In shared hosting the burden is on the hosting service to provide an administrator. As most people do not have a clue on administering a system this benefit had made shares hosting such a success. However this feature impedes web developers who need more control. Most software and web application will work seamlessly on both dedicated and shared server. So, on an economic stand point it makes sense to use shared hosting. However we must not forget that shared hosting have storage and bandwidth limitation.
A Shared host user will access his file or data though a web base control panel which give him full control and flexibility on his content. The most common control panel systems used are: cPanel, DirectAdmin, Plesk, InterWorx, and H-Sphere. There are also proprietary control panel developed by large hosting companies.
One of the biggest advantage of shared hosting is the user do not have to deal with the technical portion, the provider will manage the servers, install and upgrade software, perform security updates, and even offer technical support. Since those function cost money, most provider will use inexpensive open source software such as the Linux operating system and LAMP. However due to the nature of the business most providers now also offer Microsoft Windows-based solutions.
There is two method used to identify user on as Shared web hosting configuration: name-based and IP-based.
In name-based shared hosting, also called shared IP hosting, the virtual hosts serve multiple host names on a single machine with a single IP address. A little like a big building at one address with multiple apartments. The main disadvantage of name base is that secure websites is not properly supported in older browser.
In IP-based virtual hosting, also called dedicated IP hosting, each virtual host has a different IP address. The system is configured with multiple physical network interfaces, or virtual network interfaces on the same physical interface. The web server software uses the IP address the client connects to in order to determine which web site to show the user. The advantage of using a dedicated IP is that it gives the user the flexibility to use personal SSL certificate rather than a shared certificate.
You may not need to change to a dedicated sever but at least now you know what a share web hosting means.
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