What is Shared Hosting? Some Advantages of Using a Virtual Machine

If you are looking for a website to host but are confused as to what type of hosting would be best for your website or what features to look out for then you should consider what is referred to as Shared Hosting. Shared hosting is when your website is sharing a single server with many others. This type of hosting has its advantages and disadvantages. It is important for you to know all these pros and cons before you decide to go for it.

The advantage of shared hosting is that it is an affordable option that suits many website owners' needs. What is shared hosting vs us? Virtual private server is another option that can be considered and it is also cost effective. In virtual private servers, multiple physical machines are used for storing the website files. One of the advantages of VPS web hosting is that it allows the owners to control every aspect of their servers including software, operating systems, hardware and security.

Another advantage is that it is flexible since one server can be leased to numerous sites. This option allows one server to act as a hub for all the servers. With this type of hosting you can also have the advantage of redundant power supplies. For example, if a power outage occurs at one point of the network, your entire server is not affected.

On the flip side, shared hosting comes with some disadvantages. One of these disadvantages includes the following. The pros and cons of such kind of hosting are discussed below.

One of the advantages of this type of hosting solution is that it is cost effective. Since only one physical machine is being used, the costs involved are lower. You will save money if you use a reseller's services. Also, since you will only be using one server resources, you can be sure that you will not experience any interruptions in the process. This is because all the processes are centralized and the necessary operating system, software and hardware resources are always available.

Also, a virtual machine is being used which means that less technical expertise is required in the management of the system. For example, you will not need to download and install applications or modify system settings since everything is controlled by the operating system. Another advantage is that you do not have to install any extra third party software on your system. Another advantage is that you can use any operating system without worrying about compatibility issues. If you want to host websites that require a lot of scripts and complex applications, a dedicated server is highly recommended over virtual machine hosting.

Another advantage of using VPS is that the server security features are better than shared hosting providers. The security of shared servers may be compromised especially if the server has many users. If an unauthorized user will gain access to the control panel, the entire system can be affected. However, with a VPS, you can rest assured that the security patches for your website will be automatically downloaded and applied whenever there is a new version. Thus, you do not have to worry about downloading and installing security patches for your website each time a patch is released.


Lastly, a VPS can provide you with complete flexibility and control. Since you will only be paying for a single server operating system, you can choose the operating system that you want to use. Also, you can install any type of application or plug-in that you want. Lastly, you will also benefit from powerful features such as command line interface, flexible disk and memory allocation, and high level of security.