Shared Hosting Advantages and Disadvantages

Shared web hosting (also called virtual hosting) is a form of web hosting service where more than one instance of the same web server is hosted on a single physical server. This is generally a very economical option for hosting as many people share the overall cost of server maintenance. In virtual hosting, the loading time of web page depends on other websites sharing that server. For this reason it is mostly preferred for small websites.

One important feature of shared web hosting services is system administration. The Internet based control panel systems are cPanel, Plesk, H-Sphere, Sphera and Ensim. The shared web hosting provider manages and controls the server, protection updates, the installation of the server software, and every other detail within the service.

Shared web hosting can be implemented in two ways. The first is the name-based shared IP hosting. In this case, the web host controls multiple websites on a single server and uses the same IP address. The second is dedicated IP hosting. In this case, the web host uses varied IP addresses.

If your website has low traffic requirements, shared web hosting can be a sound choice.

However, name-based shared web hosts have some disadvantages:

They won't work with browsers, which don't send the host name as a part of requests
They don't support secure websites properly. All name-based shared hosts using the same IP address have to share the same digital certificate
If the domain name system is malfunctioning, it's more difficult to use a name-based virtually hosted website

Shared Hosting Plans

You can effortlessly find an affordable shared hosting plan. The cost of virtual hosting is very inexpensive as compared to the dedicated server. This type of hosting is perfect for small sized websites. The plans can cost less than $10 per month and carry interesting features, and sometimes a free domain listing.

There are numerous websites that can offer you a breakdown of shared hosting plans that will suit your business requirements.

As a rule, shared web hosting plans allow you to have more than 1 domain per shared web hosting account with a predetermined hard disk space and bandwidth. The cost is usually pretty low. You only need to pay about $3-$10 per month.