1.2.1 Which service to choose for your website: advantages and disadvantages
TheHost provides a wide range of services suitable for hosting your sites. For an inexperienced user, it can be difficult to understand the difference between the terms shared hosting, VPS and dedicated server.
Which of these is best for hosting your resources? What should you consider when selecting? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each service? Which tariff plan should you choose?
This brief material will help you understand the main difference between the described services and choose the most suitable one for you.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Hosting | VPS | Dedicated server |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Performance | Low | High | Almost unlimited |
| Entry Difficulty | Low | Medium and higher | Medium and higher |
| Cost | Cheap | Average | Expensive |
| Guaranteed Uptime | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Test Period | Yes, 7 days | Yes, 7 days | No |
| Operating System | Linux Only | Any | Any |
| Support Availability | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Component upgrades | Made by us | Customer task | Customer task |
| Root access | No | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated IP | Rate dependent, can be ordered | By Default | By Default |
| Capacity Scaling | Poor (plan) | Best (plan + individual resources) | Average (hardware limited) |
| Restrictions on resource utilization | Yes, plan dependent | No | No |
| Control Panel | ISPManager4, can’t change | No/any | No/any |
| Low level management | Not required | VM-Cloud Panel | Built-in IPMI on high-performance servers, external IP-KVM on demand |
| Administration Complexity | Low | Medium | Medium |
| Customizability | Minimum | High | High |
| CPU Virtualization | No | Very limited | Unlimited |
| Foreign locations | Available | Available | Not available |
| Data Backuping | Server-side and custom backups | Cluster-side and custom backups, server snapshots | Custom backups, RAID |
| Hardware isolation (dedication) | Hosted server with other clients | Cloud node with other clients | Maximum, standalone server |
| Traffic filtering through hardware firewall | None | Upon request | Upon request |
Hosting
The word hosting usually means shared hosting, when your hosting service is located on a physical server with predefined tariff plan characteristics together with hosting services of other clients. This format makes the hosting service cheap and effective, but is associated with certain limitations.
Pros and cons:
- Cost. Hosting is the cheapest of the services for hosting a website. It is not only cheap in itself, it also provides the best performance per hryvnia.
- Simplicity. Hosting is immediately installed in an optimized configuration and with the ISPManager4 control panel, understandable even for a novice user.
- Constant updates. The stack of supported features (such as PHP versions) is constantly imperatively updated for hosting servers.
- Training materials. Many training materials on our WIKI are written specifically for ISPManager4 or even specifically for the hosting itself.
- Support. Our Support Service has many years of experience supporting hosting and the ISPManager4 panel. Your requests regarding hosting will be resolved as quickly as possible.
- Stability. Hosting servers (not the hosting services themselves) are administered by our specialists online and operate as stably as possible compared to other types of services, where server administration is the responsibility of your programmer/system administrator.
- Low power ceiling. Even the most powerful hosting plans will not give you power comparable to average VPS/dedicated plans.
- Scaling. Hosting can only be scaled by directly changing the tariff plan. There is no option to buy an additional 5-10 GB of space.
- Resource usage limits. Such as the maximum number of MySQL queries/hour and the load created on the host server CPU.
- No root access and no ability to modify the server. For security and stability reasons.
- Location. You are located on a physical server together with other hosting clients and actions such as DDoS on their sites or spam mailings carried out from a shared IP (if you do not have a dedicated one) may affect you.
Suitable for:
- personal blogs and small sites;
- business cards and landing pages, small online stores;
- sites with low load and no requirement for complex settings;
- novice users who value accessibility and ease of maintenance.
Virtual Server
VPS/VDS (Virtual Private/Dedicated Server) is a service that provides the user with a dedicated virtual environment on a physical server, which can also host other virtual servers. Unlike shared hosting, VPS offers more flexibility and customization options, while remaining more affordable than a physical dedicated server.
Pros and Cons:
- Performance. VPS provides a significantly higher level of power than shared hosting, thanks to guaranteed dedicated resources such as RAM and CPU cores. However, in terms of UAH/power, hosting is cheaper.
- Flexibility. VPS can install and configure almost any OS, programs, and tools that are necessary for work. Users have root access and can freely change configurations, providing more control over the server. * Scalability. VPS allows you to flexibly increase resources - for example, increase the amount of RAM, add disk space or processor cores, without changing the tariff.
- Isolation from other clients. Unlike shared hosting, the actions of other users on the server have virtually no effect on the performance of your VPS, since the resources of the virtual environment are dedicated and isolated.
- Additional security options. Since VPS operates in an isolated environment, you can set up your own security measures, from a firewall to more advanced security protocols.
- Cost. VPS is more expensive than shared hosting, especially if additional resources or high performance are required. But at the same time, it is cheaper than dedicated servers.
- Administration. Setting up and maintaining VPS requires more knowledge and skills, especially if you have root access and you work with minimal support from the hosting provider.
- Responsibility for updates. Keeping the VPS up to date can be the responsibility of the user, unlike shared hosting, where updates are performed by the hosting provider.
- Vulnerability to configuration errors. Incorrect configuration or lack of experience in server management can lead to instability or security issues on the VPS.
- Lack of complete hardware isolation. Although the VPS is dedicated to the user, it still depends on a shared physical server, so errors or problems at the hardware level can affect its operation.
Suitable for:
- medium and large online stores with regular load;
- sites with high security and configuration requirements;
- applications and services with administration and modification requirements;
- projects with limited budget that need server-level access and resource flexibility;
- low-cost solution for accessing a Windows remote desktop or an unloaded accounting system.
Dedicated Server
A dedicated (physical) server is a physical server provided to a client for individual use. Unlike shared hosting and VPS, the server’s resources are not shared with other users, which allows for maximum performance and flexibility of configuration.
Pros and Cons:
- Maximum Performance. Dedicated servers provide the highest level of performance due to access to all server hardware resources, including the processor, RAM, and disk space.
- Full Control and Configuration. The client can install any software, change the operating system and configurations to suit their needs, receiving root access and full control over the server.
- Security and Isolation. Since the server is not shared with other users, the client receives maximum isolation and the ability to configure their own security measures.
- Flexible Resources. The ability to select and customize the physical configuration of the server allows you to get a unique combination of resources that exactly fits the needs of the project.
- Cost. Dedicated servers are the most expensive hosting option due to the use of an entire physical server that requires maintenance and support.
- Administration. Typically, server management and support is almost entirely the responsibility of the client, which requires significant technical knowledge.
- Scaling Issues. Physical servers have limited scaling: if current resources no longer meet needs, you will need to migrate to a more powerful server, which can be expensive and time-consuming. Or, you can change the current configuration, but only within the capabilities of the current motherboard.
- Hardware Failures. Since this is a physical server, any hardware issues such as a failed hard drive can lead to downtime, especially if a backup system is not implemented. Therefore, we always recommend using dedicated servers only in combination with RAID.
- Requirement for physical maintenance. Hardware and software updates, diagnostics and support require constant monitoring and possible physical access to the server.
Suitable for:
- corporate portals and large online projects;
- applications with high computing load or specific hardware requirements;
- storage and processing of maximum data volumes;
- companies and projects that value maximum hardware isolation and autonomy.
- expensive Windows solutions, such as a server for servicing a loaded BAS (1C) system.
