Most websites reside on shared or virtual Web hosting servers to save costs, but for sites that need optimum performance, a dedicated hosting server is a must. Dedicated Web hosting puts a site onto its own server and is superior to virtual hosting in all respects except cost. The cost to get a dedicated server, however, is significant, and website owners need to understand its upside before committing to the cost.
Security
A dedicated server is more secure than a virtual server because there is only one website that malicious software can exploit. Each server runs programs that give access to almost every file on that server, and clever hackers can exploit a flaw in a weakly guarded website to alter the way these programs run. A bank, for example, would not run its site on a shared server because it would have no control over how security is run on the other sites on the server.
Control
Just as sharing a server with other sites creates a security risk, sharing a server also creates performance issues. A site with dedicated Web hosting doesn't have to worry about someone else's bad software slowing or crashing the server, giving the dedicated site more control.
Performance
When visitor traffic gets hefty and approaches the server's capacity, the sites on the server slow down. With dedicated Web hosting, all traffic is destined for the solitary site on the server, allowing the website owners to pick a server of capacity that matches their need. They don't have to worry about another site bogging down the server.
IP Address
Since every computer on the Internet has an Internet protocol, or IP, address, a dedicated site can also have its own IP address. A dedicated IP address makes certain features possible, such as anonymous file transfer protocol for uploading files and secure socket layer encryption that allows other computers on the Internet to identify the site for secure transactions.
Custom Settings
A site with dedicated Web hosting is free to set up the server as its owner's desire. With virtual hosting, there are restrictions, since everyone is sharing space, but a dedicated website can choose the settings of various applications, such as those of HTTP applications like Apache, Web logic applications such as PHP and ASP, and databases such as MySQL.