Shared hosting is a very popular choice for websites and blogs because it is affordable. However, sharing a website hosting server with multiple other sites also brings some security risks that you need to be aware of. Let’s look at the main risks of using shared hosting and how you can try to prevent them.

What is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting means that your website files are stored on a single server along with the files for many other websites. The server resources like disk space, CPU, and memory are shared between all of the hosted sites.

This is different from having a dedicated server just for your site. Shared hosting is cheaper because you are splitting the cost of the server with other site owners. However, there are some downsides in terms of security and performance.

Shared Hosting Risks

• Shared Directory Risk

On a shared hosting server, every website has its own folder for files. But all of those folders are located inside a single main directory. That means if a hacker could gain access to the main directory, they could potentially get to files from any site hosted there.

Website programmes and plugins are commonly exploited by hackers to access this shared directory. They can assault other sites on the server laterally once inside.

Update and fix WordPress core, themes, and plugins to decrease this risk. You can also use security plugins that help block attacks.

• Bad Neighbor Effect

Since you don’t know what other sites are hosted on your server, there is the possibility of being impacted if any of them are running malicious scripts or are compromised by hackers. For example, if one site is used to send spam emails or launch DDoS attacks, it could cause performance issues or get your shared IP address blacklisted.

Choosing a reputable shared hosting provider that has good security practices can help mitigate this risk. But it’s impossible to avoid it entirely on a shared server.

• Shared Resources Impact

Since all the sites are sharing the same pool of server resources on shared hosting, if one site gets a big traffic spike or is engaged in resource-intensive activities, it can reduce the performance of all the other sites on that server.

You can only avoid this by regularly monitoring site speed/performance changes. If the problem remains, you might need a higher-tier hosting package.

• Slow Load Times

Related to the resource sharing issue above, having multiple sites piling requests onto the same server with cheap shared hosting can result in slow load times, especially during peak traffic periods. This could make the user experience worse or even hurt your search results.

You can optimize your site’s code, leverage caching, and use a content delivery network to help mitigate slow load times.

• Increased Attack Surface

Since there are multiple sites hosted together, it gives hackers more potential entry points to try to exploit. They can scan all sites on a shared IP address looking for vulnerabilities to break in.

Using tools like website firewalls, security monitoring services, and keeping software up-to-date are important security measures in the best-shared hosting environment.

How to Reduce Shared Hosting Risks

While shared hosting is affordable, the risks above show there are tradeoffs in website security and performance. Here are some tips to reduce risks:

• Use a reputable shared hosting provider with strong security
• Keep software updated and patched
• Use security plugins/firewalls to block attacks
• Limit file permissions
• Disable PHP execution in untrusted directories
• Monitor for strange activity like unauthorized file changes
• Have a backup plan to quickly restore your site if compromised
• Consider VPS or dedicated servers for security/performance.

Conclusion

While shared hosting in India is cost-effective, the multi-tenant nature of shared servers means there’s always some residual risk to security despite precautions. As your site and business scale, upgrading from shared hosting to a more isolated solution may become necessary.

 Reference

https://www.milesweb.in/blog/hosting/risks-of-shared-hosting-and-how-to-prevent-them/

https://www.hostgator.in/blog/hosting/how-to-choose-the-right-shared-hosting-plan-2/

https://www.malcare.com/blog/shared-hosting-security/

https://www.getastra.com/blog/knowledge-base/shared-hosting-security-risks/

A dedicated server is said to be one of the finest platforms to host your business website or blogging website. Simply put, when the physical server and hosting services are all concentrated on a single website, it is called dedicated server hosting.

It is used by numerous large-scale websites on the internet due to all that it provides. With the increasing awareness of dedicated server benefits, the number of hosting service users migrating to dedicated servers is increasing, too. 

The overall performance of your website depends largely on the quality of services your provider offers. Choosing the best dedicated server hosting provider is paramount if you want your website to perform at its best. Once you have chosen a provider, you will have to configure the server, and that is where the skills lie. 

Let us understand some important factors to consider while configuring a dedicated server!

3 Factors To Consider For Dedicated Server Configuration

• Location

We do not usually pay any heed to the physical location of the server, however, we must, because a dedicated server is hardware and has a physical infrastructure. The distance between the server and users is directly proportionate to the performance of your website. This means if the two parties are close, the performance will be good. 

But if the two parties are far away from each other, say Sri Lanka and California, the performance of the website will lag. This is because the more the distance, the more time it will take for data transmission. This is why you are advised to purchase the dedicated server that is located near you!

• Type

There are two types of dedicated server hosting services: managed or unmanaged. The providers help you customize the dedicated hosting plan by providing the option of managing the website, configuration, and settings or leaving it up to the customers. With managed dedicated hosting, the service provider will manage and maintain the website and offer any technical support whenever needed (advised if you have no expertise in the hosting field). 

This is not the case with unmanaged dedicated servers. The management and maintenance of the website is the website owner’s responsibility. You can opt for this one if you have expertise in the field or have a team of staff dedicated to managing the website.

• Operating System

You can choose the operating system for your server; it can be Linux or Windows! The Windows operating system is exclusive to Microsoft devices. Unlike the Windows OS, Linux is suitable for any and every server device, making it the first choice for most website hosting service users. With the help of control panel tools like cPanel, dedicated server configuration has become easy.

Conclusion

Your choices while configuring the dedicated server affect the functionality and management of your website. It is important to make informed decisions while keeping all the hosting and website aspects in mind. Since a dedicated server comes at a considerable cost, it is crucial to choose the perfect path while configuring!