I read (not on Sitepoint) that there maybe an issue using Drupal (in an ecommerce situation) on a shared host because “Drupal was resource intensive.” I have been contemplating which CMS to dive into and learn thoroughly. I have created small static sites mostly and am ready to grow - and I would like to learn one CMS really well and stick with it. So after much research (and back and forth between WP and Drupal), I was pretty much set on Drupal until I read about the possible hosting issue. Most my sites will be small to medium in size, and on a shared server. Has anyone had issues with using Drupal on a shared host server? With Wordpress? If so, is it just with E-commerce? Thank you.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that it certainly can be resource-intensive, but to just make that blanket statement without more qualification is oversimplifying.
So much depends on what kind of application it is, what kinds of modules you’re using … how you’re using them, how up-to-date they are, etc. etc.
If you’re not careful and not on top of things, any CMS can become resource-intensive without your even knowing about it. That said, I’m not going to lie – Drupal, more than most CMS’s, does seem to come with a lot of extra “junk.” This isn’t so much an issue with core as it is with certain modules just not “cleaing up” after themselves. For example, I was using one module that, unbeknownst to me, was storing all kinds of info in a temporary directory without ever cleaning it out. It wasn’t until after I was going through several of my directories that I learned this directory was already over 6 gigs. And if you’re not on the lookout, there could be other modules that just write all kinds of extra data to your mysql tables, which just accumulates and sits there, doing nothing other than making your db unnecessarily large.
But like with anything else, you just have to roll with these things. You go and search for updates and patches to fix the problem or you fix them yourself (in my case, I just added some extra code to the module that cleans out that directory after every use). And with the database, I just found the module creating the extra data, and changed a few things.
Honestly, though, these could very well have been Joomla or Wordpress extensions, and it’s all just part of the process. You love extensions because other people have contributed free code for you to use. But sometimes you hate them because … like with anything else, the people coding these things aren’t perfect, and they often have bugs, just like the stuff that we code.
Thanks CMS Dude. That all makes sense and something to keep in mind as I continue down the CMS path.
I do have one more question for you, a little off topic, but I’ve read many of your posts on Sitepoint and value your knowledge. You know Drupal and seems Joomla and Wordpress as well. If you were just starting out creating websites (with your current knowledge), creating smaller sites mostly static, but some with ecommerce and form data collection, calendars, news events, etc. which CMS would you choose? Or maybe I should ask… would you stick with one CMS, or change based on the size and scope of your project. I plan on learning Drupal, and using it for all sites (small and medium - I don’t think I’ll ever go big, but who knows). Just wondering if this is a good game plan. I’m also in the process of learning PHP. Thanks so much for your time and insight. Anyone else, pls feel free to offer your thoughts as well.
I took it upon myself to learn a bunch of CMS’s because I just wanted to get more work. 
This has helped me land some moderately sizeable clients, and helps me get involved from the very start of a project – people feel like they can call on me to help them figure out which CMS to use, and then to actually implement it.
It’s kind of an unusual niche that just came about due to circumstance, rather than plan. I don’t know if it’s the best way to do things. In hindsight, if I could start over again, I would probably just learn Drupal from the start. That way, I figure I’d be a Drupal Master Ninja by now, rather than just a brown/black belt. At least in my market (Chicago), Drupal is pretty big with the larger clients, as is the Ruby on Rails framework (groupon is based here) … so in hindsight, I would probably go back and focus on either one of those two platforms and enjoy some higher-paying jobs.
If these weren’t as much of a concern and I could just work with a CMS that I like, then I would be using Silverstripe exclusively. That’s just my favorite framework and CMS at the moment. Maybe there’s something else that you’d like better, but either way, it would be pretty liberating to be in your shoes again and be able to just use what I like, and not have to worry so much about whether a platform will help me pay the bills or not.
To answer the part of your query regarding shared servers and your brief mention of commerce: the question is not so much whether Drupal will sit well on shared (because it certainly can, with a good server), but whether one should put a commerce site on shared. I say no. Partly for better performance and scaling; partly because every possible security weak spot, however slight, must be minimised or removed. Just a thought in case you are thinking in that direction.
Thanks Mat30. I will keep that in mind. I still have lots to learn about e-commerce.
Good way to look at it, CMS Dude. I’ve been so consumed by finding the best CMS to learn and it be the ‘end all’, that I forgot to think about the enjoyment factor. And that I should be enjoying ‘my ride’ and not so focused on the end goal. Since web design is just a part time income for me (for now), I do have that luxury to use what I choose. But now… I’ve looked at Silverstripe and think that could be fun. Perhaps I’ll give both a try. Thanks for sharing your story.
It’s true - you can run into issues. It depends on how large your site is relative to the resources your shared host will provide before they shut you off.