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In this section we try to provide useful articles that will help webmasters find their way in the webhosting market. Any contributions are welcome, so please feel free to submit your own article.
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- If you wish to contribute and have your article published on NosHosts, please do not hesitate and send your materials to articles@noshosts.com
Going for dedicated?
When we talk about web hosting usually we refer to "shared" hosting. This means a hosting account on a shared server that also hosts other people's websites. There's nothing wrong about that unless you have some real specific requirements. Shared hosting is usually cheaper, since most hosting companies oversell their capacities. You don't have to worry about installing software, maintenance, upgrades, etc. All you need to do is upload your website to the server and enjoy how your customers surf across the site.
But as your business grows, you get more and more visitors, you notice that your site starts to load slower and slower, you wish to install new software, but you are unable to, you will probably decide to go for the next step - dedicated server hosting. Dedicated server hosting has many advantages - you get total control over your server. You can install whatever you want, you can customize your website in the best possible manner, you can install your own mailserver, you have more disk space and bandwidth available. But in the meantime dedicated server hosting have one big disadvantage - it is all up to you. No matter what happens on the server it is you and only you who should fix it. Dedicated hosting companies usually offer a server with a basic linux/windows installation and that's all. They guarantee a contant connectivity to the internet and of course uninterruptible power supply for your machine. You need to do everything else by yourself. And no matter what goes wrong, no one else will fix it for you. It is up to you, day or night. Most companies also offer "per hour" technical support for resolving your specific problems, but often that costs lots of dollars and who knows how long it will take them for fix your specific issue. Everyone should know that running a dedicated server requires a significant level of knowledge. If you don't know what exactly you're doing, don't go for dedicated. Do some practice first with a local machine in your home or office first. Try installing an operating system. Then learn how to set up a web server, install PHP and a database, manage configuration options. Set up an mailserver daemon. Make sure it is not an open relay. You won't be happy if your brand new dedicated server suddenly gets blacklisted and you find out that you're unable to send out any e-mails, just because you have not restricted bulk e-mailing through your host.
Deciding to switch over to a dedicated server is a crucial step for your business, so first make sure you really need to do that. Here are the main indicators that it is time to move on:
Speed. No one would surf across a site that takes minutes to load. If your shared hosting provider is no longer satisfying your needs, try a different one before moving to dedicated. Switching providers is a pain, no one wants go from shared host to another every few months, but usually it takes less time than setting up a dedicated server. If you are certain that a shared host cannot meet your speed and bandwidth requirements - go for dedicated!
Security. Hosting on a shared server usually means that some of your data has been already exposed to others. All customers within a shared server can view each other's files if you have not set the appropriate permissions for your files. Sometimes compatibility reasons force you to set permissions that you don't like. If protecting your information is crucial for your business and your shared host does not allow you to set the necessary ones - then go for dedicated! This way you make sure that noone else has access to your files and databases. (of course if you have set up everything properly)
Flexibility. Hosting on a shared server always comes "as is". You have a preset set of software and programs on the server that are to be used by all users. If you decide that you need a specific version of any software, just because your website needs it - you are stuck. Shared hosting companies usually maintain a good set of software that meet the average customer's needs, but they cannot install custom applications for certain customers. That is when you need to switch to a dedicated server where you can install anything you desire.
So, switching over to a dedicated server is an important thing to do as your business grows, but since it is also quite expensive compared to shared web hosting, don't rush yourself into doing it just because you will have total control over your own server. But if you are sure that you're ready - go for it!
When we talk about web hosting usually we refer to "shared" hosting. This means a hosting account on a shared server that also hosts other people's websites. There's nothing wrong about that unless you have some real specific requirements. Shared hosting is usually cheaper, since most hosting companies oversell their capacities. You don't have to worry about installing software, maintenance, upgrades, etc. All you need to do is upload your website to the server and enjoy how your customers surf across the site.
But as your business grows, you get more and more visitors, you notice that your site starts to load slower and slower, you wish to install new software, but you are unable to, you will probably decide to go for the next step - dedicated server hosting. Dedicated server hosting has many advantages - you get total control over your server. You can install whatever you want, you can customize your website in the best possible manner, you can install your own mailserver, you have more disk space and bandwidth available. But in the meantime dedicated server hosting have one big disadvantage - it is all up to you. No matter what happens on the server it is you and only you who should fix it. Dedicated hosting companies usually offer a server with a basic linux/windows installation and that's all. They guarantee a contant connectivity to the internet and of course uninterruptible power supply for your machine. You need to do everything else by yourself. And no matter what goes wrong, no one else will fix it for you. It is up to you, day or night. Most companies also offer "per hour" technical support for resolving your specific problems, but often that costs lots of dollars and who knows how long it will take them for fix your specific issue. Everyone should know that running a dedicated server requires a significant level of knowledge. If you don't know what exactly you're doing, don't go for dedicated. Do some practice first with a local machine in your home or office first. Try installing an operating system. Then learn how to set up a web server, install PHP and a database, manage configuration options. Set up an mailserver daemon. Make sure it is not an open relay. You won't be happy if your brand new dedicated server suddenly gets blacklisted and you find out that you're unable to send out any e-mails, just because you have not restricted bulk e-mailing through your host.
Deciding to switch over to a dedicated server is a crucial step for your business, so first make sure you really need to do that. Here are the main indicators that it is time to move on:
Speed. No one would surf across a site that takes minutes to load. If your shared hosting provider is no longer satisfying your needs, try a different one before moving to dedicated. Switching providers is a pain, no one wants go from shared host to another every few months, but usually it takes less time than setting up a dedicated server. If you are certain that a shared host cannot meet your speed and bandwidth requirements - go for dedicated!
Security. Hosting on a shared server usually means that some of your data has been already exposed to others. All customers within a shared server can view each other's files if you have not set the appropriate permissions for your files. Sometimes compatibility reasons force you to set permissions that you don't like. If protecting your information is crucial for your business and your shared host does not allow you to set the necessary ones - then go for dedicated! This way you make sure that noone else has access to your files and databases. (of course if you have set up everything properly)
Flexibility. Hosting on a shared server always comes "as is". You have a preset set of software and programs on the server that are to be used by all users. If you decide that you need a specific version of any software, just because your website needs it - you are stuck. Shared hosting companies usually maintain a good set of software that meet the average customer's needs, but they cannot install custom applications for certain customers. That is when you need to switch to a dedicated server where you can install anything you desire.
So, switching over to a dedicated server is an important thing to do as your business grows, but since it is also quite expensive compared to shared web hosting, don't rush yourself into doing it just because you will have total control over your own server. But if you are sure that you're ready - go for it!
