There are a ton of websites on the Internet with more being added every day and are just set up in a matter of hours. With the digital age, most of the work is done over the net and on websites. So how to select the best web hosting plan for your website? Well look no further, we are going to provide insight on both Shared Hosting and Reseller Hosting, their comparison, their pros and cons, to help you decide which web hosting would suit your needs better.
What is Shared Hosting:
Shared hosting plans are for single users. In shared hosting, many websites are hosted over the same server and all you have to do is set up a shared hosting account, complete the formalities, and get your website online. The user only has to take care of the design of the website, email management, domains, etc. The hosting is split between different users, set up with shared accounts and managed mostly by the web hosting company. However, there is no reselling of the services here like in Reselling Hosting, which you will read about further. A single control panel is provided in the case of shared hosting, most commonly the cPanel which provides you various tools and features.
Shared Hosting Pros:
Although you share resources with other websites, you are provided with a cPanel control panel the tools for managing media, site statistics, mail accounts, and adding SSL security to your website. The provider takes care of the website management so you can focus your time on the website or business.
The main advantage of Shared Hosting is that it is minimal. Many shared hosting servers provide unmetered connections because most user websites never breach the cap.
You can also use the “Add-on Domain” feature in shared hosting to add other domains to host them on the same server. You are also provided with disk space and bandwidth which is adequate for your website.
Shared Hosting Cons:
Your website may crash despite the measures taken by the host if there are a lot of websites being hosted on a singular server.
Since many websites are sharing the same server, an SQL injection attack on one might affect all the other websites and files on the server which raises a big security concern as the storage and server are common.
If there is a sudden increase in traffic of one or more of the websites on the server, it might impact the performance of your website even if it has moderate traffic.
What is Reseller Hosting:
Reseller Hosting involves reselling from the hosting plan. It allows you to sell the resources provided by the hosting company as your own. You can create multiple shared accounts under one master account to control everything. This means, making more money on the side via reseller hosting, and more control over the resources. Reseller hosting also has multiple control panels for client accounts as well as a WHM that allows you to create seller accounts, set addresses, admin controls, custom features for specific clients, and additional tools.
Reseller Hosting Pros:
Reseller Hosting offers better flexibility and moderate investment. You can also sell Dedicated IPs, SSL Certificates, Domains, VPS Hosting, etc. All of which generate additional income without the responsibility of server management.
Server maintenance is included in the host service package itself. So the host provides damage cover and covers maintenance.
You have better control and personalization options such as themes and UI of the Control Panel.
Reseller Hosting Cons:
You can resell the server but it is owned by the web hosting service so you have limited access in some regards.
In the case of hosting provider migration, problems arise while shifting the complete data of the clients because there is multiple.
Shared Hosting vs Reseller Hosting
The comparisons below provide an even better perspective for you to choose the right hosting service for you.
•Users:
Shared Hosting is better for business owners or individuals who are just looking to put a website up with the minimum hassle. The hosting service takes care of almost everything and the user just has to focus on the design of the website, domains, email system and the business.
Reseller Hosting on the other hand is more suited to entrepreneurs with multiple businesses, developers with multiple clients and so on. You get control of server settings and domains as you purchase a certain bandwidth from the host and resell it according to your purposes. You also get a selection of billing tools along with host security measures and accountability.
•Security:
Server hosting uses sharing of resources such as bandwidth, RAM, memory, etc. If one of the shared websites on the server faces a security threat, all the websites on the server might, due to the shared resources.
The resources by the hosting company are generally more than enough for handling the user website’s needs. If you are looking to manage multiple websites with individual security and risk management, reseller hosting is the better option.
•Hosted Websites:
Shared Hosting allows you to have only one website per user. Some hosts do allow additional websites for a single user, which might be a paid service. The user can allocate resources according to the need but should be cautious to not raise any problems for the host.
Resellers can host multiple websites for a single user and also get the added benefit of name servers. The name servers simplify the management and also make navigating the domain easy.
•Management:
The amount of control a user has over the system depends upon the management provided. Shared Hosting gives the users a cPanel to manage SSL, domains, FTP, databases, backups, and also additional software such as WordPress.
The Reseller Hosting provides the user with a WHM (Web Host Manager) that provides all the features of the cPanel along with additional ones such as managing server, accounts, server alerts, granting and revoking authorizations, generating and installing SSL certificates, and limiting user bandwidth.
•Pricing-
The pricing for shared hosting is generally cheap even if you are using up a lot of resources of the host. The reseller hosting option is a bit costlier than the shared one because of the reseller option and added management. But this cost might be non-existent if you resell the resources for extra profits.
Verdict: Which one is better for you, Shared Hosting or Reseller Hosting?
After taking a look at all the factors, the advantages and disadvantages or both, and a detailed comparison. The choice of selecting the right one comes right on to the amount of control and management you require and the usage requirements of your website.
If you are an individual, a business owner, you will benefit from the Shared Hosting as it takes care of resources, security, management, etc. You have more time to focus on running the website and your business.
If you are a user who manages multiple websites or a developer with multiple clients, Reseller Hosting is better suited to your needs as it provides you with a better management panel, potential for extra income, control over bandwidth and resource distribution among different websites, personalized names for servers, limit usage, and so on.
Conclusion:
Both Shared and Reseller hosting services have their own pros and cons. It all comes down to the client's needs and how much control they want over their services. TLDR: Go for Shared Hosting if you are an individual or have a single site to manage. Otherwise, opt for Reseller Hosting for better management of multiple sites and clients for business.
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