Lesson 1 of 3
Shared, VPS, dedicated and cloud
2 min
Hosting is renting computing resources (CPU, memory, storage and bandwidth) on a server that's always online. The types differ in how much of the machine is yours.
Shared hosting
Many sites share one server and its resources. It's the cheapest option and the provider manages everything, which makes it ideal for small business sites, blogs and portfolios. The trade-off is limited control and resources.
VPS (virtual private server)
A physical server is split into isolated virtual machines. You get guaranteed CPU and RAM and full root access, so you can install anything. You're also responsible for updates and security unless you buy a managed plan.
Dedicated server
A whole physical machine for one customer. No neighbours, maximum performance, full control. It suits large databases, high-traffic platforms and workloads with strict compliance needs.
Cloud hosting
Resources are drawn from a pool of servers and can grow or shrink on demand, often billed by usage. Good for traffic that varies a lot.
Quick guide
- A company website or blog: shared
- Custom software, more traffic, root access: VPS
- Heavy, steady load or compliance: dedicated
- Unpredictable spikes: cloud
Start smaller than you think you need. Moving up a tier is usually easy; paying for idle capacity is just waste.