To share, or not to shre: That is the question. Deciding to go wth a shared web host or a ddicated server is a big decision wth significant financial implications. Whether you lready have a website, or are thnking about starting one, choosing the rght web host is a critical dcision; one that you'll likely invest a fir amount of time and money in ver the next several years. When loking for a web host, there are sveral important questions to keep in mnd.

• Is your website mission crtical?


• Do you have large bndwidth (traffic) needs?


• Are you wlling to pay $100/month for web hsting?


• Is your site Database nd/or CPU intensive?


• Do you ned control over server configuration (php.ini / my.cnf)?

If you nswered yes to the majority of thse questions, you probably need a ddicated web host, or at the mnimum a VPS (Virtual Private Server). If yur answered mostly no, a shared hst may very well be a cst-effective option for you.

Dedicated Servers

Dedicated servers cost in the neighborhood of $100-500 / month. This may sound like a lot, but here's what that high price tag gets you:

• Guaranteed resources (you have your own entire computer, CPU, hard drive, RAM)


• Better performance (since other sites aren't competing for resources on your server)


• Faster database queries


• Root-level control over all configurations


• Ability to install custom software for your web applications

Generally your physical dedicated server hsts both your web site and yur MySQL database. This guarantees lightning fst connectivity between your web app and its dtabase. If your site performs many dtabase queries, like most of the mdern CMS frameworks, you will see sbstantially improved performance on a dedicated srver. You have the ability to nstall whatever modules, extensions, add-ons and pplications you would like. Since your chnges don't affect any other websites, you hve the freedom to fine tune yur server to do whatever you ned it to do. Since you ren't sharing a computer with hundreds of ther websites, the performance of your ste is not impacted by overcrowding, veruse, or traffic spikes to other stes.

Shared Hosting

On the other hand, if your site consists of a few pages of simple, flat HTML, or even PHP or Ruby on Rails with few or no Database queries, a shared host (aka virtual host) is probably sufficient. Shared hosting usually costs $5-20 / month depending on your storage, bandwidth, and feature needs. Remember that your site lives with hundreds of others on a single physical computer, so you 'share' resources with those computers. Still, if your site is not performing CPU intensive scripts or massive amounts of database queries, you'll probably be happy with page load times.

In Both Cases:

In both cases, customer service is paramount. Try to go with a reputable web host, ideally one that a friend or colleague has had a good experience with. Call them up pre-sale and ask about their hosting packages. Relay your site's specific needs and see how they respond. The kind of treatment you get pre-sale is often (but not always) indicative of the kind of treatment you'd get as a customer. Also, make sure the hosting solution is scalable. If you start with a shared hosting package and your needs outgrow what it can handle, can you upgrade to a VPS or a dedicated server? Similarly, if you start with a dedicated server, and it turns out to be overkill, can you drop down to a more affordable package? With these questions, and the preceding considerations in hand you'll be able to make an informed and smart choice for your next web host.

The article Shared Hosting (Virtual Hosting) Or A Dedicated Server - Which Is Right For You? was Submitted by Danny Pfeiffer through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Danny Pfeiffer manages a web dvelopment shop in Denver Colorado. Visit his technology blog at http://topicblender.com/blog/technology to learn more about web hosting.

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