Shared hosting is a way of putting a website online without renting an entire server for yourself. Your website has its own hosting account, but the underlying server is shared with other customer accounts.
For many websites, that is exactly what is needed. It keeps costs sensible and gives you a straightforward place to run a business website, blog, portfolio or smaller online shop.
How shared hosting works
Your hosting account has defined allowances. Depending on the plan, these can include storage, monthly bandwidth, email accounts and databases. At Junction, shared hosting also includes SSL and daily backups.
You manage the account through cPanel. That gives you access to the practical tools behind a website, such as files, databases and email accounts.
The server itself is a shared environment, so each account has limits. Those limits help keep the platform stable and make shared hosting suitable for predictable, everyday website workloads.
Who is shared hosting suitable for?
Shared hosting is often a good fit for:
- Small business and professional-services websites
- Portfolio and brochure sites
- New websites that need a sensible starting point
- Content-led sites with normal traffic levels
- Smaller online shops with straightforward requirements
It is not a lesser version of "proper" hosting. It is a practical choice when the workload is modest and the account does not need a dedicated server environment.
What are the limits?
Every hosting plan has limits, whether they are clearly stated or buried in the small print. The main things to consider are not just storage and bandwidth. CPU and memory matter when a site runs heavier software, processes imports, uses many plugins or handles more simultaneous visitors.
A shared plan may stop being the right fit when the site repeatedly reaches resource limits, becomes slow during busy periods or needs a server configuration that is not appropriate for a shared environment.
What are Boost and Max shared plans?
Junction's standard shared plans include 2 CPU and 3 GB RAM. Boost plans provide 3 CPU and 4 GB RAM. Max plans provide 4 CPU and 6 GB RAM.
They are intended for sites that still suit shared hosting but need more processing and memory headroom. The capacity level still determines the storage, bandwidth, email and database allowance, so choose both the capacity and performance level that suit your site.
Is shared hosting suitable for WordPress or WooCommerce?
WordPress runs well on shared hosting for many websites. The same is true of WooCommerce when the shop is modest and its workload is manageable.
The answer changes as the site becomes more demanding. A larger product catalogue, complex shipping rules, several extensions, regular imports or busier checkout activity can increase CPU and memory use. In that situation, Boost or Max may be appropriate before considering a Managed VPS.
Shared hosting and email
Junction's shared plans include a stated number of email accounts. That can be useful for addresses such as hello@yourdomain.com or sales@yourdomain.com.
Before choosing a plan, count the mailboxes you actually need and allow for likely growth. It is also worth considering how important email is to your business and whether a separate email platform is more suitable for your wider requirements.
Review Shared Hosting plans
Start with the shared plan level that matches the site, then choose Boost or Max if the same shared-hosting structure needs more CPU and RAM headroom.
Frequently asked questions
Is shared hosting safe?
Security is a shared responsibility. A hosting environment has its own safeguards, but website owners still need to keep their website software, themes, plugins and passwords properly maintained.
Can I upgrade later?
Yes. It is sensible to begin with an appropriate plan and move up when the site needs it. More hosting is not automatically better hosting.
Does shared hosting mean my site is shared with another business?
The physical server environment is shared, but your hosting account, website files, databases and email accounts are separate from other customer accounts.