Are you wondering “what is shared hosting?” " We have the answer.
Shared hosting is a popular hosting solution for beginners. It is cost-effective and requires little to no technical expertise as the hosting provider will take care of the server setup.
In a shared hosting environment, a physical web server hosts multiple websites simultaneously. Each website will share server resources, including its bandwidth and RAM. Since performance can be an issue, shared hosting may not be the ideal choice for high-traffic websites like e-commerce stores.
Quick note: This article will tell you everything you need to know about shared hosting services. We'll explore factors to consider, strengths, weaknesses, and some of the best shared hosting providers to choose from.
Let's start.
Things to Consider When Looking for Shared Hosting
Since there are so many options, choosing a great shared hosting service can be difficult. Take a look at some factors to consider when choosing a shared hosting plan:
- Server reliability. This includes the availability and response time of the hosting service. The first is the total time the server is fully functioning, while the second measures how quickly the server processes a user's request.
- Infrastructure. Check if the hosting environment is compatible with your website technology, including content management system and PHP versions.
- Server space. Disk space is where all website files, scripts, emails, and media are stored. For faster performance, opt for a hosting provider that offers SSD disk space.
- RAM. Short for random access memory, this technology temporarily stores programs for faster retrieval. The more programs running in the background, the more RAM resources you need. You need to calculate the amount of RAM needed to ensure smooth performance for your type of website.
- Bandwidth. Expressed in MB/s, it refers to the maximum amount of data the server can transfer over a specified period. The greater the bandwidth, the better a site's performance during peak hours.
- Server locations. Choose a hosting provider whose shared servers are closest to your target audience to reduce latency.
- Security. Robust firewalls, regular malware scans, DDoS protection, and automated backups are some of the crucial security measures a hosting provider should offer.
- Control panel. It refers to a web-based graphical user interface where site owners can manage and maintain their shared hosting plan. Some popular examples include cPanel, Webmin, Plesk and hPanel – a GUI control panel from Hostinger.
- Customer service. If you encounter a crash or error, a customer service agent can help you resolve it. Therefore, it is crucial to choose a shared hosting provider that offers 24/24 support. When it comes to communication channels, live chat, phone calls, and email tickets are some of the most popular options.
- Technical assistance. Most shared hosting services are managed. This is perfect for a beginner, as it helps speed up the installation and configuration processes. On the other hand, unmanaged hosting includes premium solutions like VPS and dedicated hosting. They are perfect for a power user who wants more freedom in the website development process.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Shared Web Hosting
Shared hosting may not be the right solution for e-commerce websites. However, it is a great option for personal sites such as blogs, portfolio websites, and online resumes. Before purchasing a shared hosting plan, let's review its pros and cons.
Benefits
Here are the advantages of shared hosting:
- Ease of use. Shared hosting is the best option for beginners because it requires little to no technical knowledge when it comes to server-side maintenance.
- Quick setup. Create a website on a shared hosting server is quick and easy. Many web hosting companies offer an intuitive dashboard for site owners to manage and make changes to their sites.
- Scalability. In case of an increase in web traffic, site owners can request a hosting account upgrade. Then the web hosting service provider will give more resources to help websites handle heavy traffic.
- Auto installer. Usually, a hosting company offers a one-click installer for popular content management systems like WordPress and e-commerce platforms like PrestaShop .
Drawbacks
Here are the disadvantages of shared hosting:
- Resource limits. Each website hosted on a shared server will have its own allocated resources. If your account overloads the server, your host may suspend your account. Website owners usually migrate from shared environment to VPS hosting, cloud hosting or dedicated server hosting to meet the growing needs of their site.
- Security. Since you'll be sharing a server with multiple websites, a security breach on one of those sites could affect yours.
- Performance Problems can arise when one of the sites hosted on the same server experiences an influx of traffic. This can lead to poor page loading times and crashes.
- Technical limitations. They include file restrictions, a security measure to avoid malware infections. Therefore, some web hosts may limit the types of files that users can upload to their sites.
Best Shared Hosting Companies
If you still don't know which host to choose, don't worry. In this section, we will share five reputable web hosting companies to consider:
1.Hostinger
Hostinger is one of the most popular hosting companies, Hostinger offers shared hosting plans.
To $2,69/month (special rate) , Hostinger's shared hosting plan is optimized for WordPress and includes unlimited bandwidth, unlimited SSL certificate, 100 GB SSD storage and a free domain name for one year. Although Hostinger offers technical features like Git, SSH access, and unlimited cron jobs, one downside is that this plan only offers weekly backups.
2 Bluehost
Bluehost ($2,95/month) is one of three web hosts officially recommended by WordPress, and it's on our list of the best shared hosting companies.
Bluehost provides a user-friendly panel to install and configure WordPress sites. This makes it particularly useful if you want to set up a WordPress site. Bluehost's intuitive one-click dashboard and award-winning 24/24 support mean your site will be up and running in no time.
You will also get a free domain name if you pay for your hosting account in advance for a year or more.
3. HostArmada
HostArmada ($2,49/month) – For those looking for fast, affordable, and highly secure SSD web hosting, HostArmada is a great choice.
Their shared and WordPress hosting solutions are available at attractive prices, with great hosting features such as a free domain, SSL, free backups, free website transfer and excellent customer support.
4. Green Geeks
GreenGeeks ($2,95/month) – If you're looking for a shared hosting provider with eco-friendly data centers and servers, try GreenGeeks. It offers a reliable and faster website experience thanks to its optimized network.
Its shared hosting plans are suitable for both beginners and professionals. Shared hosting starts at $2,95/month, with additional resources such as RAM and CPU available on a pay-as-you-go basis.
5.InMotion
Among the InMotion hosting plans, Power is the best offer. With $ 2,29 / month , users will benefit from many premium features. They include unlimited bandwidth, unlimited NVMe SSD, UltraStack speed and performance 12x, advanced caching and automatic backups.
Its functionality HostingPlus allows users to create their sites using Python, Node.JS and Ruby. Overall, this hosting company falls into the expensive category.
Conclusion
As one of the most cost-effective solutions, shared hosting is ideal for beginners who want to create personal websites. Here are some of the reasons to choose shared hosting for your websites:
- Ease of use. Shared hosting requires little to no technical knowledge when it comes to server maintenance.
- Quick and easy installation. Many web hosts offer an intuitive control panel where site owners can initiate administrative tasks.
- Scalability. Most providers can grant an account upgrade upon an increase in traffic, at the request of the site owner.
- Auto installer. The one-click installer for popular content management systems is a convenient time-saving tool.
Above all, consider server reliability, support, and infrastructure before hiring a hosting company. You also need to calculate the amount of resources your site needs so that it can thrive in the best possible environment.
Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Shared Hosting
This section answers some of the most frequently asked questions about shared website hosting services.
What is shared web hosting?
Shared hosting allows users to host their sites with other websites on a shared server. These websites will share web server resources, including CPUs, RAM, and storage space.
What is the difference between web hosting and shared hosting?
Web hosting is the general term for a service that allows users to publish a web page. Shared hosting is one of the types of hosting and it hosts multiple websites on a single server.
Is shared hosting a good choice?
It depends on the project. Shared hosting has limitations, including unstable performance and security issues. Therefore, we do not recommend it for online stores. However, this hosting solution is ideal for personal websites, such as blogs, portfolio websites, and online resumes.
What is the advantage of shared hosting over dedicated hosting or VPS hosting?
Shared hosting is more beginner-friendly than hosting servicesdedicated hostings or VPS. This hosting solution is also cost-effective. So, if you are on a tight budget, this type of accommodation is a good choice.
What is the difference between shared hosting and WordPress hosting?
Shared hosting allows users to host their sites on a shared server. Meanwhile, WordPress hosting is optimized for content management system. For example, it may come with WordPress-specific features like LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress et WordPress Command Line Interface .
What is Linux Shared Hosting?
Linux shared hosting uses the Linux operating system in its web server architecture. Since Linux is open source, site owners can use the programming language of their choice, including PHP and MySQL. From a security perspective, Linux is a safer alternative operating system to Windows.
What is the difference between reseller hosting and shared hosting?
With a shared hosting service, users should only use their accounts for themselves. In comparison, reseller hosting allows individuals or organizations to sell hosting services.
What is the difference between shared and cloud hosting?
Shared hosting allows hosts to host multiple sites on a single physical server. On the other hand, thecloud hosting uses virtualization technology to divide a server into multiple cloud servers. The result is a network of interconnected cloud servers.
