While starting a business, you must have planned strategies for business growth, right? But after some point of time, you’ll come across this question that what is next? Then, answer is quite simple that next step is to build online presence for online success. For continuous online presence, you need a website and that website needs a hosting service to keep your website live 24*7 on the web.
Further, selecting a best web hosting provider plays an important role for every business website or any other types of websites. More importantly selecting a strong server is more beneficial for fast loading of the website.
For detail understanding, check the next segment of the article, where you’ll see the comparison between cloud hosting and bare-metal hosting.
What is Cloud hosting?
Cloud hosting is the newest form of hosting that’s easy as well as tough to understand for newbie’s and users that are using shared or any other forms of hosting. In traditional hosting, you’ll get a limited space of the server to host your website, whereas on cloud hosting, you’ll get a separate server configuration that allows you to utilize unlimited space on the server.
In short, cloud hosting is a network of virtual servers that consists of networks of physical servers. You can scale the resources as per the requirement of resources on the server. However, these resources are spread on multiple remote servers that you can use at the time of needy. Your website is not hosted on a single server.
How does Cloud hosting work?
As I explain above that cloud hosting is a unique server configuration. Similarly, in cloud hosting, your website files are located on multiple servers that makes easy to deliver files to visitors, when they visits on your website.
You can operate the servers from the anywhere at any time without worrying about place, server or network. Due to virtual machine, you don’t require to carry physical hardware for accessing the data.
All you need to buy internet connection to run your website. There are two types of cloud hosting one is public cloud and second is private cloud. However, both have unique working system.
What is Bare-metal Hosting?
Next is Bare-metal hosting, it’s a physical computer that is especially developed to run a dedicated services easily for long period of time.
Bare-metal is a highly stable, durable and reliable. It is traditionally called as dedicated server or physical server. During installation it required highly controlled and monitored environment.
It consists of hardware resources like CPU, RAM, and storage, Network port that is not shared between two or more users. In short, only single user can use it or it may need a cluster of servers which is called as a “private cloud”.
Moreover, you can give on rent or purchase the physical hardware along with available resources. How does Bare-metal hosting work?
A working of bare-metal hosting is quite technical that I will explain below in three process as first is to select the Hardware, it consists of single processor of 64 GB DDR4 RAM and for dual processor it required RAM of 256 GB DDR4 RAM.
Ahead, you can develop your server with SATA, SAS, and SSD drives of different sizes and re arrange those drives with a RAID set.
Last, you need to customize the server by including NAS, SAN block storage or firewall.
Second is to select the Software, for dedicated server, you’ll get multiple options for installing software. If we talk about operating system then you can opt for Windows servers, CentOS, Debian and Ubuntu, etc.
In case of virtual servers, you required virtualization software like Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, or Xen Hypervisor, etc. For controlling purpose, best options are cPanel, WHM, or Plesk. Additionally, you can also add software like CMS software, mail software, FTP, etc.
Now, you’ll get a question that there are multiple software’s available in the market then whether you should consider it or not then yes, you can consider as it’s depend upon your hardware configuration.
Third process is to include additional services, I have explained before that you can rent or lease the dedicated server. However, web hosting company will assist you for hardware problems only.
You can ask for additional services before signing up with the web hosting provider. Check below the list of services which you can ask with web hosting provider like website migration, cloud backup, security services, DDoS protection, firewalls, etc.
Pros of Cloud Hosting
• Easy to implement
• Accessibility
• No need of hardware
• Cost per head
• Flexibility
• Easy recovery
• Centralized data
• Free storage
• Quick sharing of documents
Cons of Cloud Server
• Internet connection
• Low bandwidth
• Security issue
• Cost comparison
• No need of hard drive
• Incompatibility
• No proper support is offered
Pros of Baremetal Hosting
• Hardware performances available
• High level of security
• No storage cost
• Performance reliability
• Dedicated support
Cons of Baremetal Hosting
• Required technical support
• Suitable for experience user only
• Scalability
Combination of Cloud and Baremetal or Dedicated servers – The hybrid Cloud
Due to high demand of configuration, majority of businesses are opting for hybrid cloud. It consists of dedicated and cloud hosting solutions.
It is a combination of private and public cloud servers with collocated servers. Further, this configuration is suitable for plenty of variations on the customization side that is beneficial for businesses that have distinct requirements or budgetary limitations.
For back end purpose, hybrid cloud configuration is useful for dedicated servers. These servers create robust environment for data storage and movement.
However, this configuration also works well for Software as a Service (SaaS) applications which needed flexibility and scalability as per customer requirement.
Similarities of cloud servers and Baremetal or dedicated server
If we talk about the core values of cloud and baremetal servers, then you’ll come to know that both the servers are performing similar actions which you can go through below. For example;
1) Information storage
2) Demand to generate information on requests
3) Proceeding requests for information
4) Working on delivering information to the searcher who has asked for information. These two servers are different from shared hosting and VPS hosting.
Now, you’ll get a question, how?
Answer is Structure!!
Structure?
Yes, structure of cloud and baremetal is complicated or you can say tough to understand, if you’re a non tech person.
Check below few pointers to know difference of these servers from shared hosting and VPS hosting.
1) Maintaining good amount of traffic without any lag or performance interruption. 2) Receiving and delivering the information to the searchers on time.
3) Protecting the data storage
4) Guarantee stability of web applications
Almost both the servers are same as they have ability to support any service or application. You can manage the server with similar back – end tools and software. The only difference is the Performance.
If you are aware with your business requirements then opting for a proper solution will save your money, help to boost scalability, flexibility and easy maximization of resources.
Let’s Begin the Comparison of these two servers for better understanding. 1.CPU
If we compare the processor point of a cloud server and baremetal or dedicated server then they are quite similar in terms of performance of CPU.
But baremetal server will enhance the performance as it has physical and direct access to the processing resources in comparison to cloud server.
Under baremetal server, you can access the processor cache quickly.
Where as in cloud hosting, you don’t get the direct access of CPU.
All web hosting providers offers different CPU model. Therefore, you need to check the CPU model while signing up with the web hosting provider.
2. Storage
In baremetal server, you can use local storage whereas in cloud network attached storage block is utilized. Baremetal and Cloud hosting is suitable for HDD and flash – based (SSD) storage.
The major differences is that bare metal consists of own storage devices due to easy availability of the resources in comparison to cloud hosting in which resources are shared amongst the users.
3. Flexibility
Baremetal configuration is easily available for configuration and customization purpose as per individual usage. For small business website, you can consider starter plan of baremetal as the offers given by your web hosting provider. In case, your business starts growing then you can scale out the server and include more servers.
Cloud hosting server is also flexible in comparison to baremetal hosting server. As cloud gets deployed easily whereas physical server is time consuming.
4.Performance
In performance, both hosting servers work well, right? But bare metal hosting server consists of separate server which is managed by single user. You’ll get all necessary resources to manage the server without sharing the resources or server with anyone.
Additionally, it offers better performance for popular applications and heavy workloads like big data processing business.
In cloud server, you need to share the server with others users which might affect the performance of your business.
5. Scalability
In cloud hosting, you can easily scale the resources due to easy availability of the resources. Similarly with baremetal server also gets scaled, if workload is increased. There are two types of scalability in baremetal server first is vertical and second is horizontal scaling.
In vertical scaling, resources are moved from one server to another server. However, migration between servers is not a difficult task.
In horizontal scaling, deployment of extra server is quite tough. For ex; you can host CMS that is content management system on single server only. If that server is not able to handle traffic then you can move the database to another server or deploy it on multiple servers, as per the decided proportion of requests.
6.Migration
On baremetal, live migration is possible, in which you can easily migrate within the different virtual servers. If any server is running outpaces then you can move your application without taking down your application.
Whereas in cloud hosting also, you can migrate your data in three different steps that are from local to public cloud, second is cloud to cloud migration and third is reverse migration in which data is transferred from cloud to local data center.
7.Cost
Baremetal servers are not virtualized but still they offer flexibility like cloud platform. Its billing is based upon per hour usage, monthly or yearly terms depending upon the dedicated hosting plan. You can start and paused the server at anytime with no upfront costs or contract periods.
However, key benefit of baremetal server is price performance with great flexibility. It can handle great work load though it’s temporary.
Whereas in cloud hosting, you get a similar plans like baremetal hosting. Here, also you can scale the resources as per the scenario of traffic on the website.
If you compare the price of both the hosting environment then you’ll came to know that cloud hosting is costly as compared to baremetal hosting. Though, features are quite same but prices vary provider to provider.
Okay, which one you should consider amongst these: Cloud Hosting or Bare Metal
Firstly it’s very important to know that managing the server is not for everyone. It needs a strong technical knowledge of server operating, systems, services and security.
In baremetal, you’ll get half of support from your web hosting provider, which is good, if you come across with any critical situation.
Whereas in cloud hosting, you can enjoy all the benefits but if you get stuck with any issue then it’s become tough to sort that issue unless you’re an expert or having a strong support to overcome the issue.
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