Managed Hosting vs. Unmanaged Hosting

1. Managed vs Unmanaged Hosting

2. Hosting is one of most crucial aspects of any internet-based business. Giving your website solid foundations — like the ability to withstand traffic surges and sidestep downtime — is just one of the many reasons it’s important to choose the right service. In addition to the technical prowess of a host’s servers, things like additional services and the level of customer support they offer are just as important. It’s safe to say that a good host will take a huge hosting burden off your shoulders whereas a bad host — or even a relatively poor choice in hosting plans — can throw a pretty large wrench in the works of your site. In this article, I’ll be discussing the differences between managed and unmanaged hosting and what each of these terms really means for you, the user. By the end of this article, you should not only know a lot more about both these types of service but also which one to use. Let’s get started…

3. What Is Managed Hosting? A hosting plan is made up of a number of different components. The most basic component is the server hardware itself. The server usually has an operating system installed and various kinds of software used for running websites. In addition, hosting companies may also offer various services such as automated backups, malware scanning and removal, status monitoring, security sweeps, and more. These additional features are management services, which is where the “managed” part of the term “managed hosting” comes into play. In essence, managed hosting simply refers to a hosting plan that comes with a number of additional benefits or services. What Is Unmanaged Hosting? Unmanaged hosting is a hosting plan with no (or very few) additional services. With unmanaged hosting you may, for example, get simply a server with only an operating system installed. This means that you’ll then need to install any necessary software on your own. (By “software” I don’t only mean WordPress or Drupal or similar, but even base system software such as Apache or PHP.) The reason it’s referred to as “unmanaged” is because the hosting company itself doesn’t provide any services or carry out any management tasks on your server. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. I’ll go into more detail about unmanaged hosting and what it lacks later on in this article, but first let’s get a good grasp of what types of management services managed hosting can offer. To learn more you can check the Vendasta vs. WP Engine comparison.

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