When you host your website using a dedicated server, it simply means your website has its personal server. This way it gets to enjoy all the immense power and flexibility a standard server has to offer alone.
The answer to the question of how many websites a dedicated server can accommodate depends on certain factors. These factors range from the design of the website to the amount of data the site has. Putting these factors into consideration helps you make the right plans for a custom dedicated server.
Factors That Determines How Many Website to Host
Design
The design of the websites to be hosted usually determines how many of them can be hosted on a dedicated server. The language used to code the website also plays a role in this. Generally, there are two variations of websites; Static and dynamic websites. Static websites are known for their simple nature. It contains a small amount of information and it is, therefore, smaller in size when compared to a dynamic one. This also means that it requires less memory and processing power but also needs a large disk space from the dedicated server.
Dynamic Websites on the other hand have more complex designs when compared to static HTML websites. Just as the name implies, the website contents change consistently. Because of this, it is larger and will require more server power. Dynamic websites are usually created and managed using CMS such as WordPress, Joomla, and others.
The design and component of your website determine the processing power and memory the server will be providing. A dedicated server should be able to host up to 500 websites if they are all Static HTML sites and 250 websites if they are dynamic.
Bandwidth
This is the size of the data which is being sent from your website to the internet via the web server. The bandwidth being used on your website is determined by the number of visitors you get and the type of content found on your website. This means that heavy content like videos and images will consume a higher bandwidth. If your website also gets high traffic, it will not only consume a higher bandwidth but also require larger disk space. To host a website with high traffic, more CPU and Memory resources will be required.
Email Services
Another factor that determines how many websites you can host on your dedicated server is the presence of an email service. If you are offering your customers an email service, then you should put this into consideration when going for dedicated hosting. The volume of emails that will be exchanged on a daily will determine the number of websites the dedicated server can host. A dedicated server can host up to 250 sites that use email services with about 500 GB bandwidth transfer.
Plans For Expansion
Your business expansion plan is another factor that determines the number of websites that can be hosted on a distributed server. If you are running a fast-growing business with an ever-increasing client base, you should consider upgrading the resources on the server. An overloaded server with few resources will result in a poor user experience. The higher the resources required by your website, the lower the number of websites that can be hosted on the same server. However, plans can be made to upgrade your server to accommodate as many websites as you want.
It is always best to talk to an expert before using dedicated hosting in the first instance. You should make known your plans of possible expansion in the future to get a server that meets your needs.
The Features and Functionalities of Your Server
Another factor that determines the number of websites that can be hosted by a dedicated server is its features and functionalities. If your server is customized with third-party applications, control panels, add-ons, and many more, it will require more server resources. Each application in the server requires a certain amount of server resources. The more the number of websites hosted on the server, the more applications it will require and the more resources it will consume.
After putting all these factors into consideration, the next step is to discuss extensively with your hosting provider. You should ask certain questions and state what exactly you require of the server to get the best result.
