When it comes to picking the right hosting service the site owners are usually baffled by the various hosting options. The most common question here is which one to choose between shared and dedicated hosting. If you too are in such similar position, follow the article below highlighting on a comparative overview on dedicated vs shared hosting.
Server allocation
The prime difference in dedicated and shared hosting lies in server allocation principle. In dedicated hosting, quite literally, you have one server completely dedicated to your website. On the other hand, in case of shared hosting, your website would be hosted on a shared server space, along with other websites.
Disk space & bandwidth usage
In case of shared hosting, the value of bandwidth and disk space allotted to the site owners is always limited as you have other site owners sharing the same server with you. If you surpass that allotted amount, you would have to pay penalty fees. But in dedicated hosting there is no restriction on bandwidth or disk space amount provided – and hence there is no such penalty question as is usual with shared server.
Performance quotient
Dedicated hosting is hailed for assuring better performance for the websites in comparison to shared hosting services. This is because, in regards to shared hosting, the resources are always shared which means you can never get optimum performance from your server. The shared server websites thus often complain about slow loading & slow response- sites hosted on shared servers are usually incapable of handling higher traffic load. But it is not a problem with dedicated hosting as here your server resources are never pulled by other site owners which signifies better speed, improved transaction, smoother navigation & superior uptime for your website.
Security factor
Dedicated hosting is always more secure while compared to shared hosting. In shared hosting a problem in an adjacent site on the same server will pose threats for all other websites in the similar server. Thus, if a website is hacked or receives virus attacks, all its neighbor sites on the same server would be in similar crisis soon. But when you are taking to dedicated hosting, you are not sharing the server space and hence your website would be independent of what is happening to other sites.
Flexibility factor
With dedicated hosting you have the better ownership rights to website operation and you can induce technical changes in your site whenever you want to. But in shared hosting there are always some restrictions on working with your website.
Customer support
The hosting companies generally offer 24/7 support for dedicated hosting clients which is not usual for customers taking to shared hosting services.
Cost factor
Shared hosting is always inexpensive in comparison to dedicated hosting as here you have to share the server resources with others. But dedicated hosting is costly as here you have the entire and all its resources at your disposal.
Finally, it can be said that if you have a large business demanding a superior performing website and you don’t mind a high cost- dedicated hosting is always a better option than shared solution.
