5 types of hosting: each task has its own solution

Of course, we have all heard about the word “hosting”, and many people know what it is used for. If you need to post information on the Internet, you will definitely need to use hosting services. But today, providers offer such a variety of options that it is easy to get confused. So, what are the differences between different types of hosting? What are their advantages and disadvantages? How to choose the best solution for a specific task? Let us find out.

Hosting services can be paid or free. However, a free hosting service always has many limitations in functionality, resource, and usage model. So, it can be seriously considered only for small non-commercial projects. For more serious solutions, you will have to pay, and the cost depends on the type of hosting, as well as on other factors, such as storage size, performance, support of various services, information protection level, etc. 

There are 5 main types of hosting:

Shared hosting is the simplest and most affordable option. Resources of a single server (often virtual), such as processor time, memory, storage, databases, etc., are shared between clients and used in parallel. Even though the server resources are divided, the impact of some clients on others can be significant; a busy project can slow down others, which can be especially noticeable during peak periods. Therefore, virtual hosting is good for small projects with low traffic. If you plan to expand the project, it makes sense to take a closer look at a virtual dedicated server or cloud hosting.

Virtual dedicated server (VPS/VDS) — several virtual servers created inside a single powerful physical server, with independent resources, separate operating systems, and so on. A client is provided with access to a "server in the server” and can use it at their discretion – change an operating system, create users, allocate them separate resources within the resource pool. Unlike virtual hosting, here the processor power and the amount of RAM are fixed, provided in a guaranteed amount, and do not depend on the current load on the server. This significantly improves stability. The solution is a bit more expensive and is suitable for larger and more loaded projects.

Dedicated server — a provider provides a client with a separate physical server in the data center. In this variant of hosting, you can use hardware resources at your discretion – install any operating systems and related software, allocate resources for projects, and balance loads. Only providers and very large projects that use dozens or hundreds of servers really need dedicated servers. Today, virtual solutions perfectly cope with most of the business tasks. The significant disadvantages of dedicated servers are low reliability (equipment can simply fail at any time) and upgrade complexity because if you are expanding, you will have to move to a new server.

Collocation is close to a dedicated server. The only difference that it is a client's server, not a provider's one. The service provider only accommodates it and provides an Internet connection channel. The advantages and disadvantages are similar to dedicated servers. Additionally, the client pays for equipment costs and maintenance.

Cloud hosting is the most modern and advanced hosting option. Using this solution, you get resources in a reliable and crash-proof cloud. Cloud hosting is suitable for any projects, from small but demanding projects to very large and dynamic ones, because it can scale in a wide range automatically or on request in a matter of minutes. As a result, you can avoid access problems even during peak hours. This type of hosting is also the most profitable; you only pay for the services that you need at the moment. Also, you have a choice of options and related services such as software rental, system snapshots, automatic cloud backups, dynamic load distribution, etc.

Please contact us for a more detailed consultation on choosing a hosting solution for your specific task. Write to us at sales@tucha.ua or call +380 44 583-5-583. You can be sure that we will select the hosting option that will be the best for your goals and budget. And you can count on our support and care, regardless of the chosen solution.