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A busy online shop, an agency with dozens of client websites or a news portal will sooner or later outgrow shared hosting: the plan’s CPU and memory limits will become too restrictive, the site will slow down during campaigns, and there are no larger plans available. For many, the next step would be a VPS, but this requires you to manage it yourself as a system administrator. Dedicated web hosting is designed for precisely this situation: your own server with the familiar hosting management interface, with management included.
In this guide, we explain what dedicated web hosting is, how it differs from shared hosting, VPS and dedicated servers, what signs indicate that it’s time to switch, and what size of hosting plan you’ll need.
What is dedicated web hosting?
Dedicated web hosting is a server that is exclusively yours, running a control panel (cPanel at aWh) and operated by the provider. You do not share the server’s resources, IP address or settings with other customers, but in day-to-day use you work in exactly the same way as on a traditional cPanel hosting plan: you create email accounts and databases, install WordPress or enable SSL via the control panel. Operating system updates, security settings, backups and monitoring are all handled by the service provider.
aWh’s dedicated cPanel server is, technically speaking, a KVM VPS with a cPanel licence and administrator supervision: the hardware is the same as that of the KVM VPSs; the difference lies in how it is operated.
Comparison
| Criteria | Shared hosting | Dedicated web hosting | KVM VPS | Dedicated server |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | Shared, per-account limit | Yours alone | Yours alone | A complete physical machine |
| User interface | cPanel or KeyHelp | cPanel (on a server managed via WHM) | What you install | What you install |
| Operations | Service provider | Service provider | You (or a managed VPS) | You |
| System administration skills | Not needed | Not needed | Needed | Needed |
| Custom server configurations | No | Available on request | Anything | Anything |
| Dedicated IP address | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price | The cheapest | Medium | Cheaper than dedicated web hosting | The most expensive |
Dedicated web hosting therefore combines the convenience of shared hosting with the dedicated resources of a VPS. It is more expensive than a VPS because the cPanel licence and management are included in the price; it is cheaper and more flexible than a dedicated server because it runs on a virtual machine, making it easier to scale.
When should you switch? Five signs
- You regularly reach the limits of your hosting plan. The cPanel resource usage statistics show CPU, memory or process limits, visitors are getting 503 or 508 errors, and you’re already on the larger plan.
- The site slows down during campaigns, newsletter sends or special offers, even though you’ve already optimised the code, images and caching.
- You might need a custom configuration, such as a PHP module, a higher limit, a Redis cache or a server-side application, which isn’t possible on shared hosting.
- You manage lots of websites – perhaps as an agency or a developer – and would like to run them all in one place with reliable performance.
- Your online shop’s turnover is now so high that the risk posed by a slowdown or a neighbouring account costs more than a dedicated environment.
Before you switch, it’s worth checking whether a larger hosting plan or a bit of optimisation might solve the problem. However, if several of the above signs apply, dedicated web hosting could quickly pay for itself.
Why is it faster and more secure?
Dedicated resources. The server’s processor and memory are dedicated solely to serving your websites. There are no ‘noisy neighbours’: your sites utilise the server’s full capacity, and traffic from other customers won’t slow them down.
Fast hardware. aWh’s dedicated cPanel servers run on AMD Epyc processors and NVMe SSD storage, with a 2 Gbps connection and unlimited traffic. NVMe is particularly effective at speeding up the many small database operations typical of WordPress and online shops.
A customisable environment. As the server is yours alone, you can request settings and applications that aren’t available on shared hosting, ranging from PHP limits to server-side caching.
Isolation. If another customer’s website is hacked, it cannot affect yours, nor will another customer’s email traffic compromise the server’s IP address – which is also important for email delivery.
Dedicated IP address. The server has its own dedicated IP address, which is used exclusively by your websites and emails.
The business value of speed
Loading time has a direct impact on visitor behaviour: many people leave a slow-loading page before it has finished loading, whilst in online shops, every extra second reduces the conversion rate. Google also takes user experience into account via the Core Web Vitals metrics, which are directly influenced by server response time. A fast server is no substitute for page optimisation, but an optimised page can only be truly fast on a fast server. Our article compares the myths and realities surrounding the role of fast hosting.
What size plan do you need?
| Plan | vCPU | RAM | NVMe | Monthly fee (excluding VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedi cP Start | 4 | 8 GB | 80 GB | €59.57 |
| Dedi cP Medium | 6 | 12 GB | 120 GB | €70.99 |
| Dedi cP Large | 8 | 16 GB | 160 GB | €82.14 |
| Dedi cP XL | 16 | 32 GB | 320 GB | €127.30 |
Every plan includes a cPanel licence with 1 cPanel account (larger licences, up to a maximum of 100 accounts, are available at an additional cost when ordering), unlimited email accounts, databases and domains, daily backups, DDoS protection, SSH and Git access, as well as system administration support.
How should you choose? For an existing website, start by looking at your current resource usage: cPanel’s resource statistics show how much CPU and memory your pages use at peak times. For one or two high-traffic WordPress sites or a medium-sized online shop, the Start or Medium plan is usually sufficient; for multiple websites, a large online shop or a large database, the Large or XL plan is recommended. If you outgrow your current plan later on, you can upgrade to a larger plan. If you’re unsure, let us know what you’d like to run, and we’ll make a recommendation.
Migration
We’ll perform the migration of your existing websites and emails free of charge on request, and take care of the basic set-up too. The migration from cPanel hosting can be almost entirely automated: a full backup of the account (files, databases, emails, settings) can be transferred in a single step, minimising downtime. From other systems, we transfer files, databases and emails separately.
aWh’s dedicated cPanel in brief
- Your own KVM server with an AMD Epyc processor, NVMe SSD and a 2 Gbps connection
- cPanel licence with 1 cPanel account; can be upgraded to a maximum of 100 accounts for an additional fee
- System administration: installation, updates, security, monitoring
- Daily backups, DDoS protection, virus and spam filtering
- European Union data centre, over 99% uptime
- Free migration, 14-day money-back guarantee
Check out the dedicated cPanel plans
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a dedicated server and dedicated web hosting?
A dedicated server is a complete physical machine, typically operated by you. Dedicated web hosting is a server running on a virtual machine that is exclusively yours, complete with cPanel, and operated by the provider. Dedicated web hosting is more convenient and easier to scale; you’ll need a dedicated server if you require more resources than even the largest plan can provide, or if you need your own hardware.
Do you need system administration skills for dedicated web hosting?
No. We install, update, back up and manage the server; you work via the familiar cPanel interface.
What is the difference between a dedicated cPanel and a KVM VPS?
The hardware is the same. You manage the KVM VPS yourself as the system administrator, whilst the dedicated cPanel server runs on a cPanel licence, and we handle the day-to-day management.
How many websites can I run on it?
As much as the resources can handle; the cPanel licence included in the price is valid for 1 cPanel account, but a single account can hold multiple domains. If you need more accounts, you can opt for a licence covering up to 100 accounts for an additional fee: this is particularly useful for agencies, as each client can have their own cPanel account.
How often are backups taken?
Daily, automatically. It’s worth keeping your own backup of important data as well.
Is the cPanel licence included in the price?
Yes, the monthly fee includes a licence for one cPanel account and server management; a larger licence is available at an additional cost.
Will I get my own IP address?
Yes, the server has its own IP address, which you do not share with other customers.
Can it be expanded later?
Yes, you can upgrade to a larger plan if your traffic or the number of websites increases.
Does it support WordPress and WooCommerce?
Yes, any PHP-based system can run on a dedicated cPanel server, including WordPress and WooCommerce, with multiple PHP versions.