Shared, Reseller, VPS, or dedicated
When it comes to choosing a plan or upgrading, there are usually
four options in the web hosting world to choose from: Shared
hosting, Reseller Hosting, Virtual Private server, and dedicated
server. If your wondering "which one should I choose", then this
article may help you decide. First off, lets get the definitions
of these 4 straight.
Shared Hosting -- This usually refers to buying a bit of space
on a server. You are sharing the server with tens, maybe even
hundreds of other people.
Reseller -- This is really for people who have multiple domains
or who want to host other people. Depending on the size of you
reseller package, you may be sharing the server with lots of
other people.
Virtual Private server -- This is for people who need root
access to the server to install their own software. Basically a
chunk of the server is blocked off for each VPS user. There are
usually not that many people sharing a server with VPS plans.
Dedicated server -- This is where you get the whole server to
yourself and share it with no one. This is for large or
intensive CPU or RAM sites.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is for small to medium sized sites. Shared
hosting is the cheapest of the four but has many drawbacks. You
are probably sharing the server with many,many other people so
performance may sometimes be an issue. With shared hosting you
risk more downtime since if any of the accounts on the server
you are hosted on generates excessive CPU or RAM usage, it will
slow your sites down. If you own a large site or a busy forum,
you may want to think about upgrading your hosting. Shared plans
usually limit the number or domains you can host per account.
Reseller
Resellers are for people who host multiple sites or want to
start their own hosting company. You are sharing a server with
several other people. Unlike shared account, most reseller
accounts come with a generous number of domains hosted allotment
or unlimited number of domains. You and the people you host also
risk the chance of suffering performance setback if any of the
accounts on the server drains too much CPU or RAM usage.
VPS
VPS(Virtual Private Server) is for those people who need the
control of a dedicated server but cannot afford the price. In a
VPS, you are guaranteed a certain amount of CPU usage and RAM
usage. While this may be restrictive at times, it saves the risk
of other people on the server bogging your site down. VPS
accounts generally have full root access and can install their
own software. VPS acts as a dedicated server except with less
space, CPU, and RAM. You are usually sharing a server with a few
others on a VPS account.
Dedicated Server
A dedicated server is a server fully to yourself. You do not
share the server or resources with anyone else. This is
generally for high-intensive sites or sites that have alot of
visitors. With a dedicated server you have full root access,can
install your own software, and can do pretty much whatever you
want with the server. Dedicated servers are generally pretty
costly in terms of price. This kind of hosting is best suited
for a busy portal or forum.