| Shared web hosting is probably the most known and | | | | will not completely fill a server, rather cap it at a |
| used among casual web surfers and entrepreneurs | | | | certain percentage. |
| alike. If you have a website right now, and you don't | | | | However, not even bandwidth (or disk space) is |
| know what shared hosting is, chances are you are on | | | | unlimited - there is a physical limit the network can |
| it. | | | | handle, and most hosts will suggest a dedicated |
| This articles aims at shedding some light on what | | | | server once you reach that limit. If you host a lot of |
| shared hosting is, its limitations, and to enable you to | | | | images or other media files, you may want to |
| make a decision if it is right for your purposes. | | | | consider hosting them separately on a storage |
| In the US alone there are literally thousands of web | | | | service like the Amazon S3. |
| hosts that offer shared web hosting. Some of these | | | | Read your host's Terms of Service thoroughly. |
| hosts have their own data center, others lease | | | | Shared hosting providers usually do not allow |
| servers from larger data centers. Then there are | | | | resource-hungry applications like Forex programs or |
| resellers, who themselves have rented shared server | | | | live streams to be run on shared hosts. |
| space or dedicated servers with bigger web hosts. | | | | Out of the box, most shared hosting solutions serve |
| Let's take a look at the concept of shared web | | | | all domains with a shared IP address. You can see |
| hosting plans. | | | | what other domains can be found on the same IP |
| With shared hosting, many individual websites from | | | | you have by looking up your domain and the |
| different customers reside all on the same physical | | | | matching IP on However, if you require a dedicated |
| server. That means that all of these websites share | | | | IP (e.g. for SSL), that's usually possible for a small |
| the same resources on that server. | | | | monthly fee. |
| As a result, none of these sites will be able to utilize | | | | Another concern with shared hosting is security. Bad |
| 100% of the server's resources. Rather, they will be | | | | neighbors are theoretically able to hack into files |
| divided among all of the websites hosted on that | | | | owned by other domains on the same host. Also, not |
| respective server. | | | | everybody updates their installs of WordPress, DruPal |
| This is to keep costs low and to enable web hosts | | | | etc. frequently, leaving room for exploits on that |
| to offer plans in the price range shared hosting is | | | | host. |
| known for. Since all of the shared hosting accounts | | | | You will either have to accept the fact and live with |
| on a server utilize the same hardware, maintenance | | | | it, or move to a more expensive solution like |
| and administration costs are low. | | | | dedicated servers. In any case, you should always |
| But don't many hosts offer unlimited bandwidth and | | | | update all of your web applications as soon as |
| disk space with shared hosting? | | | | possible to minimize the risk of security holes. Do not |
| Yes, indeed some do. However, disk space and | | | | host your site on a shared host if you are handling |
| bandwidth are not the same as RAM and CPU usage, | | | | highly sensitive data. |
| which will have to be capped to ensure the server's | | | | To sum things up, most people run their websites on |
| stability. | | | | shared hosts, and happily so. It is surely worth your |
| This means that your website is likely not going to | | | | time (and some trial and error) to find a good host |
| load as fast or be as responsive as on a dedicated | | | | to make the most out of your shared web hosting |
| server. This is especially true for sites that rely | | | | solution. Take security updates for your applications |
| heavily on scripting and queries to the database. | | | | of choice serious, best yet subscribe to their mailing |
| Not all websites are created equally. Some static web | | | | list or rss feed to stay informed. |
| pages utilize very few resources to host and serve, | | | | Backup often. Don't rely on your host to backup your |
| others need a lot. Good hosts will migrate your | | | | files in the event you have been hacked. Don't forget |
| website among different servers to ensure you are | | | | your database(s). |
| getting the performance you need. Also, good hosts | | | | |