Key Differences Between VPS and Shared Hosting

Cost.

With shared hosting, the cost is spread across multiple users on a shared server. For this reason, you can usually expect these plans to be cheaper. VPS plans tend to provide more resources and are more reliable, so they often cost more.

Thus, from a price point of view, shared hosting tends to be the most economical option overall. At DreamHost, shared hosting plans start at $2.59 per month and increase depending on the features you choose and the payment cycle.

VPS hosting plans include advanced features such as increased performance and customization for your online business. DreamHost VPS hosting plans start at $10 per month and offer a variety of storage and RAM options.

Management Services.

So far we’ve talked about the elements that make up shared servers and virtual private servers, but we haven’t yet talked about the entities that manage them. In most cases, a shared server is managed so that the professional staff of the hosting provider can update and protect the server. Shared hosting professionals can also support tasks such as migrations, backups, monitoring, upgrades and maintenance.

VPS can be managed or unmanaged, and the latter refers to a service that a company maintains only when there are problems with the server or network. For example, the customer is responsible for installing and maintaining software and configurations.

By choosing a VPS host, you can expect additional features and support as part of a managed plan. To determine the difference between a managed and unmanaged VPS, you need to estimate how much time you will spend on maintaining the stability and performance of your site as well as its technical capabilities.

DreamHost provides a managed VPS for high quality support from a 24×7 technical support team. This makes it easy to diagnose and fix unexpected performance and security issues on your website.

Scalability

Scalability means how well your hosting plan can accommodate the growth of your website. This feature is often used when choosing between shared hosting and VPS hosting. Scalability has several aspects, including storage and server capacity.

A shared hosting plan is ideal for medium-sized websites with low traffic, especially if visits are spread out throughout the month. If the site is growing or traffic tends to come in large numbers, the shared server may not be able to handle the increased load. VPS hosting plans provide free space for website-only resources and even more website-only resources.

Resources can be tailored to different traffic trends. For example, e-commerce stores will need more bandwidth to handle the crowds of Black Friday shoppers. So if you expect to add much more content and traffic, a VPS hosting plan is usually a good investment.

Some website owners initially choose a cheap shared hosting plan. This allows you to test your ideas and then later upgrade to a VPS plan. However, if rapid growth is expected, we recommend that you start with VPS hosting immediately. If user needs begin to exceed server resources, there is no choice but to upgrade your plan.

Setting up

In a shared hosting plan, the server is pre-configured and optimized for most users. If you are a newbie, you may not want to change your server environment at all. In that case, shared hosting may be suitable.

You have better control over the installed software to optimize the performance of your website. For shared private servers, there are generally fewer restrictions on configuring and installing applications on the server. Unlike shared hosting, you can install new software and configure it as needed.

Remember, remember that great power comes with great responsibility. Accessing software and settings on a server does not inadvertently delete invalid files or misconfigure important components. If you are not familiar with web development, we recommend that you start with a shared hosting plan until you learn the details of these methods.

How to define shared hosting with VPS

With shared hosting, you don’t have to worry about updates because most of them are done automatically. You don’t need to maintain your own servers, so you don’t need technical expertise.

In addition, shared hosting can be a good choice if you are looking for low-traffic hosting or easy to maintain. This type of plan is suitable for:

• Blogs and personal websites
• Small and medium-sized businesses
• E-commerce sites that expect up to 500 visitors a day
• People planning to launch.

Like shared hosting, VPS hosting has a number of advantages. You have full control over the server, so you can configure the server the way you want. This feature is very useful for experienced WordPress developers.

You can also enjoy a huge amount of bandwidth and storage that is completely yours. VPS hosting provides easy backups and scalability, and allows you to run numerous batch files with command line access.

Here are a few common cases where a virtual private server is appropriate:

• Businesses rapidly moving beyond shared hosting
• Companies expecting a significant increase in traffic over the next few months
• Companies planning to host multiple Web sites in the near future
• High-traffic websites that require excellent bandwidth and security

Simply put, VPS hosting is very good because you can monitor your success as your website grows and expands rapidly. Meanwhile, shared hosting is a great starting point for web hosting, and you can enjoy affordable hosting as your business grows.

If you need to switch from shared hosting to VPS hosting

If you’re already using a shared hosting plan, you may be wondering if it’s time to switch to VPS hosting. Fortunately, there are a few warning signs that indicate the site is ready for this change.

It’s time to seriously consider making the switch in the following cases:

• Your site gets a lot of visitors every day
• Requires additional resources, such as RAM, CPU, disk space, or bandwidth
• The website takes at least 3 seconds to load
• Many unforeseen downtimes occur

If any of these factors are detected, it may be time to switch to a VPS. Shared hosting is ideal for smaller websites that require fewer resources, so you should upgrade if your site needs more resources.

We also recommend that you consider scaling up. If you want to host multiple websites for your business, you can upgrade to a VPS to accommodate this development. In general, think about what you need for your current website and what you need for future growth.

Choosing the right hosting plan

Ultimately, choosing the wrong type of server can lead to a lack of resources. This could be in the form of storage space, scalability, or affordability. However, you can easily avoid these problems by choosing the best hosting plan for your site.

You should evaluate your site’s current requirements and plans for the future. Shared hosting can be convenient for beginners and an economical option for smaller sites. On the other hand, virtual private servers can provide better security, reliability and customization options, making them ideal for larger sites with heavy traffic.

Do you want to use a VPS or shared hosting? Dreamhost offers both options. Meaning you can find the right plan for your site, regardless of your budget, resources needed or potential for growth!