spons11oc 1 23 What is the Difference Between Shared and Reseller Hosting?

What is the Difference Between Shared and Reseller Hosting?

Reseller and shared hosting have one thing in common: multiple users share the same server. The differences between them are a lot more.

Reseller hosting allows a user to take control of a substantial portion of resources and share them with family members or friends. Another option is to sell them to customers.

People who want to launch a web hosting business or simply make something extra on the side can be successful with reseller hosting.

Users of shared vs. reseller hosting

Shared hosting is perfect for small companies and individuals who want to get and keep their websites online. They can focus on domain management, email setup, web design, and other important aspects as the hosting provider takes care of resource allocation.

Suppose you are a serial startup owner or a freelance developer already offering clients web services. In that case, reseller hosting is a great way to supplement your palette of offerings. You buy a set amount of server resources and bandwidth and distribute them to other websites or customers. You have more control over server domains and settings, and you also have access to billing tools. This is because you are reselling hosting, which is the same as operating your own hosting business.

Reseller hosting offers better value for money

Shared hosting is cheaper than reseller hosting, which should be logical. Reseller hosting comes with added business opportunities, control, and server resources. Shared hosting can cost as little as several dollars a month. Typically, reseller plans start around $15. It’s possible to offset the cost of relatively cheap reseller hosting with your initial monthly profits.

Difference in management panel functionality

Both reseller and shared hosting users get some kind of management panel. Typically, resellers get Web Host Manager (WHM) panels, and end users of shared hosting get cPanel. cPanel and other web hosting control panels offer access to management options for backups, FTP, domains, email, databases, SSH users and keys, etc. They usually come with some kind of app that lets users download other software, like WordPress.

cPanel is more than sufficient to meet the needs of a typical shared hosting user. Webmin and Plesk are two further control panel options. You can use cPanel as well as WHM to manage multiple accounts from a single point.

WHM works as the reseller hosting company’s hosting and billing portal. The company can create, manage, and modify permissions and reseller accounts, park domain names, set up server alerts, create and install SSL certificates, change hosting account statuses or assign custom features to them, and limit customers’ bandwidth use.

Reseller hosting is more secure

Shared hosting is riskier because you share server resources, including memory, storage, and bandwidth. There are multiple sites on a server, and if one becomes compromised, yours can be too. The resources available to shared hosting users are finite. If a shared hosting provider claims to offer unlimited resources, that’s a lie. When you reach your limit, they will recommend VPS or even dedicated hosting.

That said, shared hosting will most likely meet the average website’s needs. If you need to host more than one site, reseller hosting is the better option.

How many sites can shared vs. reseller hosting support?

We’ve established that both types can support multiple sites, but how many precisely? The difference depends on the provider. Some hosts offer an unlimited number at a premium rate. Users of reseller hosting can distribute resources as they wish as long as they don’t cause problems for the parent hosting company, such as CPU bottlenecking.

Resellers get a number of extras that shared hosting users don’t have. One example is a personal nameserver. This is a computer that translates IP addresses into domain names and vice versa. Without one, you’d need to enter a 10-digit code to open a website. It’s far easier to remember a domain name. Personal nameservers increase control over domain names, which makes managing domains much easier because the names become associated with the main domain.

Is shared or reseller hosting better?

The degree of control required and how you plan to use the service determine whether to opt for shared or reseller hosting. Shared hosting is enough for a single website. If you are running multiple businesses or websites, reseller hosting is worth exploring as an option.