Lets look at how cloud hosting works and the benefits you might gain from it.
What is cloud hosting and how does it work?
This is different from regular web hosting, which stores your website on a single physical server.
Cloud hosting offers several benefits over regular web hosting:
The one drawback of cloud hosting is its price.
This makes cloud hosting inaccessible for users trying to create a hobby site.
Both involve dividing physical servers into smaller virtual servers with dedicated resources to ensure fast, reliable performance.
Both typically provide more storage than shared hosting and some level of server customization.
To scale VPS hosting, it’s crucial that you upgrade the server itself.
Cloud-based hosting isnt true cloud hosting
You may run into the term cloud-based hosting during your search.
This isnt actually cloud hosting.
Instead, its regular shared, WordPress or VPS hosting that uses a single secure virtual server.
Many hosts use the term cloud hosting to refer to cloud-based hosting plans.
For example,HostArmadalists Cloud Shared Hosting and Cloud WordPress Hosting on its site.
Types of cloud hosting
Standard cloud hosting
Traditional web hosts likeHostingeroffer standard cloud hosting plans.
This pricing model can be much easier for first-time website owners to navigate than modular cloud hosting.
However, you cant buy individual resources to scale your site as your traffic or storage needs increase.
Modular cloud hosting
Modular cloud hosting comes from companies likeGoogle CloudorAmazon Web Services.
You pay for the exact resources you need, nothing more, often starting at $5 a month.
This pricing model can be more convenient and cost-effective if you fully understand all of the technical terms involved.
However, modular cloud hosting can be tricky to navigate if youre new to web hosting.
Some companies, likeSiteGround, offer modular pricing on top of standard cloud pricing.
This lets you customize your plan to meet your exact needs.
In SiteGrounds case, this means youll be paying at least $100 a month.
However, most website builders have somewhat limited options for design and functionality.
Content management systemsare tools for creating, organizing and maintaining blog posts and other website content.
The most popular CMS is WordPress,powering 43.4% of all websites.
However, some companies like Hostinger do let you use a proprietary website builder on their plans.
Some cloud web hosting companies use a mix of a proprietary account dashboard and the industry-standardcPanelto achieve this.
Other web hosting services, like Hostinger, use a proprietary server management tool instead of cPanel.
Some estimates even suggest that you’re able to host 1,000 small pages per gigabyte.
Most cloud web hosting services use solid state drive, orSSD, storage to ensure fast and reliable performance.
If the same 100 people view 10 pages, youll need 15GB of bandwidth.
However, some unmanaged cloud hosting plans may require you to set them up yourself.
Uptime
Uptime is the percentage of time your site spends online.
Site speed
Site speed is the number of seconds your site takes to load.
This includes configuring, securing and updating your servers operating system and other software.
The web host may also manage updates to your website builder or CMS.
Everything else is up to you, like installing security software.
Customer service reps should also be quick to respond and trained to deal with various hosting-related problems.
Youll also get tools for managing multiple sites, including agency-focused tools for creating client accounts and hosting packages.
All SiteGround sites are secured with SSL certification, firewall protection and DDoS protection.
SiteGround also uses a proprietary anti-bot system to block malicious traffic and other threats.
FourSiteGround managed cloud hosting plansuse the standard pricing model.
However, you cant make a smaller (or more affordable) plan than Jump Start.
You also cant get more than 5TB (enough for 5 million monthly visitors) of bandwidth.
Every Hostinger site receives SSL certification, firewall protection, enhanced DDoS protection and a malware scanner.
Notable features include SSL certification, real-time malware protection, brute force protection and blacklist monitoring/removal.
you’re able to use cPanel on ScalaHosting, but youll lose most of the benefits outlined above.
There are fourScalaHosting managed cloud hosting plans.
The most affordable option, Build No.
The most expensive plan, Build No.
What about Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services?
This makes cloud hosting a fantastic option for business websites, especially for businesses with large international audiences.
Cloud hosting FAQs
What is meant by cloud hosting?
Cloud hosting means your site will be hosted on several interconnected cloud servers.
This ensures fast, reliable performance for people all over the world.
What is the best cloud hosting provider?
Is Google Cloud hosting free?
There are also several perma-free Google Cloud computing products, but Google Cloud hosting isnt one of them.
How much does a cloud server cost?
A cloud server can cost anywhere from $8 a month to several hundred dollars per month.
Is AWS a cloud hosting service?
AWS, or Amazon Web Services, is an umbrella term for many web-based tools offered by Amazon.
This includes multiple types of cloud web hosting.
