We’re used to seeing the word “cloud” in front of almost every tech term. Even though tech-savvy people have a good idea of what “the cloud” is, that doesn’t mean they know all the ways it can be used. So, before you read on, let’s quickly talk about how cloud hosting is different from shared hosting. Your website can be hosted on multiple servers that are all in sync and share resources. This is called “cloud hosting.” In shared hosting, many websites share the resources of a single server.
For example, cloud hosting is not just shared website hosting with a cloud logo stuck on it. When compared to more traditional forms of shared hosting, cloud hosting is in a league of its own, and it has many unique benefits that justify its existence. At its most basic level, the cloud is the most important thing that makes cloud hosting different. No prizes for figuring that out.
Just like cloud computing, cloud hosting gets its name from the fact that it uses computing power from “the cloud,” which is a pool of dynamically allocated resources spread across a large network of physical components, instead of a fixed set of hardware. In theory, cloud hosting is infinitely scalable because it lets an unlimited number of computers work as if they were one system. Using virtualization, multiple physical servers are grouped together and shown to a website or application as a single machine.
Shared hosting, on the other hand, is a way to host a website where each customer gets a piece of the same physical server hardware to run their website or app. Shared hosting is often the most affordable way to get a project online because the service provider houses multiple customers on a single web server.
This lowers costs overall. Shared hosting can be a great way to keep costs down for projects that don’t need too much power, but it has its limits. Since many customers share the same physical hardware, each user can’t count on a certain level of server performance. If you want to know more about this comparison, you can visit on Wikipedia.
Cloud Hosting vs Shared Hosting Pricing
There is a set price plan for web hosting. No matter if you use the resources or not, you have to pay for them. Shared hosting costs the least, while dedicated hosting will cost more. You only pay for the resources you use with cloud hosting. It has a “pay as you go” pricing plan.
Some cloud hosting companies let you pay by the hour for resources. So it can be a less expensive way to host websites. But you need to know about infrastructure to optimize cloud spending. Make sure you have a team of tech experts or choose managed cloud hosting.
Cloud Hosting vs Shared Hosting: Comparison Table
| Feature | Cloud Hosting | Shared Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hosting that utilizes multiple servers | Hosting where multiple websites share one server |
| Scalability | Highly scalable with resources easily added/removed | Limited scalability due to shared resources |
| Performance | Good performance with high uptime and availability | Performance can suffer during high traffic periods |
| Cost | Generally more expensive than shared hosting | Generally less expensive than cloud hosting |
| Security | Strong security with built-in redundancy | Security depends on the hosting provider |
| Customization | High level of customization and control | Limited customization options |
| Maintenance | Managed by the hosting provider | Managed by the hosting provider |
| Technical Expertise | Technical expertise may be required for setup and management | Easy to use for beginners and non-technical users |
Cloud Hosting vs Shared Hosting Architecture
Shared Hosting servers have more than one website on them, and all of the server’s resources, like data storage, are shared by all of the websites on it. The hosting provider usually has rules about how much this kind of use is allowed.
On the other hand, instead of using a single server to store a website’s data, Cloud Hosting uses multiple servers. The added benefit is that multiple websites can be hosted at the same time, and advanced data protection and data redundancy can be used to protect and back up the data.
Cloud Hosting vs Shared Hosting Security
Server security is important to prevent attacks from bad people and data theft. With traditional hosting, hardware failures or cyberattacks could cause downtime and data loss. With cloud hosting, however, your data is stored on multiple servers that are connected to each other and managed by cloud service providers. This reduces the risk of downtime and data loss. In web hosting, you can’t make multiple copies of your data or backups.
Server security must be taken care of by the hosting company, so it’s important to choose a good one. If it’s a dedicated server, you have to take care of its security. When you use cloud hosting, your data is stored on many servers in different places. The hosting company also keeps copies of the data so that it can be restored more quickly.
The cloud hosting solution makes it easy to get the data back quickly after a disaster. The security of the server is taken care of by the cloud hosting provider. When you use advanced cloud storage solutions, your data is safer in general.
Cloud Hosting vs Shared Hosting Website performance
Website performance depends on a lot of things, including server performance, and you can’t say enough about how important it is for a website to work well. Since site speed became an important SEO factor in the search engine algorithm, many website owners have been more careful about how their sites’ speeds are getting slower. Shared hosting is good for smaller websites that don’t need a lot of speed.
Cloud Hosting will improve your site’s performance, though, when it comes to websites that use a lot of resources or get a lot of traffic. Cloud hosting makes sure that a website is always fast because the data is stored and accessed from a number of servers.
Cloud Hosting: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy to change.
- Good performance and being able to get it
- Security that is strong and has backups built in
- High level of control and ability to make changes
Cons
- In general, it costs more than shared hosting.
- Setting up and running the system may require technical knowledge.
Shared Hosting: Pros and Cons
Pros
- In general, it costs less than cloud hosting.
- Easy for beginners and people who aren’t tech-savvy to use.
- Taken care of by the hosting company
Cons
- Sharing resources makes it hard to grow.
- When there are a lot of people, performance can be bad.
- How safe a website is depends on who hosts it.
Which one should you consider?
There are different ways to set up and deploy each type of hosting. Once you have your website zipped up in a folder and ready to go, it usually takes a few steps to upload it to shared hosting. Even though the deployment process varies from provider to provider, shared hosting is easier for people who are just starting out because it is more visual.
Most of the time, deploying on the cloud depends on the type of cloud service and the hosting company. On some cloud hosting platforms, like Heroku, it’s easy to deploy, but on others, you need to be a trained cloud engineer. In general, hosting on the cloud is a bit more complicated, and it’s even scarier that a few setup mistakes can cost you extra money.
FAQs
With cloud hosting, your website can be stored on multiple servers that are all in sync and share resources. In shared hosting, several websites share the resources of a single server. For example, cloud hosting is not just shared website hosting with a cloud badge on it.
People generally think that cloud hosting is better than shared hosting because it can handle a lot of traffic, has better security, and is more reliable. But these extras cost money, and most cloud hosting plans cost more than shared hosting plans.
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