How do you know which type of server is the ideal model for your business? This is a common and recurring question among most those responsible for a company’s IT area.
For those who are still looking for an appropriate solution for the organization’s realities, it is necessary to understand, first of all, that although the purpose is the same, hosting services are varied, each with its different resources and particularities.
It is for this reason that you must be careful when choosing your server. Otherwise, you could end up with a lot of headaches.
With this in mind, we prepared this article to present the main types of servers on the market and, thus, help you with your choice. Continue reading and check it out.
Shared Server
The most popular and economical among all the options, the shared server is one, as the name suggests, that shares its resources among hundreds (or even thousands) of users.
To make it easier to understand, imagine that the internet is a city and that websites and applications refer to families. These, in turn, need a house to live in. In this analogy, the property corresponds to the server, the place where you and your family would stay and receive your friends and relatives (visitors).
In the context of shared servers, we can compare them to a building, in which there are several residents, each with their apartment. If they want, they can fill it with people and throw a big party. However, they will likely be fined and penalized for not respecting condominium rules.
This is precisely how a shared server works: you have your own private space, but you will have to share the general resources and respect the determinations established by the hosting provider.
This model is only suitable for those who have a small to medium website in terms of volume of visits. Smaller online stores can also join it, as long as they apply the SSL security certificate.
Dedicated server
To continue, nothing better than talking about dedicated servers. While shared accommodation is compared to living in an apartment with numerous neighbors, here, it is as if you were opting for a house all to yourself, with a large plot of land and not belonging to a condominium.
When opting for dedicated hosting, you will rent your server. The space is yours alone, as are all the resources that surround it. However, being alone, it is natural that a series of commitments are imposed.
In this sense, it is you who will define the software and hardware settings. On the shared server, this task is the responsibility of the suppliers. It’s as if you chose the size of the pool, the trees in the garden, and the characteristics and possibilities of your party area.
In a building (shared server) this is not possible, as the construction company (hosting provider) determines the configuration.
A dedicated server is the best alternative for anyone who has a blog, website, e-commerce, or any other web application that attracts a significant number of visitors: it is also used for hosting resale.
Organizations that wish to implement an intranet will be able to rely on this solution to operate their systems and make their reports available to all their employees, regardless of geographic location.
VPS server
Another one among the main types of servers is VPS, which stands for Virtual Private Server. To improve your understanding of it, we will highlight the terms individually:
- virtual (environment created by software, not physical);
- private (restricted use);
- server (location for storing data and files).
That said, we will base the explanation of VPS on its comparison with shared servers and dedicated servers. First, the physical equipment will host several websites, dividing its resources between you and other customers.
In the second, the equipment may even be the same, however, it will be used exclusively for your company. At this juncture, it is unequivocal that the shared server is less powerful than the dedicated one.
This issue is also seen in the value of the services: shared hosting has somewhat cheaper costs.
Given this, you must be wondering where VPS fits in, right? Well, the answer is simple: in the middle. This means that the Virtual Private Server is an intermediate model.
Think of it as a condominium house. You would have more privacy compared to apartments, but you would still have to share some common areas. VPS is an excellent option for medium-sized websites/blogs and online stores.
Cloud Server
Finally, we’ll talk a little about cloud hosting, which can be described as a data storage service made available through virtual servers and the Internet.
Interestingly, you know that servers are located on different computers. In the other types described above, they are located on only a single machine.
This difference brings considerable advantages, as by distributing processing, it is possible to reduce the load on the equipment and, consequently, increase its performance capacity.
The largest suppliers are capable of creating supercomputers, capable of processing an enormous amount of information. Sometimes, a cloud server can outperform even a dedicated server.
As your indication, a cloud server is not for everyone. Those who still cannot attract a high volume of traffic can remain on shared hosting. However, if the number of visitors is growing at a rapid pace, this is one of the most suitable types of servers.
To conclude, it is important to clarify that, before making your choice, know your needs. Don’t forget to research the providers’ reputation. Analyze the resources, technical support, values, control panels offered, and other functionalities involved in this field.
If you want to know the types of servers in a more practical and in-depth way, contact us. We are ready to answer all your questions!
