It often happens that a web project starts to grow very fast. In such cases, the project manager may be not ready for improving hosting parameters, and that can cause troubles. The most popular and flexible solution for ambitious fast-growing web projects is cloud hosting—the possibilities are just unlimited.
Cloud Hosting and How It Works
In simple terms, a cloud is a number of interconnected servers that redistribute the overall traffic load among themselves. That works easily — several servers just have the same data. So, let’s imagine there are 20,000 users checking a certain webpage. Some 10,000 will access website data hosted on one server, while the other 10,000 will get it from another rack.
Looks easy, right? But if you dig deeper, you’ll discover a number of cloud hosting plans — and all of them will have different functions and applications. Read on to find out more about the most common cloud hosting types.
Cloud Hosting Types
If you browse the web, you’ll see that most web hosts have such cloud system types: public clouds, private clouds, hybrid clouds and managed clouds. Different web host companies have different pricing systems. So, let’s take a closer look on every of cloud options to understand what would be the best solution in case your dedicated plan is not enough:
Public Clouds
Public clouds are the most popular cloud offered on the market, as well as the cheapest one. The main idea of public clouds is similar to that of shared hosting: you get a part of a huge cloud with truly unlimited resources. However, you have to share that cloud with a range of other web projects. We can’t say that’s a big disadvantage, but the loads go redistributed all the time, which may cause a performance slowdown.
Public clouds are very popular. Even the cheapest offers will grant you a set of new possibilities when compared to dedicated solutions. The most important feature of the clouds— the on-demand access to information — is also available in public solutions. Additionally, if you choose a proper pricing system, this type of cloud hosting can also cut your costs.
Private Clouds
If you purchase a private plan, the whole cloud will be yours. That is especially good in terms of security and stable performance. Also, private clouds allow more flexibility — you can discuss some special adjustments with the hosting company. Private cloud solutions are not that widespread, so you will be treated quite well by the host’s customer support services.
Technically, your plan will include a number of servers that will work only with your web content and only with your users/customers. However, remember that private cloud solutions are rather expensive. Most hosting companies don’t show their private cloud prices, so you can negotiate — and a lot depends on how well you can do that.
Hybrid Clouds
Hybrid clouds combine several technologies at once. Different service providers will offer you a number of options. However, one of the best combinations is a cloud that takes the best from public clouds, private clouds, and dedicated servers. When in conjunction, these three technologies will give you pay-as-you-go scalability, enhanced security and ultra-fast performance. Sounds good, right?
Again, hybrid cloud prices are not public, so you have to file a request describing your needs to a number of cloud hosts in order to get a more-or-less adequate image of the market. If you really want to get an ideal hosting solution, it’s worth spending your time on it.
Managed Clouds
Managed clouds are a set of services designed to save your time. Indeed, it will cost you more, but you will have a chance to invest your time into something more important. In fact, when you purchase a managed cloud, you get not only a number of servers, but also a team of specialists — systems administrator, support engineer, cloud specialist, database admin, among others.
In other words, ordering a managed plan is your chance to get a perfect cloud architecture faster than if it were built by your own team who may not have the necessary skills. Look for a day-by-day managed plan—that will help you save money after the basis of your cloud is created and you’ll only need occasional support.
Cloud Pricing Models (Hourly and Monthly)
There are two common pricing models you will find among different cloud host companies: the month-based and the time-based model. In the month-based model, you just pay a certain price monthly, and don’t mind of how many resources will be needed (or not)for the project.
The time-based model will only count the time you spend on modifying your servers. Let’s say you install and adjust an OS on your servers and it takes you 2 hours. At the end of the two hours, you’ll only need to pay for those two hours. The system looks really attractive, but the hourly prices rack up if you need services all day long, seven days a week.
If you are not planning to make improvements frequently, the hour-based model is great. You will also find a couple of cloud hosts offer hourly prices that are the same as the monthly prices divided by thirty days. That’s a rare case; still, it’s worth looking for such offers. The hour-based model is more common for public cloud solutions.
Different cloud types are not so hard to understand. On the whole, the model is the same, but with some changes. All you have to do is be attentive to your needs. Cloud hosts, in turn, will surely offer you a solution that can fulfill any needs you may have.
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