Today’s digital world is not complete without web hosting. Additionally, web hosting has been continuously growing and developing over time, much like all other technological fields. The web hosting market was estimated by Allied Market Research to be worth $57.46 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to $183.05 billion by 2027. Furthermore, from 2020 to 2027, the web hosting market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2%.
The bulk of web hosting service users are businesses, although between 2019 and 2027, there will likely be a considerable increase in the number of individual users.
Thus, it makes sense that there are now over 330.000 distinct web hosting providers, based on their exponential growth.
In addition to its exponential growth, the web hosting industry has seen the introduction of new technologies. Today, we’ll concentrate on one such technology: cloud hosting. We’ll examine its advantages over traditional web hosting, compare the two, and explore why cloud hosting is the better choice.
Now let’s get started.
What is Traditional Web Hosting?
When you use traditional web hosting, one physical server hosts your website or application. Every user leases space on a physical server to house their files and data. Dedicated and shared hosting are the two primary categories of conventional hosting.
Users do not have to share resources when using traditional dedicated hosting; instead, they have the entire server to themselves. Dedicated hosting is rather pricey, though, so not everyone can afford it. On the other hand, users are in total control of their resources.
In conventional shared hosting, users share resources from a single server with other users who also utilize the same server. It is the least expensive option available, doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, and the providers are in charge of managing and maintaining the servers. However, because users are limited to a fixed amount of resources and are unable to scale their websites or alter the amount of resources they use on an as-needed basis, traditional shared hosting is highly restrictive.
Pros and Cons of Traditional Web Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Shared hosting prices The most economical kind of hosting that is currently offered is traditional shared hosting. | Dedicated hosting prices The most expensive plans available right now are dedicated hosting packages. |
| Wide-range of hosting options With traditional web hosting, there are many different plans available, such as VPS, shared, dedicated, WordPress, and more. | Resources are fixed Most traditional hosting plans give users a set amount of resources based on the plan they purchase; these resources cannot be changed on-the-fly. |
| More control Traditional dedicated hosting and VPS hosting plans provide users with greater server control. | Higher risk of downtime Traditional shared hosting plans carry a high risk of downtime because your site could be taken offline as a result of another website on the same server being hacked or infected with malware. |
You “put all your eggs in one basket” with traditional web hosting, which is its biggest drawback. You have only one server to rely on. What occurs then if that one piece of hardware malfunctions? Even worse, what happens if there is an intrusion by a cybercriminal? What happens if other websites use more fixed resources than allowed and surpass their usage limits? You pay the price: downtime occurs, user data and security are jeopardized, and website performance and speeds decline.
What is Cloud Hosting?
Websites and apps are deployed through cloud hosting using cloud resources. To host websites and apps, it makes use of a network of interconnected virtual and physical cloud servers, which offers greater scalability and flexibility.Cloud solutions can be used to deploy any kind of hosting, such as reseller hosting, shared hosting, VPS hosting, etc.
With cloud hosting, the infrastructure, security, upkeep, and other details are handled by the providers. All materials can be accessed online with an Internet connection. Because all of the resources come from the provider, clients are spared from having to manage and run their own data centers or have physical servers on-site.
Users of cloud hosting services only pay for the resources they really use, so they only buy as many as are required. The services are provided on-demand. A physical server is divided into several virtual machines, or VMs, for cloud hosting purposes. These cloud servers are used to host a single website.
One of the following five deployment models can be used to implement a cloud solution:
- Public cloud
- Private cloud
- Hybrid cloud
- Community cloud
- Multi-cloud
Roughly 49% of users plan to move to a hybrid cloud model within the next three to five years, according to Statista. Additionally, it is projected that by 2025, only 2% of data centers will be used, down from 18% in 2020.
Furthermore, it’s anticipated that by 2025, private cloud usage will drop from 22% in 2020 to 7%. Therefore, by 2025, hybrid clouds are expected to be the most widely used deployment technique.
In general, cloud hosting services are becoming more and more popular throughout Europe. According to Eurostat, the percentage of European businesses using cloud services increased from 36% in 2020 to 41% in the same year. The Czech Republic saw a rise in cloud hosting service usage from 29% in 2020 to 44% in 2021, Slovakia saw a rise from 26% in 2020 to 36% in 2021, Cyprus saw a rise from 35% in 2020 to 50% in 2021, and Serbia saw a decrease from 19% in 2020 to 29% in 2021. These are the countries with the largest increases in cloud hosting service usage.
Pros and Cons of Cloud Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Reduced costs You can avoid hiring IT specialists, running and maintaining on-premise servers and data centers, purchasing gear and software, and other expenses by using cloud hosting. | Issues with bandwidth Due to the fact that cloud hosting is provided through the Internet, some users may not always have a fast and reliable connection in order to access resources. |
| Enhanced scalability You can change how many resources you use at any time by using cloud hosting, which provides users with as many resources as they require on demand. | Less control Because hosting providers own the servers and resources, users have little control over anything other than their infrastructure. |
| Better and faster performance Cloud hosting services are powered by a network of several servers and data centers that use the newest, most updated hardware and software. Performance is improved and latency is decreased as a result. | Privacy issues With cloud hosting, users share resources, which leaves them open to attacks and security problems. This is especially true if the user lacks the necessary technical know-how to stop this from happening. |
| Easy to set up Businesses and individuals don’t need to handle any setup tasks because the provider handles almost all backend features and oversees cloud server setup. | Technical difficulties Any downtime, power outages, or other technical issues that providers encounter have an impact on all of the websites and applications they host. (hint: this is the reason you should select a reliable provider to host your data.) |
| Automatic Backups Because cloud hosting offers automatic backups, data loss is extremely unlikely. | |
| Better Productivity Users can concentrate more on other objectives and their businesses overall because they are freed from the need to manage and maintain servers and data centers. |
Cloud Hosting vs. Traditional Web Hosting
Resource Allocation
- Cloud Hosting – Websites use resources from several servers, so even in the event of a server failure, they can still function since they are able to access resources from other servers. Additionally, cloud hosting easily and efficiently handles spikes in traffic.
- Traditional Web Hosting – Traditional web hosting offers more options, but because they all host websites on a single server, resource allocation is less flexible. Additionally, depending on the plan you choose, you typically receive a set amount of resources, so you are unable to adjust the amount of resources you require on-demand (if you do, you will probably be charged annoying overage fees).
Performance
- Cloud Hosting – Because providers deploy resources through a network of servers, performance is typically fast and stable.
- Traditional Web Hosting – Performance is determined by the hosting package you select and the location of the server you use.
Website Traffic
- Cloud Hosting – Cloud hosting’s server infrastructure is ideal for managing sudden spikes or variations in traffic.
- Traditional Web Hosting – The majority of conventional web hosting packages have set traffic caps that prevent them from handling traffic surges, which can make your website unavailable for an extended period of time. Of course, you can avoid this by purchasing a traditional dedicated hosting plan, but as was already mentioned, those are fairly pricey.
Control
- Cloud Hosting – As previously indicated, because the providers handle almost all website technical aspects, users have little control over the servers and backend. However, trustworthy cloud hosting companies give customers more control over how their websites are run, typically via root access or an easy-to-use interface like the well-known cPanel or Plesk control panel.
- Traditional Web Hosting – While VPS and dedicated hosting are two forms of traditional web hosting that give users more control, most of them restrict the amount of control users have over their websites.
Scalability
- Cloud Hosting – Websites can quickly and easily adjust how many resources they use on demand to handle spikes or drops in traffic as well as to meet any other needs they may have.
- Traditional Web Hosting – Because most traditional hosting plans have set amounts of resources that cannot be changed on-demand, scalability can be a bit tricky and requires advance planning.
Technical Expertise
- Cloud Hosting – To begin using cloud hosting, users do not need to be tech-savvy as the provider handles and oversees the setup. However, if you wish to customize it, some technical know-how is required.
- Traditional Web Hosting – While VPS and dedicated hosting require a high level of knowledge and skill, shared hosting is ideal for novice users who are not tech-savvy.
The main distinctions between traditional and cloud web hosting
| Cloud Hosting | Traditional Web Hosting |
| Uses a network of multiple servers to host websites and applications | Uses one physical server to host websites and applications |
| Users pay only for the resources they use | Users pay for a fixed number of resources |
| Users do not have to purchase hardware | Users have to purchase hardware in most cases |
| The data is stored on multiple servers | The data is usually stored on one server |
Is Cloud Hosting Better and Why?
Because cloud hosting allows for dynamic growth and does not impose resource limits on users, it is superior to traditional hosting. Additionally, because users only pay for the resources they use, its pricing structure is more effective.
Additionally, users can increase or decrease the number of resources they require as needed, making cloud hosting the most scalable option available. Moreover, unlike with traditional web hosting, users do not need to manually add or remove server space.
Anyone can use cloud hosting anywhere; it is not location-dependent. Cloud hosting services are available to users everywhere on any PC or mobile device. In contrast, location is important when it comes to traditional web hosting. You should exercise caution when selecting a server location because your website will load more slowly the farther away the server is. That is, that is, unless your plan includes a Cloudflare CDN.
Thus, cloud hosting is the ideal option for you if your company is expanding or if you require flexibility, scalability, global access, fast loading times, and uptime.
When to Choose Cloud Hosting
- You should move to cloud hosting if your company is seeing spikes in traffic or if traffic is growing generally because it can handle any volume of traffic and won’t cause you to experience any downtime.
- Consider cloud hosting if you want more flexibility and scalability for your website and it is subject to frequent fluctuations.
- To avoid this, you should switch to cloud hosting if your present plan frequently experiences power outages and has slower speeds.
- Cloud hosting is the best option for you if you’re unsure of how many resources you’ll need at first and would like to be able to adjust that number as needed.
Summary
It is no secret that cloud hosting is poised to become the web hosting of the future, as evidenced by the data presented in this article. Year after year, more businesses and individuals are turning to cloud hosting, and this trend is not expected to stop anytime soon.
Everyone can benefit from cloud hosting, including smaller enterprises and those who can afford to pay slightly more for shared hosting but much less for dedicated hosting.
Thus, cloud hosting is the way to go if you and your company require an inexpensive, extremely flexible, easily scalable, quick, and dependable web hosting solution!
