Data centers house physical servers, which web hosting providers run and manage. Web hosts provide the server space and technology needed for people to access your site online. They enable users to search for, find, and view your site.
The five main types of web hosting are shared hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated hosting, and WordPress hosting.
The providers of the best web hosting in Canada and elsewhere will typically offer all of these hosting types with no shortage of extras.
1. Shared hosting
Users of this most basic type of hosting will have access to limited resources defined explicitly in the shared hosting plan. It is affordable and will typically suffice for small websites, but there are performance issues if the traffic to another website on the server surges.
Shared hosting is undeniably a great option if you’re on a budget. Just don’t expect delightful quality.
Also, read the Disadvantages of Shared Hosting And Its Alternatives (VPS)
2. VPS hosting
VPS hosting is a step up from the previous kind. It lets users make custom configurations to the server, provides more resources and options, such as root access, and boasts higher uptime rates and loading speed.
A virtual private server is like renting your own apartment. You share some resources in the building with other apartments but not the immediate premises, like the living room, bathroom, or kitchen.
There are multiple virtual servers on top of a single physical one. At any rate, you don’t need to worry about other sites’ traffic spikes affecting your performance.
3. Cloud hosting
The most significant and valuable selling point of cloud web hosting is its scalability. It is not unlike VPS hosting, except it’s more cost-effective, like a hybrid version.
Traditional hosting comes with a constant limitation: the tradeoff between price and server resources. Web hosting users don’t want to overpay for resources, but they also want consistently good performance, which is compromised if the resources of a lesser plan are exceeded.
It’s only possible to predict website traffic in some cases. You might experience a surge or a spike now and then, particularly if you run a seasonal business.
The most popular cloud hosting plans let users scale resources as needed. They only pay for what they use and can scale up or down by making adjustments within the admin panel.
4. Dedicated hosting
A website on a dedicated server has the entire server to itself. Full technical control over the server configurations, software, and other settings exists.
Users of dedicated hosting enjoy incredibly high uptime, and their websites load at the speed of light. As no one else is on the server, no amount of traffic from other websites will impact your website’s performance.
A dedicated hosting plan is like owning a house. You can choose to build a patio, plant trees in your yard, erect a fence, or renovate the kitchen.
Understandably, this is the most expensive type of web hosting. The most expensive dedicated server is a super micro GPU with 8TB of DDR4 memory, dual 32-core XEON golds, and hundreds of terabytes of storage. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, due each month.
5. WordPress hosting
WordPress hosting is customized for WordPress users, and most of these plans come with a one-click installation of the popular CMS. Its added security features are specifically for WordPress websites as well. They are at a higher risk for attacks because this CMS is the most commonly used one worldwide.
Website owners who want their WordPress plan optimized should look into this hosting for the above reasons. As downsides, there is less flexibility and control, you have to share resources with other sites on WordPress, and updates can be problematic.
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How to Choose the Best Web and Cloud Hosting Service
