The 3 main types of web hosting available to the general public are Shared Web Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Servers. This article aims to point out the main pros and cons of using Shared Web Hosting and help you in making an educated choice about whether it fits your needs.
What is a Shared Web Hosting?
Shared Web Hosting is one of the most popular and common hosting packages and offers an affordable way to launch a website online. Shared Web Hosting works by enabling several users to share a single hardware server supported completely by the hosting company. The user can choose from many different combinations of features and will almost always be able to find a suitable option.
Pros of Shared Web Hosting
- As a client of a Shared Web Hosting service, you can expect your provider to set up almost everything to help launch your website.
- Shared Web Hosting is normally a low-cost way to launch your first website.
- It is common for a Shared Web Hosting company to offer Domain Names, SSL Certificates, and other options that would otherwise require third-party companies.
- There are thousands of Shared Web Hosting providers from single-person entities to organizations with thousands of employees and you should easily be able to find something that suits your needs.
- Shared Web Hosting is normally fast to set up allowing the user to quickly launch a new website.
Cons of Shared Web Hosting
- With Shared Web Hosting you may be sharing an IP address with many other users. This means if the other users are using Torrent software, running an adult website, or just generally misbehaving, your website will lose its reputation as a result.
- Shared Web Hosting is not configurable enough for users who need high-powered software or run complicated projects.
- If a user misconfigures their Shared Web Hosting it can lead to problems for all the other users in the vicinity.
- As the hosting server fills up with more users your website may slow down or even crash due to a lack of resources.
Overall, Shared Web Hosting is an excellent choice if you expect to receive low traffic and you have no need to run demanding software.