Incorrect Scalability

The price for extra CPU, Memory, and Network bandwidth units has become neglectable. Still, every server has a certain limit to its capacity. Along with that, web applications become more resource demanding by default and their needs grow very fast when the site’s popularity increases.

Naturally, any server’s capacity can be exceeded if it hosts unstable/unoptimized scripts. Thus, if you have not planned correctly the scalability of your website, there will be slowdowns if not even service interruptions. Estimating the exact needs of your website is very hard because there are no general truths. For example, no one can estimate how much memory / CPU is needed for a forum with 1000 users. An SMF forum with 1000 users and 100 000 posts may perform as good as a vBulletin forum with 2 000 users and 50 000 posts.

Here is the place to mention an interesting phenomenon called the Slashdot effect. It is observed when a popular website features a smaller one, forwarding an unexpectedly high number of visitors to it. Usually, this makes the smaller site totally inaccessible. A similar result can be accomplished by a very aggressive marketing campaign. That’s why it is generally wiser to ensure more server resources than your current needs seem to be. This will allow you to develop and grow firmly your online presence while keeping your site stable and fast. When thinking of scalability you have to take into consideration the provided RAM Memory and CPU units. Generally, your options are:

StartUp / GrowBig web hosting account – provides shared server resources to many websites

Pros:

• Affordable prices;
• Easy to upgrade/downgrade between plans;
• Ease of use with least technical knowledge required;
• Backup solution – accounts hosted on shared servers are backed up free of charge each day for the best protection of customers’ data.

Cons:

• CPU and Memory units are shared by all users;
• Resource overusage is not tolerated;
• Custom server configurations are not allowed. Such would have an effect on all users on the server;

GoGeek shared hosting account – brings the shared hosting to the next level. The clients get much more server resources to support the increasing demands and stable growth of their websites

Pros:

• More server resources – up to 10 times fewer accounts hosted on the one server compared to the standard shared one;
• Lower user limitations;
• Priority Support Services – the reported hosting related issues in the Help Desk will be solved with higher priority by our support team;
• Ease of use with least technical knowledge required;
• Backup solution – accounts hosted on shared servers are backed up free of charge each day for the best protection of customers’ data

Cons:

• Higher prices compared to the shared hosting plans;
• Custom server configurations are not allowed. Such would have an effect on all users on the server;
• CPU and Memory units are shared by all users;

Cloud hosting account – an innovative technology that allows you to create many virtual systems on a single (or in some cases – more than one) machine.

Pros:

• Dedicated CPU and Memory units;
• Better Performance – guaranteed server resources with the advanced virtualization and multiple machines included in the cloud;
• Easy to upgrade/downgrade between plans;
• Custom server configurations are allowed;
• Affordable Prices;
• Backup solution – accounts hosted on cloud servers are backed up free of charge each day for the best protection of customers’ data.

Cons:

• Higher prices than the shared accounts;