Ever wonder what the differences are between hosting services? Do you want to host a website or an app on the cloud? Do you want to try out a new blogging platform? Maybe you’re looking to host a multiplayer game or a forum with many different themes and styles? Perhaps you want to create a store or a booking platform for events?
Whatever your reasons for wanting a new hosting service, you’ll need to do some research to find out what is right for your needs. Luckily for you, we’re here to help with our review of the most popular hosting services available today.
Features
When it comes to hosting services, you’ll usually need to focus on three major areas: features, pricing, and reliability. Let’s look at each of these areas in more detail.
First off, features. What exactly do you need to host a website or an app successfully? You’ll need a server with PHP 7.1 or higher, for example, and you’ll want to make sure that MySQL, Apache 2, and mongodb are all installed and ready to go. You’ll also need to think about the storage space you need to support your site. Do you need a huge amount of space to store all your photos for instance?
Features will vary from one hosting service to another but you can typically expect to find the following: SSH access, PHP, MySQL, and mongodb installation, domain name ownership, free backups, free domain privacy, no lock-in, etc.
Now let’s discuss pricing. When you’re hosting on the cheap, you’ll typically want to focus on keeping costs to a minimum. You won’t need the most expensive hosting service offered by a certain company to host your website or app successfully. As a beginner, it’s generally recommended to start out with shared hosting until you can afford to upgrade.
This is because shared hosting is often very affordable (especially when compared to other hosting types) and it gives you the ability to try out different services without having to spend too much money. Most web hosts will give you at least three days free trial so you can test out their services without having to commit to a long-term contract. Once you’ve tried their service, you can always purchase a plan should you decide this is what you want.
Reliability
This is important because you don’t want to host your site or app on a service that is unreliable. This can easily happen if you’re hosted in a data center that is experiencing performance issues or going through maintenance at the time when your site is experiencing a significant amount of traffic. In many cases, the hosting service is not able to handle the high demand and as a result, your site can become instantly unreachable for users.
When selecting a web host, it’s important to look for signs of reliability such as 24/7 customer support, a money-back guarantee, and a free backup service. Also, check out their performance metrics because this will give you an idea of how well their datacenter is performing (Amazon has great metrics).
Security
Last but not least, let’s talk about security. You don’t want to host your site or app on a service that is not secure. Hackers are always on the search for websites and apps that are vulnerable so if your site or app is not secure, it’s only a matter of time before hackers are able to illegally access your personal information. If you’re worried about whether or not your website or app is secure, check out their terms of service and privacy policies for details.
As you can see, the security area is closely tied to the reliability area. For example, if you’re wondering whether or not to choose a shared hosting service or to go with a VPS, you should ask yourself whether or not the host is CERTIFIED ISO 27001:2013 Competent Enterprise Security Assessor (CISA) or has been certified by one of the other security certifying bodies. Should your site or app be storing customer credit card information or other types of sensitive information, you should look for a service that is PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant.
Final Takeaway
Hopefully, this article has helped you figure out what are the differences between hosting services and why you should care. When it comes to hosting your website or app, it’s important to look for features, pricing, and reliability. In many cases, the cheapest hosting service available may not be the best option if you’re looking for reliability and security. This is because cheaper hosts are generally shared and as a result, you won’t have the resources you need to ensure reliability and security.
Shared hosting can be a great option if you’re just starting out or if budget is no object. Just remember that the cheaper the better doesn’t always apply when it comes to reliability and security. As a beginner, you may want to start out with the cheapest shared hosting option available and then you can always upgrade later on if needed.