Cloud Hosting: the Pros and Cons

Cloud Hosting: Flexible Choice Between Dedicated Server and Shared Server

Cloud hosting provides a flexible intermediate solution between dedicated and shared servers, combining scalability, high availability and potential performance improvements. Its working principle is to distribute data across multiple servers, thereby reducing the risk of downtime due to hardware failures.

Pros and cons of cloud hosting

While cloud hosting has many advantages, it may be more expensive than traditional hosting, especially for high traffic sites or sites that require a lot of storage space. Due to the distributed nature of data, there are also potential security risks, although most providers provide strong security measures.

The cloud hosting industry is still developing, the types of services are increasing, and the market environment is constantly changing. When choosing a cloud hosting provider, be sure to carefully consider factors such as cost, scalability, security, and customer support.

This article is part of a series of articles created in collaboration with SiteGround. Thank you for your support for the partners who made SitePoint possible.

We recently discussed two types of hosting services:

• Special Server: You own/rental one or more servers from the hosting data center for your exclusive use.
• Share server: You rent the space and processing power on the server, which may also be used by many other companies and websites.

Usually, dedicated servers are usually more flexible and you can configure them according to your wishes. Shared servers may offer fewer options, but are easier to manage and are generally less expensive. Cloud hosting can strike a good balance between the two and bring other benefits. Let's discuss terms and concepts before we further discuss them.

What is cloud?

"Cloud" and "Cloud Computing" are buzzwords for online marketing. That's all. Instead of buying software and storing data on your PC’s hard drive, you can use online applications. The application usually runs on a web server and stores data while displaying the interface in a web browser. In other words, you can access the software on demand and share computing resources with others. Web applications can be hosted on shared servers or dedicated servers, but scaling can become difficult. Maybe the app handles 50 concurrent users well, but how does it deal with 1000 users? How quickly can you migrate to a better service or server? What happens if the user needs to return to normal levels in a few hours?

What is cloud hosting?

Cloud hosting allows rapid provisioning of resources on demand. You can quickly add more processor, RAM, or disk capacity, and hosters like SiteGround can automatically scale based on peak traffic. Automatic scaling is a great option for short-term events (you know there will be huge traffic during a specific event). In these cases, when traffic increases, additional resources will be automatically added, so you don't need to worry about it.

Technology varies, but most cloud hosting relies on virtual machines.

What is a virtual machine?

You may have encountered an emulator that reproduces another computing device on one computing device. For example, Internet Archives allows you to play old arcade games in your browser, run Windows 3.1, or Apple Macintosh. It is important to understand that these are original systems that have never been obtained with disks and ROM chips - they are not faithful reproductions. The hardware is being simulated. Legacy software might say "Show this image on the screen" - in the above example, the directive is intercepted by JavaScript, converted to HTML5 canvas code, and returns the appropriate response. The software believes it is running on a compatible device. Virtual Machines (VMs) are a similar concept. Software such as VMware, VirtualBox and Hyper-V use software-driven standard hardware reproduction to simulate a PC on a PC. So you can run any guest OS "inside" any other OS. Therefore, cloud hosts can provide a virtual machine that is functionally the same as a dedicated server. However, they are just emulating data files of real servers, so they have several practical implications:

Virtual servers can be created, installed, and configured in seconds.

1. Virtual server is just data. It can be easily cloned, backed, rolled back or moved elsewhere.
2. Simplifies development and deployment. The same image can be used in development, staging and production environments. It's easy to test and undo alternative configurations.
3. Web applications can run in their own virtual operating system image. The second application can use another virtual machine; there is no risk of conflict or difficulties brought by different technology stacks.
4. Processing, RAM and storage are no longer bound to real devices. The VM can be deployed to a farm, which can automatically allocate resources as needed.
5. The risk of failure is greatly reduced because the operating system does not run on real hardware.

Does all cloud hosts work the same way?

No. Most cloud hosts use some kind of virtual machine architecture, but the services may vary. For example:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Probably the closest to dedicated hosting, IaaS provides virtualization facilities, but you choose your own operating system, install the software stack, and keep it updated.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): Probably the closest to shared hosting, PaaS provides a specific platform for running specific types of applications.
• Software as a Service (SaaS): Usually on-demand software. For example, you can use third-party services to store data instead of maintaining your own MySQL installation.
• Serverless or Function-as-a-Service (FaaS): An abstract application environment that manages logic and state. You can write functions or microservices that use the architecture without worrying about the underlying software.

Not all services fall well into one of these categories!

Pros and cons of cloud hosting

My previous article examined ease of use, flexibility and functionality, security and security when comparing dedicated and shared servers. These are not very relevant to cloud hosting, as services will determine these factors. For example, cloud hosting can be as difficult as unmanaged dedicated servers, or as easy as the simplest shared server solution. It depends on you. This leaves us with three other indicators...

Performance

Cloud hosts can automatically allocate resources as traffic increases, although this will depend on your host and service plan. Some may apply specific restrictions, although the amount of CPU, RAM, and disk space can usually be upgraded. Hosts like SiteGround can apply new restrictions without restarting.

Reliability

Both dedicated servers and shared servers fail. Hosting chambers take precautions to minimize risk, but overheating of CPU or corruption of disks can cause system crashes. Cloud services have low dependence on real hardware. Processing can be shared between multiple servers; failures can still occur, but your website or application is still active.

Cost

Cloud hosting is usually compared to utilities such as gas, electricity, or water: you only have to pay for the use. In fact, it is often more complex, and pricing incurs a mixed fee of fixed and variable rates. Your monthly payment may vary greatly from one month.

Who should choose cloud hosting?

In the long run, I suspect cloud hosting will replace shared and dedicated server plans. Whether they realize it or not, everyone will use the cloud service. In other words, the cloud hosting industry is still in its infancy. The types of services are growing exponentially, and the market is changing every day. When services cannot be compared directly and the costs are unknown before you start hosting, choosing the right plan for your business can be difficult. Some hosting providers promote cloud services between shared hosting plans and dedicated hosting plans. Maybe this is the best choice right now. Consider using cloud services when you go beyond the limits of shared hosting.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cloud Hosting

What are the main advantages of cloud hosting?

Cloud hosting provides several advantages over traditional hosting. First, it provides scalability, allowing you to easily increase or decrease resources according to your needs. This flexibility can save you money because you only have to pay for the cost of using it. Secondly, cloud hosting provides high availability and reliability. Since your data is distributed across multiple servers, if one server fails, your website will not go down because the load will be transferred to other servers. Finally, cloud hosting can use multiple servers to deliver content, providing better performance and speed.

What are the disadvantages of cloud hosting?

While cloud hosting offers many benefits, it also has some potential drawbacks. One of the main problems is cost. While you only have to pay for the use, the cost can increase rapidly if your website receives a lot of traffic or if you need a lot of storage space. In addition, there may be potential security risks. While most cloud hosting providers offer strong security measures, the fact that your data is distributed can make it more vulnerable to certain types of attacks.

How is cloud hosting compared to traditional hosting?

Traditional hosting usually involves renting space on a single server. With cloud hosting, your website is hosted on a server network. This provides greater flexibility and scalability as you can easily adjust resources according to your needs. However, this can also make cloud hosting more expensive than traditional hosting, especially for websites with higher traffic or storage requirements.

Is cloud hosting suitable for all types of websites?

Cloud hosting is a good choice for many types of websites, especially those with changing traffic. For example, e-commerce websites, news websites, and social media websites can benefit from the scalability of cloud hosting. However, traditional hosting may be more cost-effective for smaller websites with stable traffic.

What should I look for in a cloud hosting provider?

When choosing a cloud hosting provider, consider factors such as cost, scalability, security, and customer support. Find providers that offer flexible pricing plans, strong security measures and 24/7 customer support. Also, consider the reputation of the provider and read other customers’ reviews.

How does cloud hosting affect website performance?

Cloud hosting can improve website performance by spreading the load across multiple servers. This can lead to faster load times, especially for websites with higher traffic. Additionally, if one server fails, your website will not go down because the load will be transferred to other servers.

Is cloud hosting safe?

While cloud hosting may be more vulnerable to certain types of attacks, most providers offer powerful security measures to protect your data. This may include encryption, firewalls, and regular backups. However, it is important to understand the security measures and strategies of your provider before choosing a cloud hosting service.

Can I switch from traditional hosting to cloud hosting?

Yes, you can switch from traditional hosting to cloud hosting. However, this process can be complex and may require technical expertise. Be sure to plan the migration carefully to minimize downtime and ensure all data is transferred correctly.

What is the pricing mechanism of cloud hosting?

With cloud hosting, you usually only have to pay for the use. This means the cost may vary depending on your resource usage. Some providers offer pay-as-you-can-eat pricing, while others offer tiered pricing plans based on resource constraints.

What is the future of cloud hosting?

The future of cloud hosting looks promising and is expected to continue to grow in the next few years. As technology advances, we can expect improvements in areas such as security, performance and scalability. Additionally, as more businesses recognize the benefits of cloud hosting, demand for these services may increase.

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