difference between Shared, VPS and dedicated hosting

Let’s assume that we have three servers and they are identical. They run the same software, using the same networks, and contain the same components.

The difference between them is that one server is a shared hosting environment, the second is set up to handle VPS accounts, and the last one is a dedicated server. Now let us look at the differences.

Shared hosting

Here the server has no dedicated resources for each domain that is running. All accounts and domains share the server’s resources. Shared hosting is very cheap and can be a great solution for beginners that do not have a lot of cash to spend for their server hosting.

Performance level: 30%

If one of the domains is experiencing a surge of traffic, there’s a good chance that its performance will drop and the rest of the websites that share this server will also experience a loss in performance as well.

This is analogous to many people trying to eat from the same plate of food at the same time. Though the plate is large if someone eats too much, too fast the rest of the people don’t get anything, and they will be hungry. In this case, with the server that means “hungry” is that there are fewer resources to share between the other domains and accounts.

Security level: 30%

Because each domain shares the same hardware, operating system, and network along with the same disk environment. If a hacker performs a DDOS attack. (Attack, in which a huge number of bots are directed toward the website at the same time. This prevents legitimate users from accessing the server and potentially crash the system due to the overload of the system) Another instance is if a hacker can insert infected code this will affect all websites on the server as they can be infected and crashes well.

Normally shared systems are not targeted by hackers as these low-end systems do not have anything that would attract this much attention such as credit card numbers, banking information, and intellectual property. Therefore, in most cases basic plug-in -based security is adequate coverage.

Which websites should use shared hosting?

1. Static, small corporate websites
2. Bloggers with a small amount of traffic

VPS

VPS is a kind of hosting in which there are a limited amount of accounts on the server and each one takes part of the server’s resources all to itself.

Performance level: 60%

If one of the VPS accounts gets an increase of traffic or comes under load, the other accounts are not affected as they have their resources dedicated to them, which includes disk space, network, and memory. In effect, they are in their own little private worlds and not connected in any way shape or form with each other. This means they are highly resistant to hacker attacks, viruses, and things that would affect websites in general. I hacker must attack the basic infrastructure of the system itself to modify any of the virtual environments. In this instance, it looks as if people at dinner all have their own plate and the amount of food is portioned out. If however, your VPS exceeds its allocation of resources performance will suffer.

Fortunately, most virtual environments have adequate resources at setup time, and in most VPS environments, more resources can be dynamically allocated as needed if any performance issues are detected. VPS installations are noted for their scalability to grow with the customer’s needs and desires.

Security level: 60%

A VPS environment may have less security if the owner does not handle securing it properly. This is because in the VPS world the owner has more control over his virtual server and its features. On the other hand, with less account sitting on the server it is less likely that one can be infected. Usually when someone purchases VPS hosting they are generally experts and know how to deal with security threats and set up their systems with the proper safeguards which make them more secure than shared hosting.

Which websites should use VPS?

1. SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises) that have a medium level of web traffic and requires more resources from the server.
2. E-commerce websites that hold sensitive information about their users.

Dedicated server

Is a server that has a single customer account. The customer can split the server to as many accounts as he desires, but in order to exploit the server’s full power, it’s recommended to have one account on it.

Performance level: 100%

A single domain or account has all the hardware resources of the real server. It does not have to share RAM, CPU power, network bandwidth, as all the capacity of the server is dedicated to giving maximum performance to this one particular account.

Using the food analogy again, this is as if a person has a fully equipped kitchen and a gourmet chef cooking for him along with a private larder so he can eat as much as he wants whenever he wants.

Security level: 100%

In this case, to if the server’s manager is uneducated or is not paying attention the server can be hacked relatively easily. However, if he is knowledgeable and takes the correct precautions with industry-standard virus protect software, firewalls, and authentication systems is websites will have a higher level of security they neither Shared Server or Virtual Private Servers. This is due to the fact there are no extra websites, accounts, and neighbors who are not protected that would allow a breach into the environment

Which websites should use a dedicated server?

1. High traffic blogs
2. Performance based online services
3. Live streaming websites
4. Institutional websites
5. Big E-commerce websites

Final thoughts

As you can see, a dedicated server has more resources and security than either a Shared or VPS environment. The only drawback, however, is the cost that you will incur going from shared server up to a Dedicated server.

With the larger mega servers, you can have 512 to over 1000 microservers running on a networked backbone, and these micro servers provide all the hardware such as CPU, RAM, and disk for each environment. This has brought the cost down significantly for each account. However, the cost is still much higher than a Virtual Private Network or Shared Server environment.

So, you must look at the use your website is going to be put to, and the amount of money for resources you are willing to buy. If you want performance, security, and a large enough environment to run your company and you must pay the piper to get what you want.