I am currently using GoDaddy hosting for a commercial web site. I am redesigning the web site changing it from HTML to PHP and MySQL.
I read recently that with the shared hosting package we have with GoDaddy we are limited to 50 concurrent users so only 50 people can view the site at the same time. We are looking to upgrade the service to allow more to log on but i am looking into further options.
I have contacted:
Bluehosts - limits concurrent users to 135
Fasthosts - no limit (if there is a limit it is thousands) iPage - Unsure limit of concurrent users
I am also thinking about adding a Secure Web Page hosted at our web site so people can add their credit card details at our site rather than having to add their details at an external site (SagePay or WorldPay, for example).
Do you have any recommendations as to which host company to use or would you recommend I host it on my own server?
No matter who you go with, shared hosting at $5-10 is unlikely to be designed to allow any single customer to reach hundreds of concurrent users.
Also, the limit you refer to is probably about concurrent Mysql connections. Even if you have 100 people visiting your site, they’re unlikely to request pages at the same time, so you could very well have only 20 database connections used at any one time.
If the host has no defined limit on processes or database connections, there are still clauses in the terms of service that allow a host to suspend your account at any time when they deem that it is endangering server performance for other customers.
I suppose if you are on small VPS you will not have any limits at all. Of course that is a bit more expensive then traditional shared web host.
But in this case you will be limited server (VPS) sources only.
With a Virtual Private Server can I host more than 1 domain? I intend to have 2 web sites (different content, a totally different site). If this is possible, it would half the cost!
Yes, you can host multiple domains. Then again, you can do that with most shared hosting accounts as well.
Note though that a small VPS, if small enough, can be a less costs effective solution compared to shared hosting, due to overhead memory usage and other costs.
One thing to remember regarding concurrent users is trhat server use by a user is not continuous. They will access the server for a few milliseconds then spend ten seconds or more interacting with the page before needing access to the server again.
If you really must go over the 50-100 threshold, it seems it is time to look at a VPS. You have outgrown a shared plan so VPS is definitely the way to go. Much better up performance and less limitation.
Indeed a VPS is much better than a shared hosting plan, if you have $15-$25 to psend per month, you will be safe for some time from being worried of things like that
Sometimes, with the new PHP site I am developing, the page first displays just text links (like you see a page without CSS applied - just the text, with text links). After about a second or two the styling kicks in and it looks like it should.
Is this because it is shared hosting? Would a £20 package/server avoid this happening in some or all circumstances?
