In simple terms, cloud hosting may be defined as hosting that utilizes the virtual resources of several connected servers that make up a cloud. Thus, a website is able to cater to all aspects of its hosting using the resources of multiple servers. This is in contrast to other kinds of hosting such as dedicated or shared hosting which use the resources of a single machine. Sometimes, cloud hosting is referred to as cloud server hosting, server on-demand hosting, or cluster server hosting. Cloud technology facilitates easy integration of additional resources such as RAM or space, thus making website growth possible.
Cloud hosting is typically resorted to when websites have grown out of the resources of their current shared hosting provider.
Cloud Hosting – Advantages
Cloud hosting helps achieve the highest degree of website performance by way of multiple machines. Other benefits are:
1) Scalability – It is possible to increase or cut down on servers easily and within seconds. For example, if a website requires extra resources on account of the introduction of a new functionality or a soar in website traffic, these resources can be accessed seamlessly with the addition of servers. When extra resources are no longer required, servers can be reduced.
2) Cost Saving – When it comes to cloud hosting, people are only charged for the resources they utilize. When the person or website no longer requires certain resources, the latter are released and will not be charged for anymore.
3) Reliability – Unlike in shared hosting where problems in one account could possibly leak out into other sites, cloud hosting separates each server so that stress on one won’t affect other servers’ performance.
4) Security: Being located within data centers, the underlying physical servers gain from security measures put in place by the facilities to keep people from accessing or disturbing them on-site. Automated backups and snapshots guarantee up-to-date and safe server content.
The disadvantages of cloud hosting include possibility for down-time if server connections are not working and lack of complete data control.