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Wondering what the difference is between
shared and virtual hosting? Truth be told, they are basically the
same thing. Virtual hosting is pretty much the old name for shared
hosting. In the old days shared hosting was more correctly called
"virtual server" meaning one actual server box acting like many to
serve individual web sites. But web hosts today will use the terms
synonymously.
What
is shared or virtual hosting?
The web hosts we list on
this site are all virtual or shared hosts. Shared hosting means you
do not have to go out and buy your own server boxes and set up an
elaborate system of servers, T3 connections, routers, back-up
generators, network monitors, and security guards for yourself. You
pay your web host a small monthly fee to to do all that to keep your
web site running, while you sit back and relax. Good deal, eh?
With shared hosting you do not own your own server box, you
share a server with the other users signed up with your web host.
Usually about 100-300 others will be hosted on a single server. A
bad host will neglect to monitor how much web space and bandwidth
their users use and will overload their servers with users. This can
cause your site to load very slowly or not at all. Our top ranked
hosts monitor the amount of users they place on each server so as
not to overload the system.
Dedicated Hosting or Collocation
Hosting are for those who need and can afford their own servers and
do not want to share with others. With dedicated hosting you rent
your own server and colocation hosting you own your own server.
Usually large businesses will choose either of these types of
hosting if their site is enormous or they have the manpower,
building space and knowledge to manage their own systems. For the
majority, however, shared hosting is the most efficient and
economical.
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