Shared hosting, VPS or dedicated server: how to choose
A plain guide to the three main kinds of hosting, and the signs it's time to move up.
Hosting comes in three main sizes. The right one depends less on how important your website is and more on how much traffic it gets and how much control you need.
Shared hosting
Many websites share one powerful server, each in its own isolated account. The provider looks after the server; you manage your site through a control panel.
Good for: business websites, blogs, portfolios and small online stores. Why: it's the cheapest way online, and you don't need any server knowledge.
VPS (virtual private server)
A physical server is divided into a few virtual servers, each with its own guaranteed processors, memory and storage. You get full root access to install whatever you like.
Good for: busy stores, web apps, APIs, and anything that needs software shared hosting doesn't allow. Why: steady performance that neighbours can't affect, and complete control.
The catch: on an unmanaged VPS, keeping the operating system updated and secure is your job. If that's not for you, add server management.
Dedicated server
A whole physical machine, used by you alone.
Good for: large stores, SaaS products, big databases and high-traffic sites. Why: all of the machine's power, and no other customers on the hardware.
Signs it's time to move up
- Pages slow down at busy times even after you've added caching.
- Your host warns you about CPU or memory use.
- You need software, settings or a server version shared hosting won't allow.
- You're running several busy sites and want them isolated from each other.
If you're not sure, start smaller. Moving up later is straightforward, and we migrate sites for free.