The main difference between the dedicated server and shared server is, shared servers host multiple sites whereas dedicated servers host only one site.
When it comes to selecting the right hosting for your website, a big question arises that is whether to choose a shared hosting or a dedicated hosting plan. Both have their own sets of pros and cons and both are great depending on your requirements. Both shared and dedicated servers use only one server to host the data of your site. Generally, when an internet user accesses your site, the server on which it is stored, sends data to them. So how are of these servers are different from one another?
The difference is, a shared server as the name suggests hosts multiple sites. That simply means, your website will be stored along with the other sites. On the other hand, a dedicated server is solely dedicated to a single site, meaning you’ll have the entire server space for yourself.
Let’s learn about the main differences between both types of servers and select the best option for your website.
Table of Contents
DEDICATED SERVER VS SHARED SERVER
Shared servers host multiple websites or users or accounts. In turn, dedicated servers are dedicated to only one user. In essence, the main difference between a dedicated or a shared hosting server is like living in an independent bungalow or a flat in an apartment. Both have their own benefits and shortcomings. Let’s take a look in to each server type by taking into account attributes such as management, flexibility, performance, scalability, security and of course, the cost.
MANAGEMENT
A shared server is perfect for the website owners who don’t have any experience or technical expertise to manage their server but want to have an effective online presence. With Shared hosting, you are given limited freedom to handle the server. This means you can’t customize any software configuration. You can only access cPanel where you can manage your databases, files, email accounts and a few basic server analytics. When the server goes down, you can always rely on the technicians who will fix your issues as quickly as possible.
On the other side, a dedicated server is perfect for the experts who have a good amount of experience and technical expertise to manage the server all by themselves. Additionally, you can use a dedicated server even when you’re not from a technical background as many providers offer plans based on your expertise.
Taking management a step further, some hosting providers offer a new type of hosting service, which is called a VPS (Virtual Private Server). Most hosting providers now offer a managed solution that basically takes care off all the technical tasks. If this is something that could be of interest to you, then read our “Do I really Need VPS Hosting“
PERFORMANCE
The performance of a website is the most important factor which decides its success. A high performing website helps in attracting new users, offering better user experience to the existing users and higher traffic conversions.
The good thing is, both shared and dedicated servers offer great performance in terms of speed. However , it varies from provider to provider. There are servers that offer 99.99% of uptime, but it depends on the service you’ve selected.
If we compare the performance of both server types, dedicated servers are slightly more reliable and faster. They offer additional resources like RAM, CPU etc. that are only devoted towards your site. With a shared server, you don’t know who your neighbor is and if any of their activity is affecting the performance of your site. Suppose if you have a traffic spike, a shared server will never be able to handle it due to limited resources but a dedicated server is always ready to deal with any size of traffic because the resources are to be used by a single user i.e you.
RESOURCES
A shared server means you’ll be sharing resources such as database, memory, CPU time and disk space with other users. These servers have a single cloud-based operating system which helps the users to use the available resources efficiently without having to wait. Each client is isolated in a secured environment where he can operate without any hassle. However, the only limitation is, if your site receives a higher volume of traffic, the limited resources of a shared server can’t handle it and hence it crashes down.
So, if your website is well-established and receives a large volume of traffic, Dedicated server is the best option for you. This is because resources are devoted to a single site and aren’t shared between multiple users. Moreover, both server hosting plans allow you to buy additional resources by paying a little extra. So again, you can ensure that your site runs smoothly without any hassle.
SECURITY
Security is the biggest concern of all website owners. A single cyberattack can completely destroy your business. From leaking your confidential data to unauthorized access to your account, there are many dangers to be worried about. Hence, it is very important to pay special attention to the security aspects of your site.
In terms of security, shared servers tend to be more exposed to the cyberattacks when compared to the dedicated servers. The reason is pretty obvious, a Shared server is shared between a number of users, which leads to security breaches.
If the security of your website is your main concern, then make sure to select a reputable and professional hosting provider who can protect your server from damage or break-ins.
FLEXIBILITY AND CUSTOMIZABILITY
Shared servers don’t offer any scope for customization. This means you can’t make any changes in your server, be it software configuration or any other thing. The reason behind is simple, the changes you make will be applied to all the sites that are hosted on that particular server. Talking about flexibility, some shared hosting plans offer flexibility features such as more cloud storage, more FTP users, more bandwidth etc.
On the other hand, dedicated servers offer complete customization. This is because the server is limited to a single user and he can make any customization according to his needs without worrying about the changes in neighboring sites. With a dedicated server, you can select any operating system of your choice, optimize the disk space or memory, optimize the bandwidth, configure the environment for running specific applications etc.
RELIABILITY
As a matter of fact, the chances of downtime and slowdowns are higher with shared servers. The reason could be incompatible neighbors – the websites on your server that receive massive traffic may slow down the speed of your site. For the same reason, you may have to wait for using the shared resources.
Dedicated servers are more reliable as they don’t offer any limitation and provide better uptimes and high speeds. For this reason, they are ideal for businesses that expect massive traffic.
SCALABILITY
In most cases, shared servers are not scalable. However, there are some hosting providers that allow their users to scale the bandwidth depending on the traffic they’re receiving. This means they don’t restrict the amount of data and traffic that flows between the web users and your site. If you choose the right hosting provider, your site can handle massive amounts of traffic even with a shared server, in such a case, the provider will move your site to another server where there is plenty of resources. Thus, the speed and performance of your site will be maintained.
Dedicated servers are generally more scalable than shared. This is because there is competition for using the resources. This quality makes them ready to accommodate higher growth of the site.
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS
Shared servers are very easy to manage and work with. This is because they are shared among multiple users and controlled by a hosting provider, who does all the back-end tasks. This means you don’t need to be a technical expert for using a shared server.
On the other hand, a dedicated server is managed and controlled by the user himself, hence you need to have a good technical background to be able to use and manage a dedicated server.
COST
Everyone wants to have the most reliable, fast and a secure server at a price that doesn’t burn holes in their pockets. But, nothing comes for free, you get what you pay for. In case of a shared server, the resources are shared between multiple users, hence the cost is low. On the other hand, a dedicated server is devoted to only one user and hence it comes at a higher cost.
In terms of cost, shared hosting is very affordable as compared to dedicated hosting. Generally, the pricing for shared hosting plans range from $1 to $22 per month, whereas the rates of dedicated hosting can be as high as $350 and sometimes even more depending upon your plan and service provider.
DEDICATED SERVER VS SHARED SERVER: WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
Both types of servers have their own set of pros and cons as we have discussed above.
If you’ve just created your site and don’t expect huge traffic, a shared server will be the best option for you. It doesn’t require any technical expertise and comes at an affordable price as well.
However, if you’re the owner of a well-established site, then a dedicated server is what you should go for. It might be a bit expensive but you get the freedom to customize your site according to your needs and don’t have to compete for the resources.