Types of Website Hosting

Types of web hosting include: free hosting, virtual (shared) hosting, or dedicated hosting.

Free hosting

Some service providers offer free website hosting.

Free hosting is suitable for small, low-traffic sites, such as personal websites. However, it is not recommended to use free hosting for high-traffic or commercial websites because there are often technical limitations and few options to choose from.

Typically, you cannot use your own domain on free hosting and must use the address provided by the host, similar to this: http://www.freesite/users/~yoursite.htm. Such a URL is difficult to write, difficult to remember, and not very professional.

Advantages Disadvantages
Low cost. Free No domain name.
Suitable for home, hobbyist businesses, or personal websites. Minimal, limited, or no software options.
Free email is usually provided. Limited security options.
　 Limited or no database support
　 Limited technical support

Shared hosting (virtual hosting)

Virtual hosts are the most common and most cost-effective.

If you use a virtual host, your website, along with perhaps 100 other websites, will be stored on the same high-performance server. On a virtual host, each website can use its own domain name.

Virtual hosts usually provide a variety of software solutions, such as email, databases, and many different editing options. Technical support is often quite good.

Advantages Disadvantages
Low cost. Sharing expenses with other users. Reduced security due to many sites on a single server.
Suitable for small businesses and moderate traffic. Limited traffic.
Multiple software options. Limited database support.
Your own domain. Limited software support.
Good service support. 　

Dedicated Hosting

You can store your website on a dedicated server through the dedicated hosting service.

Dedicated hosting is the most expensive type of hosting. This solution is suitable for large high-traffic websites and websites that use special software.

Dedicated hosting has strong performance and is also very secure, and the software solutions are almost unlimited.

Advantages Disadvantages
Suitable for large commercial websites. Expensive.
Suitable for high-traffic websites. Higher technical requirements.
Can use multiple domain names. 　
Strong email solutions. 　
Strong database support. 　
Strong (unlimited) software support. 　

Hosted Hosting

This solution is to place your own server with the service provider.

This is very similar to running your own server in your own office, the difference being that the server is placed in a place specially designed for it.

Most providers have dedicated data center resources, such as high security against deliberate destruction, uninterrupted power supply, dedicated Internet connection, etc.

Advantages Disadvantages
High bandwidth. Expensive
High uptime. Higher technical requirements.
High security. Difficult to set up and fix vulnerabilities.
Unlimited software options. 　

Your List

Before you choose a website hosting, please first determine the following items:

  • Hosting types that meet your current needs
  • Cost-performance ratio of hosting types
  • Can you upgrade to a better server
  • Can you upgrade to a dedicated server if needed

Before you sign a contract with a hosting provider, you can visit other websites on their server to get a feel for their internet speed. At the same time, compare the other websites with your website to see if you also have the same needs. It's also a good practice to communicate with other users.