Choosing a hosting package is similar to purchasing your first new car. Are you looking for a dependable little hatchback that will get you from point A to point B, or a mid-size SUV with a bit more oomph, or the full sized, all-stars-of-the-workingman’s-belt truck that can carry anything you toss at it? Web hosting in Kenya is no exception. There is no one “best” choice; it’s whatever is best for you, at this time and in this place, at this stage of your website’s life cycle.
So here we are again, and here’s the answer to the dilemma: shared hosting, VPS hosting or dedicated hosting? Let’s have a cup of tea and a discussion.
Shared hosting is as the name suggests, all your website is hosted on the same server as dozens (or hundreds) of other sites share the same CPU, RAM and storage. It is like sitting on a matatu. It’s cheap, it is reliable, and in most cases it’s totally acceptable.
The catch? When the matatu is too full, or when the fellow beside you decides to show his face at the maximum volume (or so: another website that takes up resources), your ride becomes a bit shaky. With shared hosting in Kenya, there are always times when your performance can be impacted by your neighbours.
Who is it good for? Blogs, small business websites, portfolios, students constructing their first project, or anyone just trying out the waters. For those who don’t expect to get several thousand visitors a day, shared hosting will easily suffice, and you’ll be glad you did. That’s why most people begin their web hosting in Kenya experience here – it’s the sensible and risk-free starting point.
Now let’s upgrade. A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is similar to a person moving from a matatu in a shared community to his/her own apartment in a building. You’re in the same building (physical server) as other tenants, but your apartment is yours. Any resources (RAM, storage, process, etc.) that you have are yours alone and will not be affected by anyone else.
The perfect solution for sites that need more than shared hosting but less than entire buildings to themselves. Or perhaps your online store is starting to receive regular traffic, or you’re operating a web app that requires more control and the freedom to install custom software. Or maybe your online store is starting to receive regular traffic, or you’re operating a web app that requires more control and the freedom to install custom software. With VPS hosting in Kenya, you get the flexibility and stability, but without the cost of owning the entire building.
There’s one downside: a VPS may require a bit more technical expertise. Still, the majority of Kenyan web hosting companies, such as HostJaer, also provide managed VPS hosting, and we take care of the technical details, allowing you to concentrate on your business, rather than settling your server settings.
Dedicated hosting is the highest level — and an entire physical server dedicated solely to you. Nobody else’s web pages, no sudden influx, no dubious selections of music. Only you, all the resources, all the power.
This is suitable for high traffic sites, large e-commerce stores, or businesses with high security or compliance needs such as a financial institution or large corporation. It’s the most costly by a long shot, too, and usually requires a high level of technical skills — unless you use a managed option, where your hosting company will take care of the maintenance.
In practice, few small and medium businesses in Kenya will require a dedicated host. It’s the truck when all you needed was the SUV. However, when downtime equals actual losses of shillings for every minute, Kenyan dedicated hosting services are a worthwhile investment.
The truthful and no crap answer is to begin with where the traffic and money is, not where you think it will be in two years.
For new business websites, blogs and small online stores, shared hosting is almost always the starting point — cheap, simple, and it can take care of moderate traffic easily. Once your site starts to expand it’s time for you to upgrade to VPS hosting, which provides dedicated resources without the cost of a dedicated server. But once you get to the point of having a website that actually generates a lot of traffic, a lot of traffic consistently, that’s when dedicated hosting is worth the price.
The cool thing about good web hosting in Kenya is that you won’t be tied up for too long. It’s a good host that allows you to upgrade as your needs evolve, without having to overwrite your site.
The question now is why is this relevant in Kenya more than one might think?
The small business does often a mistake of spending too much on hosting they don’t require or under spending and later on wondering why their site crashes the moment a Jumia type sale is run and there is a spike in traffic. Shared, VPS and dedicated hosting is much more than just tech jargon; it’s a reality that can impact website performance, customer experience and bottom-line.
HostJaer has been assisting Kenyan businesses every day on this journey; some new and some growing at an accelerated pace. We work out your website’s current position and draw up a trajectory that will keep you on course for growth. Be it shared hosting in Kenya for your first website, VPS hosting in Kenya for your website that is growing or dedicated hosting in Kenya for your enterprise website, the objective is to make your website fast, secure and always accessible.
Shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting are not competitors, they are steps. A great majority of websites will experience more than one of these in their lifetime and that is perfectly fine. It’s the key to know where you are in the process, not where you want to be in the process.
Want to know where your website ranks? Contact the HostJaer team, and we’ll get you the best solution without sales talk or jargon — just honest advice from folks who know web hosting in Kenya inside and out.
