What is Cloud Hosting? We clarify

A classic web hosting consists of multiple services on an Internet Server, waiting for requests from a browser and responding to them individually. This usually involves a single physical computer in a data centre. This method can become problematic, for example, if the system's resources are fully occupied due to a cyber attack or a sudden increase in demand on a website. In this case, requests are lost and a website is temporarily inaccessible to some visitors. In cloud hosting, however, data is stored on a server cluster instead of a single machine. It offers many advantages in terms of performance and flexibility, but has only gained popularity since around 2010 due to its more complex IT structure.

How does cloud hosting work?

Cloud providers - including numerous IT providers such as corporations like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google - physically separate their services from each other. This means that a single server is no longer responsible for different services like databases, PHP interpreters, and web space. Instead, numerous cloud servers form a cluster, which serves as the target address for requests instead of a single computer. Intelligent monitoring continuously distributes the computing load among the individual elements internally. Cloud hosting offers a variety of practical advantages due to its decentralized approach, such as:

• Maximum availability with high performance and no downtime
• Compensation for the failure of individual servers, such as hardware failures
• High data integrity through distribution across different networks
• Attacks on specific services do not affect the performance of other services
• Possible hardware specialization (e.g. for fast querying of databases)
• Optimization of individual cloud servers for a specific service
• Flexibility in the event of a sudden increase in resource consumption
• Possibility of payment based on the actual computing capacities used

The key to efficient cloud hosting is the distribution of the load across different data centres and their interconnection. The benefits for providers and their customers justify the additional effort required for managing the more complex IT infrastructure.

What is the difference between a Public and Private Cloud?

A Public Cloud is available to all users and is the typical model for small to medium-sized websites and projects. In contrast, a Private Cloud is exclusively reserved for a single customer and is needed for complex and computationally intensive applications or websites with very high demand. In some cases, Private Cloud also refers to applications such as Network Attached Storage (NAS) or web servers, if they run on their own IT infrastructure. This includes, for example, even a single mini-computer like a Raspberry Pi in a private household - however, this is not related to Cloud Hosting.

How does Cloud Hosting increase security and availability?

Attacks like Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS), where a server is intended to be overwhelmed by a flood of requests, are ineffective with Cloud Hosting. To fully utilise the performance of such a network, an attacker would need to simultaneously target all or a significant number of a provider's websites. At the same time, security against physical failures is significantly increased. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google interconnect data centres at different locations for Cloud Hosting and use redundant structures, where data can be provided from more than one node at any time. If a single cloud server or even an entire data centre fails (e.g. due to a power outage), other instances take over its work in real-time.

What additional services does Cloud Hosting offer?

Almost all providers allow their customers to combine Cloud Hosting with additional products. These include cloud services such as:

• Cloud Server: Virtual Private Servers (VPS) with scalable performance (here is the comparison between Cloud and VPS hosting)
• Software as a Service (SaaS): Programs that run in a cloud environment
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Complex IT systems that are virtualised in a cloud
• Virtual Private Cloud: An additional isolated, private cloud within a Public Cloud

What Cloud Hosting providers are available?

Due to its numerous advantages, almost all major corporations such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have been offering their customers exclusively Cloud Hosting for many years. With international and national providers, customers sometimes have the choice between server-based hosting and Cloud Hosting. In conclusion, the latter should be preferred if there are no financial reasons for traditional hosting. Cloud Hosting is also increasingly gaining ground in small IT companies and in the business sector. Providers often forego their own IT infrastructure and instead rent a Private Cloud from corporations like Amazon or Google, which they use internally for the company or provide to customers as a Public Cloud.

Does Cloud Hosting incur higher costs?

There are different pricing models for Cloud Hosting, ranging from a flat rate to a consumption-based billing. The latter can save costs, especially for smaller projects, but make long-term financial planning more challenging. Generally, the additional costs for Cloud Hosting are negligible in most cases and are significantly lower than the price differences between various providers for conventional web hosting. This is especially true when combined with additional services - for example, enhanced protection against cyber attacks. In conclusion, Cloud Hosting is preferable to traditional server hosting due to its advantages, considering conditions such as long-term contracts and pricing models. For special applications requiring "exotic" environments such as specific programming languages or access to the operating system, dedicated Dedicated Servers, VPS hosting, or independent virtual Cloud Servers are recommended.

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