When it comes to selecting a host for their website, many people find they must choose between cloud hosting and server hosting. If you’re unsure of the advantages and disadvantages of either, it may be important to familiarize yourself with them, before deciding on which best suits your needs.

Cloud hosting and server hosting represent the two most widely used hosting services available today. Cloud hosting is the newer of the two, and has generated a great deal of attention in recent years. Server hosting is the traditional platform for publishing a website,and remains the more popular of the two forms. The two forms of hosting come with different features and costs.

What is Server Hosting?

When looking at cloud hosting vs. server hosting, you will see that server hosting is the traditional format used to allow customers to post information on the Internet. The information that is posted can include a variety of forms.

• Websites
• Photo
• Games
• Work files

With traditional server hosting, the information is sent to a machine or “server” where it is stored. The server can be dedicated, meaning only one client uses it, or shared, meaning that several clients use the same server. The more space or “bandwidth” on the server that you purchase, the more information you can post on the Internet.

What is Cloud Hosting?

Cloud hosting is a relatively new hosting format. When deciding between cloud hosting vs. server hosting, you’ll discover that the cloud platform involves placing the information required to maintain a website or other Internet-bound file on several servers rather than one.

Cloud hosting has several advantages.

• Less website downtime
• More bandwidth
• Instant backup

Using several servers joined together (nicknamed “the cloud”) has become a popular choice for several major Internet operators for the reasons listed above. Google, for instance, operates its search engine on a cloud-based network and rarely, if ever, suffers any downtime because of it.

Deciding Between Cloud and Server Hosting

If you are deciding between cloud hosting vs. server hosting, there are several factors to consider.

• Cost
• Reliability
• Bandwidth
• Access

Because cloud hosting is considered more reliable than standard server hosting, the cost is generally higher. While cloud computing may cost more, it is accepted to be more reliable, since the information needed to run the website is spread across more than one server. If one cloud server goes down, others can continue working, meaning little downtime to effect the productivity of your business. Server hosting, meanwhile, lets the website creator have more control over their site’s maintenance.

Both offer specific advantages and benefits that can be tailored to your specific needs. Your budget, as well as the amount of information you wish to post on the Internet, will determine your choice between cloud hosting and server hosting.

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