When you are looking for web hosting plans to host a website, you’re likely to encounter references to web hosting resources. While web hosting plans generally encompass various elements, they are easy to understand once you become familiar with them.
This vague term is what we shall further dive into in this article, given its importance in helping you choose the right web hosting plan for your website.
With this knowledge on hand, you can make a more informed decision and select the right plan that is powerful enough for your site’s needs. Below, we define what web hosting plan resources are and how they affect your decision in choosing web hosting plans.
An overview of web hosting plan resources
Web hosting plan resources cover several elements that all relate to the power and capabilities of a given server.
The resources allotted to a particular plan include the server’s processing power, storage space, memory configuration, and data transfer rates.
We shall go into more detail about each later. These resources influence many essential factors related to your website, such as:
- Performance
Performance dictates how quickly the server can process and transfer data, which affects things like your website’s loading speeds.
- Website size
The server’s storage limits can restrict your site’s size, but in most cases, this only affects those that need to host extremely large sites with a ton of assets.
- Traffic volume
Traffic volume affects the server’s ability to handle web traffic or requests from visitors wanting to access your site. If the server receives more requests than it can handle, it may crash and result in extended downtimes that lead to potential sales and credibility loss.
- Hosting costs
The more resources included in a hosting plan, the more costly it will be. In some cases, hosts can also charge a penalty for users whose usage exceeds their allotted resources, such as those in shared hosting plans.
Key web hosting plan resources to evaluate when choosing a hosting plan
The essential resources that suit your criteria will largely depend on your website’s size, what you will use it for, and the traffic it will receive. For the most part, however, the following terms are the ones you should consider when choosing a hosting plan.
1. Solid-state drive storage
A solid-state drive (SSD) and similar alternatives are the main storage hardware that stores your website’s files and other relevant assets. As mentioned previously, the SSD’s capacity determines your website’s maximum capacity.
In most cases, a web hosting plan’s storage capacity will range from being capped at a certain number in gigabytes to unlimited (with guidelines on usage). Estimating the size of your site depending on how much storage you get from a hosting plan is not an exact science. Factors such as dynamic content, media files, and many others will influence a site’s total size.
2. Central processing units (CPU)
A solid-state drive (SSD) and similar alternatives are the leading storage hardware that helps store your website’s files and other relevant assets. As mentioned previously, the SSD’s capacity determines your website’s maximum capacity.
In most cases, a hosting plan’s storage capacity will range from being capped at a certain number in gigabytes to unlimited (with guidelines on usage).
Estimating the size of your site depending on how much storage you get from a hosting plan is not an exact science. Factors such as dynamic content, media files, and many others influence a site’s total size.
3. Random access memory (RAM)
RAM works in tandem with the CPU when processing numerous requests simultaneously. In this case, the RAM holds onto the necessary data the CPU needs to do the actual processing.
Websites that use Content Management Systems, receive high traffic volumes and use many dynamic elements generally require more RAM than others.
Suppose your hosting plan does not have enough memory capacity to meet your site’s needs. In that case, you will inevitably run out of memory, which results in visitors encountering a 500 Internal Server Error when trying access to your site.
4. Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the rate the server can transfer data, such as how quickly it can send content to be displayed on the visitor’s device. A simple analogy to understand bandwidth is to think of it as a straw.
A bigger straw (or higher bandwidth) can deliver more significant amounts of liquid (data) at any given time than a thinner straw. Typically, hosting plans list their bandwidth in either terabyte (TB) of data or traffic/number of visitors.
Bandwidth is arguably the most important resource to consider when selecting a hosting plan. No amount of storage space, memory capacity, or processing power can make up for slow transfer speeds or prevent the server from being overwhelmed with high traffic.
Conclusion
Understanding different web hosting plans is essential to selecting the best plan for your business website. Therefore, take the time to consider the configurations offered for each program to ensure your website stays in top shape and functions at peak performance.
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