What is shared hosting and what to look for in a web hosting package on a shared server.
A server hosting many websites, each with it's own control panel, is the most common and cost-effective web hosting solution. As there are many websites hosted in the same environment there are restrictions on the software that will be available, the customisation of the software and environment, and limits on the disk space and traffic allowed.
Shared Web Hosting is an economical solution for hosting a website, as the overall cost of the server hardware and maintenance is spread over a number of clients each with their own website.
There are disadvantages and limitations with shared web hosting as the operating system configuration and software must be suitable for a wide range of users, and also be secure. Most shared web servers will have all the standard software packages and applications suitable for running most websites with content management systems or e-commerce applications, but may be restrictive for larger businesses and websites that require bespoke software.
