Shared hosting or a VPS for your first website?

Part 1 of the series on choosing the right kind of RackNerd hosting.

If you want to put your first website online, you will soon meet two choices: shared hosting and a VPS. Both can run a website. They differ in how much work you do, how much control you get and what happens when the site grows. This guide helps you pick the one that suits you now.

The honest summary: for most first websites, shared hosting is the easier and often cheaper start. A VPS makes sense when you want to learn, need software shared hosting does not allow, or plan to run more than a website.

What is in this guide

• A few words you will see
• What shared hosting is
• What a VPS is
• Side by side
• Pick shared hosting if
• Pick a VPS if
• Three example sites
• Moving from shared to a VPS later
• Limits
• When to step up
• More in the series

A few words you will see

Term	What it means
Shared hosting	Your website lives on a server shared with many other customers. The provider runs the server.
VPS	A virtual private server: your own slice of a server, with your own operating system and full control. You run it.
cPanel	A common control panel for shared hosting. You use it in a web browser to manage sites, email, databases and files.
Root access	Full admin control of a server. You get it on a VPS, not on shared hosting.
Domain	Your site's address, such as example.com. Usually bought separately.
Database	Where apps like WordPress store posts, users and settings.

What shared hosting is

With shared hosting, the provider runs one large server and gives many customers an account on it. You get a control panel, usually cPanel, where you upload files, create databases, set up email addresses and install apps such as WordPress, often with a few clicks.

The provider handles the operating system, security updates, the web server software and the hardware. You only look after your own website.

The trade-off is control. You cannot install any software you like, change server-wide settings or run programs that stay running in the background. Resources are shared, so there are limits on how much CPU and memory your account can use.

What a VPS is

A VPS gives you your own virtual server with a set amount of memory, CPU and disk. You choose the operating system, install the web server, the database and everything else, and you keep it all updated and secure.

A RackNerd VPS is unmanaged. That means the provider keeps the server running, and everything inside it is your job. In return you can run almost anything the acceptable use policy allows: several websites, a VPN, a game server, background jobs or self-hosted apps.

New to this? Getting started and the advantages of a VPS cover the basics.

Side by side

	Shared hosting	VPS
Who runs the server	The provider	You
Skills needed	Using a web control panel	Linux command line basics
Setup time for WordPress	Often minutes	Often an hour or more the first time
Security updates	Handled for the server, you update your site	All yours
Email accounts	Usually included in the control panel	You set up mail yourself, which is hard to do well
Install any software	No	Yes, within the rules
Background programs	Usually not allowed	Yes
Resources	Shared, with account limits	Set by your plan
Good for learning Linux	No	Yes

Pick shared hosting if

• You want a website, not a server to look after.
• Your site is a blog, a portfolio, a small business site or a small shop on WordPress or similar.
• You want email addresses on your own domain without running a mail server.
• You do not want to learn the Linux command line right now.
• You want to host a few small sites. Check how many domains a plan allows. Add-on domains and cPanel accounts explained covers the terms.

Pick a VPS if

• You want to learn how servers work.
• Your site needs software that shared hosting does not support, such as Node.js apps, Python apps or custom services.
• You want to run other things as well, such as a VPN or self-hosted apps. See self-hosted apps.
• You need settings that shared hosting will not let you change.
• Your site has outgrown the limits of a shared account.

If a VPS suits you, RackNerd VPS for websites and installing WordPress on a VPS take you through it.

Three example sites

These examples are illustrative. Your own needs may differ.

• A photographer's portfolio with a contact form. Shared hosting. It needs a site, a domain and an email address, and nothing else.
• A local club's WordPress site plus a members' file share. Shared hosting for the site is fine. The file share might be better on a small VPS later, if the club wants to run its own.
• A developer's blog, a small web app and a personal VPN. A VPS. Shared hosting cannot run the app's background process or the VPN.

Moving from shared to a VPS later

Starting on shared hosting does not lock you in. Many people move to a VPS once their site grows or they want more control.

• A WordPress site can usually be moved with a backup or migration plugin, or by copying the files and exporting the database.
• Email is the hardest part to move. Many people who move their website to a VPS keep email on a separate service rather than running a mail server.
• Plan the move for a quiet time, and lower your domain's DNS cache time a day before so the switch takes effect faster.
• Keep the shared account running until the new site is tested and working.

Limits

• Shared hosting has resource limits. A very busy site or a heavy plugin can hit account limits and slow down. "Unlimited" features on shared plans are still subject to fair use.
• Shared hosting is not for apps that run all the time. Bots, game servers and VPNs do not belong there and may break the terms.
• A VPS is more work than it looks. Updates, security and backups take time every month. See securing your VPS.
• Neither includes guaranteed backups. Check what the plan offers and keep your own copy of your site.
• A big shop may need more than either. If you take payments at scale, a hosted shop platform or a managed service may be safer than running it yourself.

When to step up

From shared hosting, the usual next step is a 2 GB VPS for one or two busy sites. If you host sites for clients instead, reseller hosting may suit you better. See reseller hosting for freelancers.

From a small VPS, step up to 4 GB if you run several sites with databases, or add other apps next to your website.

To compare what is available now, start with the cheapest RackNerd VPS guide and check the sales page.

More in the series

This is part 1 of 5. Next: Add-on domains and cPanel accounts explained. See the whole series.