Difference between Web Hosting and Cloud Hosting

Key Difference: Web hosting refers to a service through which a website is made available on the internet. It provides the physical location to store the website. Cloud hosting is also a type of web hosting. In cloud hosting, a number of servers are configured in a flexible way. It is known for its virtual and dynamic scalable infrastructure that generally operates on the basis of demand .

Cloud computing has revolutionized the concept of hosting. Web hosting typically refers to traditional ways of hosting the websites. Many people compare both of them in terms of performance, cost and many other features. Both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.

In web hosting, server space and file maintenance is offered by some companies. These companies provide web hosting services to those who do not possess their own web servers. One just needs to pay a certain amount to get the space in the server and then is able to publish pages on the internet. On the other hand, cloud computing employs many servers that work together as a single server, and the services to host a website is provided on the basis of need. Cloud Computing uses a vast network of physical web servers which act as virtual servers for hosting websites. It provides both types of facilities- infrastucture as a service and platform as a service. Hust host and Go Daddy are among the cloud service providers.

Comparison between web hosting and cloud hosting:

	Web hosting	Cloud hosting
Definition	Web hosting refers to a service that is associated with internet hosting. The companies that offer this service, provide their server computers to store the web sites.	In cloud hosting, a number of servers are used for hosting. It is known for its virtual and dynamic scalable infrastructure that is operated according to the demand.
Types of server	Fixed server or a portion of a single server	Many servers working as one server
Scalability	Difficult	Easy
Cost	Depends upon the packages.	Depends upon the usage.
Reliability	Less	More, in case a server fails, one can easily switch to the other server.
Advantages	Shared hosting offers a complete package and is not very expensive. Virtual Private servers are known for their control and reliability factors. Dedicated servers provide complete control and also guarantee reliability through SLAs.	Private cloud has no single point of failure and there is no external data security risk. Public clouds are fully managed by a third party, and thus can be considered as more reliable. It is generally less expensive. They are also known for their scalability. Hybrid provides the benefits of both.
Types	Shared Hosting – the server is shared with many other customers. Dedicated Servers- a server that host’s only client’s website. Virtual Dedicated Servers- web host employs many virtual servers on each machine and thus costs are reduced. Managed hosting- a type of dedicated server hosting in which web site the hosting provider manages the client’s server on his behalf.	Public Cloud- When the hosting occurs in a location other than the client’s own physical property. Private Cloud- When the hosting is done by the client and is not shared. Hybrid Cloud- Most important applications are hosted on client’s server and rest in somewhere else. Community Cloud- A cloud of this type is shared between organizations.
Disadvantages	Shared hosting exhibits lack of support and control. There are also various performance issues. Private virtual servers have a single point of failure and other virtual severs can create some disturbance in the services. Dedicated servers are expensive and have a single point of failure.	Private clouds are expensive. Public cloud is very large, and thus the external factors can sometimes create a problem. In a public cloud, it is quite difficult to assess the data risks that are generated externally.