English
Magyar
Hosting services can essentially be divided into two main categories: dedicated and shared hosting. What is the difference between the two, and what exactly do we mean by shared hosting? We answer these questions below!
Shared hosting is capable of hosting multiple websites
Compared to traditional – or, as it is also known, dedicated – web hosting services, there are several differences to be noted when it comes to shared hosting, as there are significant differences between them not only in terms of performance but also in terms of price.
One of the greatest advantages and distinctive features of shared hosting is that a single server is capable of hosting several hundred, or even several thousand, websites at the same time, depending on the circumstances. It is important to note, however, that the number of websites hosted is always influenced by the circumstances.
This is because, when it comes to shared hosting, website owners have to share not only disk space but also memory and processor usage – in other words, the actual resources themselves.
This is a viable solution as long as there isn’t a particularly resource-intensive site on the hosting plan that could adversely affect the others; so it can be a good alternative for smaller business or portfolio sites, but is less suitable for a larger online shop, for example.
It’s the most cost-effective solution, but not in every case
In addition to the points mentioned above, shared hosting has many other well-known advantages. One such advantage is that server maintenance is largely automated, so website operators do not need to worry about this or deal with this often costly inconvenience themselves.
Furthermore, shared hosting is currently the cheapest option if you want to publish your website in a cost-effective way. Consequently, there are, of course, certain scenarios where this solution represents the ideal alternative.
It is indeed a fact that shared hosting is not always a good alternative; even for a medium-sized business, for example, it is not the best option to host their website in such an environment, whilst for larger companies this solution is downright inadvisable.
However, for websites with lower traffic, start-up small businesses, campaign sites or even websites operated on a temporary basis, shared hosting can be an excellent alternative.
What are the downsides of shared hosting?
What other drawbacks are there to shared hosting, apart from the fact that websites have to share server resources – which can lead to slowdowns of varying degrees – and that restrictions may also be necessary in terms of the structure of the websites?
Whilst these are really just a kind of compromise, shared web hosting does have its drawbacks; whilst slower loading times are certainly not a major issue for those who opt for this solution, it is worth being aware of the security risks.
The biggest drawback of shared hosting is that, as there are often hundreds or even thousands of websites on a single server, it is enough for a hacker to breach just one site to then easily gain access to all the other websites stored there.
Thanks to hosting providers’ increasingly robust – and, indeed, constantly improved – security systems, the actual likelihood of this happening is, of course, very low; however, it is important to be aware of the possibility before choosing such a hosting service.