Web Hosting: Why Is It So Important for Your Website?

In today’s competitive business landscape, going digital is a prerequisite for any successful business, irrespective of the industry. In the bid to secure an online presence, businesses are increasingly looking to build website/s that can reliably showcase their products and services. However, amidst this attempt to transform digitally, the importance of reliable website hosting often gets overlooked. Yet, it is the backbone that keeps your online storefront or digital platform accessible and functional to users.

Just like a store that needs a building to showcase products or services, a website needs an online storage location. Web hosting is the equivalent of a physical building but on the internet. Web hosting companies provide the necessary virtual space by assigning server resources to house your website’s data. Without reliable web hosting, your website would be like a house without a solid foundation – prone to crashes, downtime, and hacking.

Your website is made up of HTML code, images, and multimedia content; all of which are hosted on servers that are globally accessible via the internet. To ensure that all your digital resources are secure and available to your customers and stakeholders, when required, it is crucial to have a reliable web hosting provider.

Types of Web Hosting (Cloud vs. Traditional Servers)

When deciding the type of hosting appropriate for your website or application, you will come across two major options: Cloud VPS (Virtual Private Server) and traditional virtual servers. Choosing one from the other really depends on a number of parameters like budget, safety, minimal downtime, scalability and others. Both have their unique advantages; however, choosing one from the other really comes down to your specific preferences.

Cloud VPS

As the name suggests, it uses cloud hosting infrastructure to host its virtual server. This means that your server’s resources are divided among various physical servers, giving way to greater scalability and on-demand resources for maximum performance during times of high demand or fluctuating data movement during specific times in the day.

For instance, if an ecommerce portal is operating under heavy fluctuations, the VPS cloud can easily scale up or down resources on demand to meet the specific need at the time. This ensures that the system performs optimally, leaving no room for crashes during peak times.

Traditional Virtual Servers

On the other hand, traditional virtual servers function in a similar way to dedicated servers but they rely only on a single physical server. While they offer reliability and performance, they may lack the scalability and flexibility of Cloud VPS. For instance, if you're managing a large online gaming platform that requires high computational power and low latency, traditional virtual servers may not be able to accommodate sudden spikes in traffic as efficiently as Cloud VPS.

A comparison of Cloud and Traditional servers:

The comparison between Cloud VPS and Traditional Virtual Servers reveals several key aspects. Cloud VPS offers high scalability, allowing for the adjustment of resources as needed, whereas Traditional Virtual Servers have limited scalability due to fixed resources. In terms of flexibility, Cloud VPS stands out with its ability to support customized configurations, whereas Traditional Virtual Servers have limited flexibility due to their server setup.

When it comes to reliability, Cloud VPS provides high reliability with redundancy and failover mechanisms, whereas Traditional Virtual Servers rely on a single physical server for reliability. In terms of cost, Cloud VPS follows a pay-as-you-go model, making it cost-effective for variable usage, while Traditional Virtual Servers may incur fixed pricing that can be expensive if resources are underutilized.

Performance-wise, Cloud VPS experiences changes in performance based on shared resource levels, whereas Traditional Virtual Servers offer consistent performance through dedicated resources. In terms of management, Cloud VPS typically offers managed services, requiring less hands-on management, while Traditional Virtual Servers may require more hands-on management and administration. Deployment time is faster with Cloud VPS, allowing for rapid deployment and provisioning of resources, compared to Traditional Virtual Servers, which may require longer setup times and resource allocation.

Finally, high availability is a key feature of Cloud VPS, with built-in redundancy and failover mechanisms for high availability, whereas Traditional Virtual Servers' reliability is dependent on a single physical server.

VPS Hosting Management

When deciding the type of web hosting, it’s also important to consider its day-to-day management. This is an important parameter as VPS management can be a huge cost in the long run. There are presently two types of VPS hosting management to consider: managed and self-managed. Deciding between either of the two alternatives really depends on the scale of your business, downtime risk, technical know-how and budget.

Managed VPS Hosting

In managed VPS, the host handles the end-to-end hosting. This includes server configuration, security updates and even software installations and VPS licensing. In other words, the provider takes care of any and every backend-related task. This allows you to focus on your core business and time to manage your website or applications.

Any issues with regard to servers, bandwidth or you want to install additional software applications are managed by the web hosting support team. Web hosting companies that provide managed services will generally have a customer service number or email where they can be contacted for immediate support.

Self-managed VPS Hosting

Self-managed, on the other hand, puts the responsibility of managing the server entirely on the user or the business. Most self-managed VPS providers will take responsibility for the physical server's availability and uptime. All the other maintenance and server management tasks are the responsibility of the user or the business.

A good use case for a self-managed VPS is a bank where user or customer data is highly confidential. Here, server access will only be through various security clearances where the website owners are very particular about user information. Any tasks like updating software packs or applying security updates to your server will be the responsibility of the company that is using the hosting service.

Comparison between managed and self-managed VPS hosting:

Managed VPS Hosting and Self-Managed VPS Hosting differ in several aspects. In terms of server management, Managed VPS Hosting involves the hosting provider managing the server, while Self-Managed VPS Hosting requires you or your designated administrator to handle server management tasks.

Technical support is provided by the hosting provider's support team for Managed VPS Hosting, whereas limited or no technical support is available for Self-Managed VPS Hosting. Managed VPS Hosting requires minimal time investment from your end, while Self-Managed VPS Hosting demands significant time and effort from you.

Expertise required also varies, with Managed VPS Hosting not requiring technical expertise and Self-Managed VPS Hosting necessitating advanced technical knowledge. In terms of flexibility, Managed VPS Hosting offers limited flexibility in server configuration, while Self-Managed VPS Hosting provides complete control over server configuration.

Cost-wise, Managed VPS Hosting is typically more expensive due to added services such as server management and technical support, while Self-Managed VPS Hosting is generally more cost-effective but requires a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach for server management and technical tasks.

Conclusion

In short, web hosting is the foundation of your online presence that makes it possible for people to access and use your website with ease. Virtual Private Server (VPS) is the engine through which you can enhance performance, affordability and security.

It is, therefore, critical to choose the right hosting service for your business. While there are limited hosting options to choose from, web hosting providers bundle a number of additional services that come as add-ons. Be sure you make an informed decision by considering all your options before signing the dotted line.

If you are unsure about available options, consider alternatives or do some more research on web hosting and how it can facilitate the growth and performance of your website.

(No Hans India Journalist was involved in creation of this content)