Choosing a Host
Choosing a Host
Today as servers are getting faster and space is getting cheaper you see more and more hosting companies emerge to host your website, but not all hosts are created equal let alone deserve your business. So just how to do you about weeding out the the loosers and narrowing down the list of decent hosts. In the past 6 years I have worked with several hosting comanies and come up with a system to help me find the right host.
The first thing that needs to be addressed is what you want in the company. No i'm not talking about the server's features, location, and such we will get to that a little later, but don't confuse the later for less important. So here is my list of requirements for the hosting:
- US Based
- In-House 24/7 Support
- An Open Customer Forum
- Clearly stated AUP, TOS, and RUP
- Openess regarding policies
So what's the point of these requirements? I live in the US and most of my clients are also based in the US, so for me having a host that's based in the US means that when a client accesses their site it's going to be quicker as I don't need to connect to a server overseas. Having a US based company also means that I will likely be talking with english speaking support.
Now having a good company behind you is always important, but the policys also need to be flexable enough to meet your needs and there isn't much I can say regarding if they will meet your needs. You should always read the AUP, TOS, and RUP (Acceptable Usage Policy, Terms of Service, and Resource Usage Policy) before you sign up with any hosting company so you know what your host will allow. You should also take the time after reading those policies to come up with some questions and ask the host. Here are some good questions to keep in mind:
- What happens if my site gets get dugg or slash dotted?
- What happens if my site exceds the limits?
- If one of my scripts goes nuts what will you do?
These questions are worth asking, but you should also come up with your own questions to ask so you know what your getting into ahead of time. Most hosting companies offer a money back guarantee if things don't work out, but why not save yourself time and do your research ahead of time?
Chosing the hosting type
Ok, so now we've figured out what we need to look for regarding the host so let's move on to the server(s). The company is very important as well they support everything, but that dosn't mean you should just grab any package and start using it for whatever you want. There are three types of servers, but for most people the first two options are enough, but this depends on your usage.
- Shared Hosting
- VPS Server
- Dedicated Server
Ok, so what's the greek above? Well let's break them down to the usage, typical offerings, and pricing.
Shared Hosting
- Lots of users per server
- Low cost ($4-20 a month)
- Large space and bandwidth
- Cpanel or simple custom control panel
- No resource promise
- Not ideal for commerce sites
The most common type of hosting is shared hosting. This is a great starting level for most people as the price is normally a few bucks a month. You will normally find these plans offered with loads of space, bandwidth, and unlimited services such as email accounts, email forwards, databases, FTP accounts, and such. These types of accounts can have lots of problems due to resouce usage/abuse by other users. You arn't likely to find any published numbers regarding accounts per server, but this can range from 40-120 users each with their own sites. It's entirely up to the hosting company as to how densely they want to pack their servers.
If you want to run a commerce site (sell stuff) or plan to exchange sensative data this isn't the best type of hosting to use as it is shared. You can setup and run sites like these on shared accounts, but you should take precauctions to ensure the data is secure.
Depending on the host these types of accounts could have special features such as SSH access, Dedicated IP address(s), Multi Site capabilites, Basic Reseller capabilites, and/or multi user control panels. Most hosts reserve these type of features for reseller accounts or more expensive packages such as VPS Server.
VPS Server
- Low user/server ratio
- Medium cost ($60+ a month)
- Medium space and bandwidth
- WHM/Cpane or Plesk control panels
- Resouce promise
- Several Dedicated IP addresses
Once you site has grown up and starts getting alot of traffic you will likely need to upgrade to the next level in hosting which would be a VPS. VPS is Virtural Private Server and it's a newer step between shared hosting and dedicated servers. Each VPS account typically has full control over your "server" and a preset resouce package. VPS servers are in fact a dedicated server with it's resources split among a limited amount of users 15 or less. You will have xxx amount of memory and xx% of the CPU usage, but unlike shared accounts you will have less space with cheaper packages having between 10-20GB of space and between 200-500 GB of bandwidth. These servers are geared for resellers or other high usage customers that need resources more than space.
Dedicated Servers
- One customer per server
- High costs (80+ a month)
- Moderate space and bandwidth
- Choice of Control Panel
- Full Resources
- Dedicated IP address(s)
Once your site explodes and becomes the next big thing you will likely be forced to upgrade to a dedicated server. This is your own box that you have full control over and depending on the hosting company you are responsable for security and everything. The host isn't going to do much of anything for you other than setup the box and if something breaks hardware wise fix it within the stated service agreement. You can do anything you want with these boxes from running a game server to being your own hosting company. You can get cheap single processor servers for ~80$ a month with around 80 GB of storage and around 512mb of ram, if you need more power than that they offer just about everything up to four processor dual/quad processor servers if you're willing to pay the asking price.
If your new to hosting this is the last place you want to start as it's the most hands on of the options.
Chosing the Plan
Before you can chose the plan you really need to take the time to figure out what you want to do and what you will need to accomplish your goals. If you are planning to host a blog, forum, or just your own little website along these lines you just need a basic shared hosting account. If you are planning to run several blogs, forums, and do some reselling you will need to look into a reseller plan or a host with a watered down reseller account. What about a photo gallery? Well you are going to want something with more space, but shared is still fine.
So if shared is fine for all that where do the other types come into play? If your planning to run Ruby on Rails applications, heavy load forums (say 250-500+ users at a time), you need to run several online store, or you need to store and/or transmit sensative information. Depending on your demands VPS or Dedicated will be your only option.
So should I get plan A or B? Don't ask me as I don't know what you plan to host or anything else... You need to scroll back to the top and start reading everything over again as there is enough information to get you started on the right path to get a good host.
Recommendations
Disclamer - I have been through a few hosting companies over the years and learned a few things about how to pick out my hosting companie(s), but this dosn't give me any special abilities, free hosting, money, or well much of anything other than some ideas about what I need to check before I sign up. I don't care who you choose as your hosting company, but I would hope you don't have any problems with your hosting company. If you do have any problems with one of my recommendation don't blame me as I didn't sign you up, but do let me know so I don't keep recommending a bad hosting company.
Recommendations - I hope in some what I have helped you pick out a future hosting company based on the information given above, but if you need some suggestions on what hosting company to use then allow me to provide a few options for you to investigate. I have personally hosted with Site5 and WireTree and have had great luck with both hosting companies. Why the other options? Simple they are my backups should things go sour with one of my hosts. If there is anything I have learned it's nothing is forever with hosting companies!
Link vs Aff Link - I have hosting bills to pay and not always a ton of money to pay them so to help cover my costs you are welcome to use the affiliate links so I get a few bucks to keep the lights on and the information current. If you don't feel like helping out the other links don't give me squat, it's your choice.
- WiredTree - Link
VPS, Hybrid VPS, and Dedicated
Final Remarks
I have tried to cover everything that comes to mind regarding the art of picking a web host, but I might have missed something or you might still have a question. I make mistakes just like everyone else so if you have a question or care to correct me please shoot me an e-mail!
This document was last updated on: Oct 10th, 2008