There are many web hosting options and two of these are dedicated hosting and cloud hosting. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and these are outlined below.

Dedicated hosting is where a web server is entirely dedicated to your website and, unlike shared hosting, isn’t shared with other websites. With your website being the only one on a server it prevents the problem of other sites having an impact on yours.

With cloud hosting you can make use of several servers as required. These are available as and when you need them. Rather than having a physical server (or more than one) that you are paying for all of the time, you use the resources you require at any particular time and pay accordingly. This means that should you suddenly require more resource you can use it, but without paying for it when you are not using it. Essentially, you pay for what you are using at any particular time.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dedicated Hosting

The main advantage of dedicated hosting is that you are not sharing servers with other websites. This means the entire resource of the server is dedicated to your site. For example, bandwidth for the server is not shared amongst other websites. The lack of other sites makes dedicated hosting very reliable. Unlike shared hosting, problems with other sites cannot impact you. Dedicated hosting can be pricey, though, compared with other forms of hosting as it often means website owners are paying for resources they don’t require. Dedicated hosting is a good option for websites where traffic is consistently high. The bandwidth of dedicated hosting may be required and if traffic is steady it is easier to decide how much resource is needed.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Hosting

Paying for what you use is an obvious benefit. Cloud hosting means having extra resource available to you but not having to pay for it all of the time. Cloud hosting is beneficial for growing businesses. It allows them to easily adapt their hosting as they require more resource. Websites with fluctuating traffic can also benefit. It means having the option to use extra server space when traffic is high but without having to pay for it when traffic is low. Seasonal businesses, for example those who are particularly busy at Christmas or during the summer, are amongst those who should consider cloud hosting. With several servers being used cloud hosting can increase reliability. The overall load is balanced across different servers, meaning less reliability on one server. There are obvious advantages to cloud hosting but also some downsides. Unlike with dedicated hosting, you don’t have access to a server. This means being dependant on third-party providers and having less control. Though improving, security can also be an issue, with websites being more vulnerable to hackers.

Dedicated Hosting or Cloud Hosting?

Different options are suitable to different websites. Dedicated hosting might be preferable for established websites or those which are highly sensitive, while cloud hosting can be the better option for sites where traffic fluctuates or is expected to increase over time.

Andrew Marshall ©