Cheap Web Hosting - Virtual Web Hosting - What Is Virtual Web Hosting?

Virtual Web Hosting - What Is Virtual Web Hosting?

Cheap Web Hosting!
Unmetered Traffic & Space
Unlimited Domains
Unbeatable Pricing
Unlimited Web Hosting

If your web site has outgrown its shared hosting solution, it may be time to move it to virtual hosting, which is often seen as a low cost alternative to getting your own dedicated server. A virtual server gives you most of the advantages of a dedicated server at a fraction of the price. The web hosting service takes advantage of the fact that few small to mid-size web sites need the full resources of a machine and puts several web sites on the same server.

But, you're thinking, that sounds like the shared hosting plan I'm using now. What's the difference, and why do I pay more for a virtual server?

While there are some similarities, there are also marked differences between shared web hosting and virtual server hosting. While a web hosting company puts multiple accounts on the same server in both kinds of hosting, the resources of the machine are portioned out differently.

On a shared hosting server, generally the cheapest kind of web hosting available, all the server resources go into a common pot. If one account gets 'greedy' and scoops out more than its share of CPU time, for example, every account on the server is affected.

When you're on a virtual hosting account, that can't happen. All the resources of the server are portioned out and assigned to each account in the amounts that they're allowed to use. Rather than every web site reaching into a common pool and grabbing what they need, each one is handed a 'bowl' of CPU, server space and traffic. When they use it all up, they can't just grab more.

In addition, each web site is set up with its own operating system and assigned an isolated segment of the disk that's separate from other web sites on the same disk. In some cases, each may even have their own hard drive on the server. If something crashes one web site on the host server, it doesn't affect any other web site.

Having your own operating system also means that you can make changes to it that you may not be allowed to make on a shared server. This allows you to customize the way your web site behaves almost as if you were on a single dedicated machine without worrying about affecting other customers on the same machine. To go back to our bowl of soup analogy, if your next door virtual neighbor decides to add extra salt to his bowl, your web site visitors aren't stuck with over-salted soup.

Prices for a virtual server range from about $35 a month to $99 a month and up. Your own dedicated server will run several hundred dollars a month, depending on the options that you choose for it. Overall, it's an excellent web hosting choice for a small-to-mid-size web site that needs more flexibility than shared server hosting allows without overstretching their budget.

To view our top recommended companies for web hosting, visit: Recommended Web Hosting Companies Online.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of eZerk, an informational website with articles and the latest news about various topics including web hosting.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Windows Hosting Versus Linux Hosting ? Which Is Right For You?
There are literally hundreds of thousands of web hosting companies out there. Many of these companies offer both Window...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

4 Tips To Find The Web Host That?s Right For You
Choosing to make a web site is a very big decision. However, even more important than deciding to make the website itself, is choosing your web host. There are many web hosts out there, and so it is very difficult to find the web host that's right for you. In order to find the best web host, it is important to find as many options as possible, and have a clear idea of what you want out of your web host. Following these four tips will make your search for a solid web host a lot easier.1. Use search engines. Search on Google and Yahoo using keywords such as "web host." Carefully going through the results will give you an accurate idea of the web hosting...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

The 14 Point Web Hosting Checklist
How To Select A Web Hosting CompanyWhen starting out, it is easy to overlook some of the most important factors when selecting a web host while paying too much attention on great features which you may not need at the start.For example, most new webmasters judge a web host by the amount of disk space they offer. The thinking is generally, the more the better. There are many other factors to take into consideration. Each factor can be weighed up according to the features each specific web hosting company offers. Each company may also offer several different plans. The features from plan to plan may also diff...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

Cheap Web Hosting Package? Ecommerce Web Hosting? - Choosing A Web Hosting Provider
One of the important decisions you'll make when you decide to put your business on the web is which web hosting provider to use. The web hosting company that hosts your personal page may not offer the best plan for your business needs. Here are some things to take into account when you're looking for a web hosting provider for your professional web pages.Windows or *nix Web HostingWhen a web hosting provider refers to operating system, they mean the operating system that their server uses. You do not need Windows hosting if you're using a Windows operating system on your machine. You don't need Windows hosting if you're building your pages in Front Page. The major reason that businesses use Windows web server hosting is to ta...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

Dedicated Web Hosting : The Executive Summary
What is Dedicated Web Hosting? Dedicated web hosting can alleviate the need to share hardware or software with any other...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

Linux Vs. Windows Web Hosting, Does It Make A Difference?
One of the most confusing decisions someone new to web hosting will have to make is which platform their server should be on. There are a number of different choices out there but the main two are Linux and Windows web servers. There are also a lot of sources of information about hosting, but the majority of them are tainted by the author's biased personal opinion unfortunately confusing the issue. Having just put in some solid hours researching the topic I have come to the conclusion that in general it quite probably does not matter which server you use. For the majority of people it will be far more import...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

What Is Web Hosting?
The best way to explain this is by comparing it to a real-life (brick & mortar) situation. Picture a web hosting company as the owner of a shopping mall. The shopping mall owner invested a lot of money on hiring architects, constructors, engineers, etc. to build it. Now all the stores on it are empty and the owner is going to rent them to smaller businesses that can't afford (or who simply don't want) their own building.As a small business owner, you can rent this store space on a per-month basis. But remember it is empty. So it will be your responsibility to decorate your store, fill it up with your own products, furniture & displays and to advertise your store to the world in order to get new customers.The respo...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

How To Choose The Best Web Host For You
Web Hosting is a service. Auto mechanics also provide a service. How would you decide which mechanic is best for you? Price? Experience? Reliability? This is the same line of thinking that should go into deciding which company should host your website.It is very common to see choices centered around price, especially with so much competition in the hosting business. It is not uncommon to see hosting plans range from free to upwards of $50 per month. However, if you happened to see a sign on the street that said "$2 mechanic inside" you would probably drive right by, right? How ...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)

Bound To Your Old Expensive Web Host By Fear?
You're not alone! Many people are bound to the old web host they've used for years because they're afraid of the hassle of switching. Customers will pay rates three or four or even ten times greater than what they have to, just because they're terrified that switching will be too complicated or that they'll end up losing their site altogether.New customers just coming online and setting up sites for the first time may automatically assume that expensive prices and brand names, such as Yahoo or MSN or MasterCard automatically mean better service.Think again!While you should never base your hosting choice on price alone, you should certainly make your return on investment a priority. You can easily find plenty of space f...(related: Cheap Web Hosting)