Shared Hosting is a type of web hosting service where you share the same physical server with many other users. Users on the same server can’t access your files and information but you share resources like physical hard drives and RAM.

It can also be defined as an inexpensive web hosting setup where different parties share one web server to securely host their own websites on a server maintained by a hosting company.

Web hosting companies offer different plans, each with an objective to meet the needs of its clients at different levels.

Example:

Shared Hosting is very similar to living in an Apartment Complex. All residents are in the same location and must share the available resources with everyone e.g. pool, parking lot and playground. In shared hosting, all accounts must share the available resources with all the other accounts on the server. These include CPU time, memory and disk space.

Applicable areas

Shared hosting can be used in the following areas:

• Online ecommerce storefronts
• Designers and developers who host their clients
• Small and mid-sized businesses
• Blogs, portfolios and other frequently updated sites

Advantages

• Easier to upgrade; it has multiple levels of upgrading hence the best option
• Shared hosting allows multiple websites to utilize a single server.
• Cost effective: It is cheaper compared to other types of hosting.
• Shared hosting comes with built-in Cpanel hence makes it easier for a client to manage his/her site.
• No technical maintenance needs to be done on your end to the server, as this is usually included in part of your hosting package.

Disadvantages

• It is not sufficient for web sites with high traffic.
• The load time can be a bit slower than dedicated servers.
• There’s lack of customization options to get the highest level of performance from your website.