Shared Hosting and Site Downtime
Posted on Monday, Jun 28, 2010 in "Security Issues"
The reliability of a hosting company is perhaps it’s most important attribute, as every other feature of the hosting account is useless without an active server. Some types of web hosting are more reliable than others, such as dedicated hosting which is considered one of the most reliable kinds of hosting accounts available. With shared hosting your site is hosted on a server with hundreds of other sites simultaneously. While this usually does not present problems, there are times when the server crashes or requires maintenance.
DDoS Attacks
Hacking attacks are prevalent in the hosting community, so it is important to pick a hosting plan that takes adequate security precautions. While most shared hosting accounts are hosted by companies which are generally reliable, there are a lot of independent resellers that are selling hosting accounts that are less than secure.
Since shared hosting accounts are the cheapest, they are more likely to be vulnerable. A DDoS attack is a simple yet effective attack that is capable of bringing down a server in a few minutes. The problem with shared hosting accounts is that a single site could be attacked, and as a result the entire server could go down, affecting all of the other unrelated sites on that server.
Server Maintenance
Shared web servers also require more maintenance, since there are many web sites hosted on the same server. In fact, in many cases the servers can be reset as much as three or four times per month. When the server is being reset the site goes down for about 30 minutes to a half an hour. This can create a very bad impression for site visitors that arrive during this time period. Using a VPS or dedicated server would minimize if not completely eliminate site down time, because the server is not being used by more than one person at a time.
Server Limitations
Aside from the above problems, shared web servers also have significant limitations due to the limited resources and diversified server usage. With so many sites using the same server it can be impossible to predict the reliability of the server. A traffic surge could occur at any time of the day, and that could result in a server crash that could debilitate all sites on the server in just a few seconds. These limitations are not a factor with hosting types such as VPS and dedicated hosting. Any serious site owner may want to consider another option with less limitations and more reliability when investigating prospective web hosting service providers. If you do decide to purchase a shared hosting account, then it is best to purchase from a reputable company.
Conclusion
Shared hosting accounts are perfect for novice webmasters with minimal needs, however they are not recommended for online business owners. If you want to keep your site visitors coming back then you need a reliable site that is online every 24 hours of the day.
