One of the most critical aspects of developing websites and other special applications is the web hosting. Choosing the best web hosting is the first step in the website development. It’s very important for your sites to be online ALL THE TIME,  and readily available technical support is equally as important.

I will first identify your three major options, they are shared hosting (most common), dedicated server and virtual private server (VPS) hosting. Each has their own list of pros and cons and often-times one may be more ideal than the next, depending on the client and/or project.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is by far the most common, primarily because it’s managed by the hosting company, easy to use and most economical. With this web hosting solution, the website is hosted on the same server as many other sites, sharing the same IP address. The benefits, as mentioned, are cost and ease of use but there are certainly drawbacks.

Shared web hosting tends to bog down during peak usage times because all the sites are grouped together, there is also a lack of control over advanced hosting options. The biggest concern (in my opinion) is that your site is grouped with “other” sites, which you may not want to be affiliated with, this can affect SEO as well.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting

Virtual Private Server is like a shared hosting, with quite a bit more flexibility and more features. The VPS is a setup where users share the server with other clients, but each client has a small operation system that can be rebooted and managed independently. The owner of the VPS has complete control over which sites are placed where and how much space and bandwidth they may consume.

VPS web hosting is an ideal way for website developers to develop passive income. Each client will require hosting, it’s a very easy sell (personal experience). There are also scenarios where one might choose an entire VPS just for one large project which demands absolute control.

Dedicated Server(s)

A dedicated web server means that data of your website is not shared on the same machine as other clients. This means that you can develop custom software applications and security enhancements unique to your scenario. This is a very good option when your business website need some specific requirements. You also benefit the full resource of the high performance server, while don’t need to share it whit other clients, that can consume the processor and space.

A dedicated server is not limited to one single website, it allow to host all your websites on the same machine. With this option you will reduce the costs, all sites can be managed form one single account, and can concentrate more on other strategies of your configuration.

Using dedicated web host, your website affords a great deal more security. You will reduce the risk of the attacks and can offer a higher level of trust and protection.

The only problem is the cost, dedicated web hosting is the best solution, making it the most expensive.