What is Dedicated Hosting? | AUHost4u Blog, News, Tips & Tricks
What is dedicated hosting and does it work?
In this article we will explain what is dedicated hosting and how it works. We will also cover the pros and cons of such hosting versus other types of hosting to help you figure out which hosting is the best for you.
If you’re looking for a more advanced hosting solution than shared hosting, you may have seen a few providers offering dedicated hosting and wondered whether it’s the right solution for you.
You need to understand first that dedicated hosting is a service that gives you a lot more control and flexibility when it comes to hosting a website. But just like any other types of hosting, it holds some unique advantages and drawbacks.
Before you select and sign up for any hosting service, it’s important to understand how it works. And make the right decision for your business.
What is dedicated hosting?
Dedicated hosting is also called dedicated server hosting. It is a type of web hosting service aimed at clients who require a more powerful hosting solution compared to shared web hosting.
It’s commonly used by larger businesses, as well as individual entrepreneurs whose projects involve building more complex websites and online applications.
With a dedicated server hosting, you get an entire physical server that is allocated to you only and not shared with any other clients of a hosting provider.
This means that you have full control of the server’s hardware resources, such as the CPU, RAM and storage space. You also control the server’s operating system directly and can install any software you need to power your website or online applications.
Using dedicated hosing can have many advantages, such as better reliability, security and scalability. This is why it’s used to power many popular websites that receive thousands of visitors a day, such as e-commerce sites, discussion forums and websites that deliver multimedia content like streaming video.
How does dedicated hosting work?
To get started with dedicated hosting, you will first need to select a hosting plan from a web hosting provider that offers this service.
Many larger hosting providers also offer dedicated hosting in addition to other services, such as shared hosting and domain registration. When you’re selecting a dedicated hosting plan, you’re essentially choosing the specifications of the server you’re going to use.
Just like PCs used at home and in the office, dedicated servers come with different hardware specifications. You get to choose the type and number of CPUs, the amount of RAM, as well as the type and capacity of the attached hard drives. Obviously, the more powerful your server is, the more it will cost each month.
Which server configuration is right for you will depend mainly on what you intend to use the server for.
If you’re going to host several highly popular websites or online applications that are used by hundreds of people at the same time, you will need a more powerful server to handle the related workload.
If you’re unsure of which server is the right for you, hosting companies have sales staff that can help you make the right choice.
Dedicated servers come with your choice of operating system. Most providers offer several versions of Linux and Windows Server to choose from. With dedicated hosting, you’ll have full administrator access to your server. This allows you to install and run any compatible software, as well as make the needed changes to the operating system’s configuration.
Most hosting companies also give you access to your choice of cPanel or Plesk control panels, which you can install on your server. These control panels are used on web servers to easily configure and manage websites, as well as their associated features such as email.
Advantages of Dedicated Hosting
Total control of server hardware
When you use dedicated hosting, you’re leasing an entire physical server from your hosting provider. This server is available to you only and not shared with anyone else.
This allows you to make full use of your server’s hardware resources (CPU, RAM, storage space) for your website and online applications.
Choice of operating system
You get to select which operating system will power your server, which can be one of the Linux distributions or a version of Windows Server.
You also get full control over the operating system, including root or administrator privileges. This enables you to install any software required for your project.
Greater security
One of the downsides of shared hosting services is that if one website on a server is compromised by malware or hackers, the security breach could affect all other hosting clients that are using the same server.
This isn’t the case with a dedicated server, as only you have access to it and the only websites that are hosted on the server are your own.
Enhance security is particularly important if you run a website that stores personal information belonging to customers or processes online purchases, such as an e-commerce site.
Improved performance
Another big advantage of having an entire server for your exclusive use is that your website will likely show better performance, such as faster page load times.
Websites hosted on shared servers may experience slowdowns, as there are dozens of sites hosted on the same server and a few of them could easily use more than their fair share of server resources if they start receiving a large number of visitors.
A website that loads fast and doesn’t experience technical glitches is important if you want to provide a good user experience. It also has many search engine optimization (SEO) benefits, as Google ranks websites that load fast higher than slower ones.
Disadvantages of dedicated hosting
Complexity
With dedicated hosting, you’ll have full control over the server’s operating system and can configure it to match your specific needs.
Setting up your web server will require at least some basic knowledge of servers and networking. It will also be your responsibility to make any needed software upgrades to keep your server secure.
Even though using a dedicated server may appear a bit complex at first, anyone comfortable with technology can figure it out.
Hosting companies provide a variety of free tutorials and help resources that explain how to set up your web server so that it’s ready to host your website.
More expensive
Even the cheapest dedicated server solution can cost at least ten times what you would pay for shared hosting. The higher price is due to the fact that you’ll be assigned an entire physical server for your use only and will not be sharing the hardware with anyone.
While it’s true that the prices for dedicated hosting are higher, the superior performance and reliability make them worth it, especially if you’re trying to build an online business.
Furthermore, increased competition in the industry has resulted in the prices of dedicated hosting being a lot lower now compared to just a few years ago.
Dedicated hosting vs VPS hosting vs cloud hosting
Dedicated hosting shares some similarities with VPS and cloud hosting, but there are also some important differences that you should be aware of.
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting gives you a virtual server, which is a portion of a physical server allocated for your use.
You’ll still be sharing a server with other hosting customers, but will have your own allocation of CPU cycles, RAM and storage space. In most cases, you’ll also have full access to your virtual server’s operating system, allowing you to install and run the software you choose.
VPS hosting is often chosen by those who need a more powerful hosting solution compared to shared hosting, but don’t need the full power of a dedicated server.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is a newer type of hosting service that is similar to a VPS, but slightly more flexible. Cloud hosting works by pooling the resources of several servers together.
Users can then create virtual servers with their choice of specifications, such as number of CPU cores, RAM and hard disk space. Most providers let you provision a cloud server in just a few minutes.
Cloud servers are popular among those who need a highly scalable hosting solution that can be upgraded and downgraded on the go.
This is often the case with developers that are testing new online applications, as they may need separate servers to test workloads before deploying them.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting provides you with a full physical server that you can use for your projects.
Unlike with VPS or cloud hosting, your server won’t be just a virtual one, which means that you won’t be sharing hardware resources with anybody else.
Dedicated hosting is ideal for those who need a very powerful, secure and robust hosting solution.
Dedicated hosting is the most advanced and powerful hosting solution you’ll find on the market today. It provides you with maximum reliability, flexibility and security, as it allows you to rent an entire physical server from the hosting provider that won’t be shared with any other customers.
This hosting solution is often used by larger businesses, as well as anybody else who is building a website that requires a lot of server resources to operate.
Conclusion
Host4u provides a variety of web hosting solutions to businesses and individuals, including dedicated hosting.
We have several dedicated hosting plans to choose from, ensuring that everyone who needs a powerful and reliable hosting solution can find a server that meets both their needs and their budget.
For more information on our dedicated hosting products, you can get in touch with our sales team by phone, email and live chat on our website!
Originally published at https://www.auhost4u.com on May 18, 2020.
