blog post, we’ll shine a light on the key differences between VPS and shared hosting, granting you the knowledge to make decisions and launch your website the right way.

What Is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting provides a cost-effective option for getting your website up and running. You can think of shared hosting as a large block of flats with multiple tenants. Each tenant has its own space (website files), but they share resources like hallways (server processing power), elevators (server memory), and utilities (bandwidth).

In shared hosting, a single physical server hosts several websites. The server’s resources including CPU, RAM, and storage space are divided up between the websites. This is why it’s so affordable, especially if you’re a beginner, running a personal website, or expecting low traffic.

Shared Hosting Benefits and Advantages

Shared hosting offers many advantages, which is why it’s such a popular choice for small website owners. Let’s take a look at some of the most talked about advantages of shared hosting:

Ease of use. Shared hosting providers are designed around user-friendliness, which is why they offer intuitive control panels like cPanel, letting you manage the website’s databases, website files, emails, and other essentials without expert tech knowledge.
Cost-effectiveness. Server resources are shared with others, splitting the cost, which is why it’s such a budget-friendly solution.
Minimal maintenance. Server infrastructure and maintenance, like running updates, security patches, and hardware upgrades, are managed by the hosting provider – leaving you free to focus on web design.
Quick and easy to set up. Most shared hosting providers make it easy to get set up, with one-click installation for common apps like WordPress.
Great for beginners. Shared hosting lets beginners play around with website management while growing their online presence, and they don’t have to pay a fortune.

Shared Hosting Limitations and Drawbacks

Even though shared hosting has plenty of advantages, everything comes with certain limitations and drawbacks. To help you make an informed decision, here are some of the possible drawbacks of shared hosting:

Limited control. You typically won’t have much control over the server’s environment on shared hosting plans, meaning you may not be allowed to install custom software or make necessary configurations.
Limited resources. Shared hosting distributes a single server’s resources between several websites, which can impact performance depending on the activity of other websites. For example, sudden traffic spikes on one website could significantly reduce another website’s speed.
Scalability issues. If your website experiences rapid growth on a shared hosting plan, there aren’t many options for scalability – you will likely need to search for an alternative type of plan like cloud or VPS hosting.
Security concerns. With multiple sites sitting on a single server, a shared hosting security issue with one website could have a ripple effect on others. Even though hosting providers implement security strategies, the shared environment certainly increases the risk when compared to dedicated hosting options.
Limited customization. Shared hosting often has pre-installed software and configurations because it’s user-friendly. However, this limits the ability to tailor the server depending on your website’s requirements.

What Is VPS?

Sticking with the accommodation analogy, VPS (Virtual Private Server) can be likened to a high-rise office building. Each floor represents a VPS within a single physical server. Exactly like private offices within a building, each VPS has its own dedicated space and resources (memory, storage, processing power). Having dedicated resources offers a serious advantage over shared hosting.

One of the top VPS hosting features is that a powerful physical server is split into multiple virtual machines via virtualization technology. Each virtual machine acts like a separate server, offering your website a dedicated environment. While these virtual machines share the same physical hardware, they function independently of each other.

VPS Benefits and Advantages

VPS vs shared hosting performance is important. VPS hosting presents a massive step up from shared hosting, especially when it comes to VPS scalability, flexibility, control, and performance. Here are some of the major benefits of VPS:

Enhanced security. VPS provides each website with its own environment, meaning it only has to worry about direct security threats. Additionally, with root access offered by some VPS providers, you can install custom security software for extra protection.
Greater scalability and control. The way VPS hosting works allows for greater control. You can install software and make server-level configuration adjustments. As well as this RAM and CPU can be easily scalable through tiered VPS solutions.
Improved stability and performance. Unlike shared hosting, VPS give your website dedicated resources like RAM, CPU, and storage, ensuring consistent performance irrespective of other websites.
Cost-effective compared to dedicated hosting. Even though VPS provides greater control than shared hosting, it comes with a higher price tag. However, compared to dedicated servers, VPS is significantly more affordable.
Root access. Depending on your provider and chosen plan, you may have root access. This grants you complete administrative control over the server environment.

VPS Limitations and Drawbacks

Despite VPS having powerful advantages, it’s important to factor in potential drawbacks when choosing between shared and VPS hosting plans. Here are some common limitations to keep in mind:

More management responsibility. VPS hosting provides more control, but you may need to handle server management tasks like installing software, implementing security measures, and configuring settings. However, many hosting providers will manage this for a small fee.
Steep technical learning curve. Effectively managing a VPS-hosted website may require expert technical knowledge or familiarity with server admin. Even though the user interface is more friendly than dedicated hosting, it can be overwhelming for people transitioning from shared hosting plans.
Increased cost. Compared to shared hosting, VPS has a higher price because of its dedicated resources. If your website traffic is low, this may not be feasible for the long term.
Potential security concerns. VPS hosting offers an isolated environment for more security, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t vulnerabilities. For example, if you make mistakes configuring the root, you could accidentally open the door to security threats.
Reduced scalability compared to dedicated servers. VPS is easier to scale than shared hosting, but it might be restrictive if you’re expecting enormous spikes in traffic.

Factors to Consider in Choosing Between VPS and Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is cost-effective for beginners, but performance can fluctuate depending on other website activity. For example, if another website experiences traffic spikes, your website may start running like a snail. On the other hand, VPS hosting provides dedicated access to RAM, CPU, and storage to ensure your website retains optimal performance.

Shared hosting environments can welcome greater security concerns because if one website on the server experiences issues, it could have a knock-on effect on other websites. This isn’t such an issue with VPS hosting because each virtual machine acts like a dedicated server, preventing your site from being impacted by others.

Scalability is typically limited in shared hosting plans, which is why your website will likely run slowly – or crash completely – if it experiences serious traffic spikes. You may need to transfer to a completely different hosting solution to cope with the extra demand, which can take time and will likely result in downtime.

In terms of affordability, shared hosting will always be the cheaper option, making it suitable for beginners and low-traffic websites. VPS hosting may come with a higher price tag, but it comes with plenty of advantages and features to justify the increase.

If you don’t have much technical expertise, shared hosting is user-friendly and tailored towards beginners because there’s no requirement to manage the server. VPS hosting grants more control, but you may need to handle certain server management tasks.

Choosing the Right Option

Now that you’ve got a feel for how shared hosting and VPS hosting compare, it’s time to make a decision. While there’s technically no right or wrong answer, the wrong decision could lead to issues down the line, which is why you need to understand your website’s needs – only then can you pick the right option.

The struggle between VPS and shared hosting comes down to resources and control. Shared hosting is user-friendly, cost-effective, and fantastic for starting, while VPS offers dedicated flexibility and power for websites set to soar and scale.

HostDime’s VPS hosting provides dedicated resources and greater control over the server environment. With VPS, businesses can scale their resources as needed, install custom software, and enjoy improved performance. Although VPS hosting is more expensive than shared hosting, it offers better security, reliability, and flexibility for growing businesses in India.

FAQ

How do I decide between Shared Hosting and VPS Hosting?

Consider your website’s traffic, budget, and technical expertise. Shared hosting is great for beginners and low-traffic sites, while VPS provides greater security, performance, and scalability for larger websites.

Can I upgrade from Shared Hosting to VPS Hosting?

Yes, the majority of hosting providers provide upgrade options without suffering from downtime.

Is technical expertise required for managing a VPS?

Basic knowledge of server management goes a long way, but most providers will manage the tasks for an additional fee.