Shared web hosting is a cheap way to host your websites if your websites do not need very high performance and bandwidth. In shared web hosting, the web hosting server is actually shared by many websites. Number of domain on one shared web hosting server can be thousands. It is because the web hosting cost is shared by many websites, the web hosting cost is cheap and affordable.
The administrations of shared web hosting are all managed by the web hosting provider with professional skills. Shared hosting web servers are monitored by IT professionals of the web hosting provider to minimize downtimes.
Shared hosting servers are always run on Linux web hosting platform and each website hosted on the web hosting server is given a separate web hosting account. All websites hosted on the same shared web hosting servers have the same IP address.
Advantages of Shared Web Hosting
- Cheap web hosting cost
Since many websites are hosted on the same web hosting server, web hosting price are really affordable when it is shared by all websites. The average cost of shared web hosting is below $5 per month today. Many shared web hosting plans now have unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth, you can also host more domains to fully unitize all resources.
- No technical experience is needed
Since shared web hosting servers are fully managed by IT professionals employed by the web hosting provider, you can focus on your own business without worry about maintenance of your own web hosting server.
- Easy management of websites
In the shared web hosting environment, webmasters can manage their websites by web hosting control panel provided by the web hosting company. Webmasters can upload files, remove files, add database, check web statistic, etc.
Disadvantages of Shared Web Hosting
- Slower Responses time
Since shared web hosting server can host many domains, response time will be slower than dedicate server or virtual private server (VPS).
- Reliability
If one websites hosted on the shared web hosting server install bug program or script, it can bring down the whole web hosting server. All websites on the same shared web hosting server will be down.
- Sharing The Same IP
Moreover, even if just one website in your shared web server got banned by ISP or search engine all websites in the same shared web hosting server will be banned as a result because they are all sharing the same IP address. Although you may solve this problem by just buying a dedicated IP.
Before you decide to purchase a shared web hosting plan, you should understand more of your own needs so that you can find out the best web hosting solution for yourself.
Featured Shared Web Hosting Article
Web Hosting with Linux / UNIX Base
If a web hosting server is offering to host your website on a Linux/Unix base, it means that they are using a Linux/Unix operating system platform, which makes it compatible with either system that you could be using on your own computer. It is not only an updated version, it is also a version that has been made simpler, and user friendly that even if you are new to website building, you will be able to use and understand the programs. The more experienced user will have control of their site because of the "shell" structure.
Is it Reliable?
The common consensus seems to be that it is, but of course that will still depend on the human factor, i.e., the human doing the administration on the system. The system itself does not have bugs and is pretty consistent in keeping your site dependable.
What Functions Does It Support?
The Linux system does not only support a lot of functions, it can handle multiple processes at the same time. That means that you can get more things done from your website, and you can expect more from your server.
What Are the Scripting Languages for it?
This is another advantage that this operating system has, because it can support a lot of application languages when compared to other operating systems, such as C, C+, Shell, Perl, Tcl, Python, Java and PHP.
What Databases Does it Support?
As of print, there are two databases for Unix, mSQL and mySQL. So before signing up, make sure that you and your web hosting provider are on the same page because they might not be using that same database platform. Since there are only 2 choices, there are equal odds that they may not be the same.
How Much Will It Cost?
Linux is the brainchild of Linus Torvalds as an alternative operating system to the ones available in the market. He does get a lot of help from specialists from all around the globe, and the best thing about it is that they share one passion, and that is to be able to give the public choices that would not cost them their entire life's savings. In fact a lot of Linux systems are free (the most popular ones are RedHat and Mandrake) and are easily downloadable from their site. This makes servers that have Linux based operating systems are a lot less expensive, but can still offer a lot of functionality and are pretty reliable as well.
Is it a Good Alternative?
Again, the general opinion is that it is. Most times when you opt for something cheaper, or when you get something for free, it would necessarily mean that you will also have to sacrifice something in return. But the Linux system can offer everything that its competitors can, and sometimes even perform better. Add that to the fact that it is easy to use, stable and reliable and that with the Shell and Telnet access, the possibilities for upgrading is almost endless, it may not just be an alternative, but in the end, the better choice.