As you are working to get your new website up and running, you will have many decisions to make. One of these will be how your website will be hosted. As you begin to research, you will find that there are three options for server hosting
Dedicated Server Hosting – With dedicated server hosting, you are the only site on your server. There is no competition for resources; all the bandwidth and memory are allocated to you.
Virtual Server Hosting – In this configuration, you share the server with a few other sites, but you are guaranteed a particular amount of memory and bandwidth, because the number of sites on the same server are limited. You also have root access to the server, so your site can be configured to your specifications. This is sometimes called dedicated virtual server hosting, because resources are dedicated to you just like when you are alone on a server, though the amount of resource is less.
Regular Web Hosting – In this scenario, you share the server with other sites. You will have storage space allocated, but will share server capabilities with a potentially large number of other sites. You do not have the capabilities to configure your site on the server. This is the least expensive and least robust option.
Your decision on which type of hosting option you choose should be based on how much traffic you anticipate, how much reliability you need and your budget. If your budget allows, opting for dedicated hosting does offer some benefits you won’t find with dedicated virtual server hosting or traditional shared hosting. These include:
* Fastest speed for your site, because no other site is on your server
* Largest amount of memory and storage
* Your site has greater ability to grow and use up more resources without requiring an upgrade.
If you anticipate a great need for the benefits a dedicated server provides, it may be best to go ahead and opt for the dedicated server. You will have little need to upgrade in the future. This option does cost more than dedicated virtual server hosting or traditional web hosting, but is still an affordable option.
Talk to your web hosting company about which option is right for you. Once their experts hear how your site will be used and the traffic and memory needs you anticipate, they can make a recommendation for you, as well as explaining to you how an upgrade would be handled if you choose a lesser option and then need more resources. A good hosting company will direct you to the most reasonable option for your site.
