When I started blogging in 2016, I knew nothing about web hosting, domain names, or even how to set up a WordPress blog. Over time, I learned about web hosting, cPanel, FTP, and more.
Thanks to my engineering background, I learned a lot through reading and the help of friends. No matter how you learn, if you are doing online work (blogging, instant messaging, freelancing), there are a lot of things you should know. One of them is the web hosting package. I don't mean the companies that provide web hosting space, but the general type of hosting these companies provide.
For beginners, it can be confusing to differentiate between different types of web hosting and what shared, managed WordPress hosting, VPS, and such hosting packages mean.
In this guide, I will give you a basic but comprehensive overview of some common types of hosting packages that you will see or read about every day, and will give you a better understanding when you read any hosting related article on the internet or plan to get a web host for your new website.
The most common web hosting plans:
There are some things I won't discuss here, like Windows or Linux hosting, because they are based on the platform. Some web applications are best suited for Linux hosting, while others are a good fit for Windows hosting. For example, WordPress is best suited for Linux hosting. I will discuss the common types of hosting plans: shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, VPS, dedicated hosting, and so on.
1. Shared Hosting Package:
This is one of the most common and cheapest types of WordPress hosting plans. For any new blogger, this is the most affordable type of plan, ranging from $2 to $15 per month, depending on the company you choose. Shared hosting plans can be further divided into limited space and unlimited space . Many web hosting companies offer different shared hosting plans based on limitations.
For example, popular hosting company Bluehost offers various shared hosting plans under its hosting packages, and the difference between them lies in features and prices.
Bluehost shared hosting offers a variety of plans
In a shared hosting environment, your website will be hosted along with many other websites (10-200). This means that all of these websites will have the same IP address and will share the same resources. One of the limitations of shared hosting is that if any website starts to consume a lot of resources, it can affect other websites hosted on the same server. While such issues can occasionally occur, for beginners, shared hosting is the best place to start. If your WordPress website is hosted on shared hosting, you can run a reverse site lookup to see which other websites are hosted on the same server.
Further reading:
2. Managed WordPress Hosting:
Ten years ago, who would have thought there would be a category dedicated to WordPress hosting? It was companies like WPEngine and Kinsta that made “WordPress managed hosting” a popular hosting category.
Managed WordPress hosting is superior to VPS and dedicated servers because it is optimized for running memory-intensive WordPress applications. Its technology stack has no redundant components and is optimized for speed, security, and high performance of WordPress.
Pricing for managed WordPress hosting is comparable to VPS and dedicated servers, and is much higher than regular shared WordPress hosting.
This WordPress hosting is suitable for professional blogs, corporate websites, SAAS WordPress applications, and more.
NOTE: SidelinePlay is hosted on a WordPress hosting company called Kinsta . I pay nearly $400 per month to host SidelinePlay and other WordPress sites on my network.
Further reading:
- Shared Hosting vs. Managed WordPress Hosting (Understand the Difference)
- Best Managed WordPress Hosting Companies
3. VPS: Virtual Private Server
VPS is another of the most common hosting options offered by many companies. VPS is based on virtualization technology, and unlike shared hosting, your website will get limited but dedicated resources. VPS is more expensive than shared hosting, but it is ideal when your website always needs dedicated resources.
A VPS is also often referred to as a virtual root server/virtual private server. One of the most common misconceptions is that migrating to a VPS will solve website downtime issues, but here’s a tip: Common shared hosting plans from Bluehost and Hostgator offer better resources than entry-level VPS plans.
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) bridges the gap between dedicated servers and shared hosting. Despite sharing the same system with other websites, your website will still have a dedicated IP address and dedicated computing resources, and will not be affected by any website failure on the server.
There are two most common types of VPS packages: managed VPS and unmanaged VPS.
- **Unmanaged VPS: **This plan gives you root access and you are responsible for all operations on the server. This includes installing new scripts, updating packages, etc. Linode is one of the best unmanaged VPS I have ever used, and the price is also the most competitive.
- Managed VPS: This package is perfect for bloggers and non-technical people. You will have root access to work freely on the virtual machine, and the managed support team will help you with everything. For example, if you need to install a new package or plugin, you can contact the managed VPS team. The price of managed VPS is slightly higher than that of unmanaged VPS, but it is still worth it because you don't have to bother with writing codes and commands.
What is VPS Hosting and Best Managed VPS Hosting Companies
4. Dedicated Server:
This is suitable for resource-intensive websites and web applications. Certain web applications or websites require a dedicated pool of resources at all times, and you don't want your system to share any resources with any other system. Dedicated servers are usually the most expensive of this type, and both managed and unmanaged dedicated server plans are also available.
In short, when you buy dedicated hosting from a company, you are essentially renting a system under their infrastructure. Depending on the website hosting company's package and policies, you will receive limited support or no support at all. Softlayer is one of the most popular brands among dedicated hosting providers.
I have tried various WordPress web hosting companies and various hosting plans for more than seven and a half years. I started with a cheap shared host in 2008 and used it for a year before switching to Knownhost due to plugin failures. Later, I switched to Hostgator, Cloudways, and more. Kinsta has the best uptime among all the hosting plans.
There are now more and more types of web hosting plans, especially for certain web applications. For example, we offer WordPress hosting for WordPress blogs, which is ideal, but the price is higher and may be out of reach for individual bloggers. However, these plans are perfect for any business website, or for those who value peace of mind more than money. Here are some more resources from our web hosting resource library to help you learn more:
- Why Shared WordPress Hosting is the Best Choice for New Bloggers
- Which is the top WordPress hosting for high traffic websites?
- Cheap WordPress Hosting
I will be sharing more guides like this in the coming days, so feel free to let me know if you have any questions regarding any specific hosting plans or types. Also, let me know the type of hosting and web hosting company you are currently using.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click through to visit us, at no extra cost to you. See how SidelinePlay is funded, why it’s important, and how you can support us.
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