Difference between Cloud Computing and Web Hosting

Let us understand a brief description of the Differences between Hosting vs Cloud Computing and the type of advantages each provides.

Cloud Computing vs Web Hosting

With the arrival of cloud computing, a new hosting possibility was born, different from the traditional hosting model that the market knew as hosting. Although the cloud is no longer a novelty, some professionals still confuse both hosting services. That is why in this article, we are going to explain the main differences between them.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting refers to companies that allow customers to upload websites onto their server's hard drives. It is the business of providing server space, web services, and file maintenance for sites controlled by companies or individuals that do not have their own web servers.

There are different types of Web Hosting

Dedicated Hosting

It is a specialized and much more sophisticated type of hosting. With dedicated hosting, you can rent an entire server for yourself and you can gain access to all the web host provider’s resources to host one or more sites.

Dedicated servers give you complete control over your website. You get access to everything you need to run your site without having to share any resources with others. Most dedicated servers come preconfigured with PHP and MySQL databases.

Shared Servers

Shared hosting refers to a system where users share a single computer server among themselves rather than having their own dedicated hardware.

The advantage of using shared hosting is that each user gets access to a larger amount of computing power or memory. However, the disadvantage is that if someone else’s website is causing issues for you, then it could cause problems for your site as well.

Many website owners use shared servers because they want to save money or don't have the time to manage their own servers.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a relatively new technology that provides access to hosted services over the internet.

There are three different types of cloud hosting services available today:

1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS), and
3. Software as a service (SaaS)

Each type of cloud hosting differs from the others in terms of price, speed, flexibility, and security, among others.

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

An IaaS provider delivers hardware resources (servers and storage), network infrastructure, software, and other IT components as a unified service to customers. Customers upload their own data onto the servers and operate them independently.

IaaS providers offer dedicated instances, where customers have complete control over their server configuration.

Platform-as-a-service (PaaS)

PaaS providers build operating systems and applications specifically for use in cloud environments. 

While they provide some basic functionality similar to traditional virtualization platforms, they add features specific to supporting cloud computing models. These include provisioning, application deployment, monitoring, management, and maintenance integration.

Software-as-a-services (SaaS)

SaaS providers deliver preconfigured software applications as web services for use on demand. SaaS providers may offer a single app or a collection of apps for different industries.

Users install the desired application via the web browser and run it directly from any computer connected to the Internet.

Cloud computing provides a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and storage services over a network infrastructure using APIs enabling access anywhere, anytime, using any device.

Cloud computing uses Internet-based data centers where users store their files (such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.) on remote servers connected via high-speed networks. Users can use these files without having to worry about compatibility issues, software/hardware incompatibility, slow speeds, or loss of data due to viruses or power failures.