When starting a website, you should dedicate serious thought to how you are going to create and maintain it. Making this decision can be a challenge in and of itself since there are so many different options for you to choose from.
Cloud hosting is an option. Perhaps you have come across this term before without being sure of its meaning, or perhaps this is the first time you’ve ever heard of it. Either way, this article is a good place to start if you’re looking to find out more.
In this article, we’ll explain what cloud hosting is and will also explain its pros and cons. We’ll consider whether or not it is a good solution for running fast WordPress sites.
What Is the Cloud?
Before going any further, we’ll first explain what exactly we’re talking about when we mention the cloud. Simply put, this is the term we use to refer to services and applications that are accessed online. A simple example would be saving images from your phone to Dropbox or using Google Drive to safely store your documents.
What is a cloud hosting service? Put simply, the term refers to a web of interconnected servers used to store online sites and applications. The cloud makes websites and other online applications accessible quickly and easily, ensuring that these services are available on demand. Assuming you have a working internet connection, you can use them anywhere and at any time. Compared to other kinds of hosting, it is far more flexible and enjoys a greater degree of scalability.
Pros and Cons of Cloud Hosting
No matter how you decide to store your online content, you are going to have to weigh up the pros and cons. Using the cloud is no different. In this section, we’ll consider some of the main benefits and drawbacks of storing your server in this manner.
Pros
- Flexibility and scalability: Many traditional online application storage options can only offer their users limited bandwidth. By contrast, this kind of hosting can scale indefinitely. This is a necessity for accommodating high seasonal volume or unexpected spikes in website traffic.
- Reliability: Since all content is stored on a network of interconnected servers, users don’t need to worry about downtime as a result of hardware failures. As with any technology, these types of services may still suffer failures. If they do, however, sites and applications will remain up and running.
- High performance: This kind of technology allows you to allocate resources automatically in response to increases in traffic. This means that you can ensure your site is always running smoothly.
- Access to server control panel tools: These tools make managing your server far easier. When building sites through WordPress, you’ll find that there are certain WordPress-exclusive options, such as SpinupWP and GridPane.
Cons
- Confusing for new users: Those with no prior experience with this type of technology may find it challenging at first. For example, pricing schemes for such services can be rather intimidating at first; providers are somewhat infamous for offering complicated payment plans.
- Dependent on web connection: To take full advantage of the various benefits of storing content online, a company needs a fast, reliable internet connection. This option may not be the best one for you if your internet connection is slow.
- Less control over your server: These services are stored on servers managed by cloud hosting providers. Since you do not own the server yourself, you may not have as much control as you’d like.
Cloud Hosting and WordPress Sites
The prospect of cloud hosting can be a little daunting when you do not have a background in it, but it can really have a great many benefits for faster WordPress Sites. If you are interested in starting up a WordPress site, it may be something worth having a thing about, as it can help increase overall performance.
Not only that, but there are already a few providers out there with a focus on WordPress users. If you’re a beginner to web hosting but believe it may be the best option for you, we’d encourage you to look into the following provider options:
- Amazon AWS
- Kinsta
- InMotion Hosting
Conclusion
This article has taken a look at cloud hosting, explaining what it is and the various pros and cons of using this sort of technology. When looking to start a WordPress site or any other online application, this method of online hosting is at least worth some consideration.
If you are considering making a website available using this technology, make sure to carefully weigh up the pros and cons first. We hope that the information laid out in this article has given you a good place to start.
