A dedicated server is only responsible for hosting a single website, while a shared server hosts multiple websites.
If you’re looking to publish a new website and are tossing up whether to purchase a dedicated server or to opt for shared hosting, simply continue reading to discover everything you need to know about choosing the right option for your website’s needs.
What is the difference between shared hosting and a dedicated server:
1. The amount of bandwidth offered
If you opt to host your website on a dedicated server, you won’t have to worry too much about exceeding your bandwidth allocation as websites which are hosted on dedicated servers usually boast more bandwidth than you could possibly use.
However, if you choose to host your website on a server which hosts multiple websites, you will be allocated a smaller amount of bandwidth. As the servers bandwidth will have to be shared out across the different websites which it is currently hosting.
2. The amount of disk space offered
Dedicated servers will also offer far more disk space than shared servers. So if your website requires ample disk space, you’ll be far better off paying a little more for a dedicated server, rather than sharing a server with other individuals or businesses.
3. It’s often safer to host your website on a dedicated server
If you want to decrease your website’s chances of being targeted by malware or viruses, your best bet may be to host your website on a dedicated server. As if no other websites are being hosted by your server, your IT team will be able to control your security measures more effectively.
However, if you don’t have your own IT security team, it’s still well worth considering purchasing a shared hosting plan for your website. As many shared hosting plans include security options, whereas if you purchase a dedicated server for your website, in most cases, you will be fully responsible for the security of your website.
4. There are more risks involved in opting to use shared hosting
As an example, in another individual or organization who shares your server engages in illegal practices or is caught spamming websites, your IP or website may be blacklisted by certain websites as a result. So it pays to be very careful when it comes to choosing a shared server for your website.
As you only want to sign up to use a shared server, if the business who you deal with carefully screens all of its clients. As the last thing you want is for your website to be hosted on the same server as websites which may be illegal or fraudulent in nature!
5. Shared servers are often slower at certain times of the day
As an example, visitors to your site may find that it takes a long time to load your website at peak times when the other websites hosted by your shared server are attracting a lot of hits.
Hopefully after reading the informative article above you are now clear about some of the benefits and disadvantages of using shared hosting and dedicated servers.