VPS Hosting and Shared Hosting – What Sets Them Apart?

Oct 01, 2018

While various web hosting types and packages exist in the market, selecting the right one entirely depends upon pairing online website requirements with business strategies. Among the most common are Shared and VPS hosting packages – both being highly debated topics. It entirely depends upon the nature of business for determining which hosting and package to opt for.

So, What is the Difference?

So just what sets them apart? Which one should you choose for fulfilling business requirements? What are the factors to consider when searching for the perfect hosting package? All these questions and more are answered both precisely and concisely below:

VPS Hosting vs. Shared Hosting

By definition, shared hosting means utilizing the same server for your site which is being used by other sites as well. While it is a cost effective solution, it weighs down with the cons of lower bandwidth, restricted resources, limited capabilities and regulated control.

VPS hosting on the other hand is a hybrid technique combining the features of dedicated and shared hosting. While it may be more expensive than its counterpart, it includes greater control, fixed resources (though lower than dedicated), more features to utilize and greater control. It also utilizes the same server but it has greater resources and is sub-compartmentalized into smaller segments which have their own private resource allocations.

Following are the main differences between shared and VPS hosting:

•    Available Server Resources

Shared hosting clients are hooked onto the same pool of resources which are made available for them. Dedicated servers on the other hand have entire set of resources directed towards a single site. VPS partitions itself into smaller sections with fixed resources that are lower than dedicated but still greater than shared options. The resources available on shared servers are available for grabs on a first come first serve basis mostly and once that limit has been reached, no user will be able to exceed the total resources on hand. This makes Shared resources a great choice for websites which are low in server side resource consumption and not easily affected by such factors.

•    Performance Characteristics

Since performance is directly related to the server resources, VPS has a clear advantage in this sector. However, if you opt for a shared server which has high capacity of resources and very few users, you might be able to outclass VPS hosting output. Shared hosting involves multiple users utilizing same server resources, which leaves little for each client to make use of. However, VPS has clearly dedicated resources for each segment, which makes them a good option for sites which cater to high traffic.

•    Available Administration

Shared hosting plans are relatively easy to implement and have limited personnel and support staff committed to them. On the other hand, VPS are more complex in nature and not only have more qualified support staff but enhanced features as well. If simplicity and low resources are required, shared hosting should be chosen. For more complex operations, VPS suffices well.  

When to Choose Which

The number of features included in packages such as domain name hosting, domain name registration, private resources, dashboard controls and other options are highly dependent upon choice of VPS or shared hosting. When the server requirements are for a limited traffic, low intensity hosting, shared is the way to go. If the server requirements are for a high traffic, resource intensive hosting, VPS should be opted for.