GreenGeeks Pro WordPress Hosting Plan Review & Analysis

GreenGeeks does more than just take care of the environment. If you’re in need of WordPress web hosting, you may not necessarily prioritize a green company over one that offers better features. However, GreenGeeks’ WordPress plans, especially the Pro option, are solid hosting plans that may work very well for you. We compare the Pro plan to other GreenGeeks options and their competitors to help you determine if it’s right for your hosting needs.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

Overall, GreenGeeks offers a good combination of value and services. The fact that they also care about the environment is an added bonus. While their green policies may be one of the focuses of their branding, it’s not the only reason why many people use their hosting services. If you’re in need of a managed WordPress hosting service, take a look at what GreenGeeks has to offer.v

GreenGeeks WordPress Hosting Features

Other Features

GreenGeeks Pro WordPress Hosting Plan Prices

How WordPress Web Hosting Differs from Basic Shared Hosting

You can install WordPress on any type of web hosting plan, including shared hosting. However, GreenGeeks and other hosting services often offer specific WordPress hosting accounts. These accounts are optimized for WordPress. You can install and setup WordPress with a few clicks. These plans also often provide access to hundreds of WordPress addons and themes that can be just as easily installed. If you plan on using WordPress to manage your blog or website, you’ll want to look at everything GreenGeeks offers. You may also want to learn about what an A2Hosting WordPress hosting account offers or read our review of a HostGator WordPress hosting account.

What the GreenGeek Pro WordPress Hosting Plan Offers

GreenGeek offers a number of features with their Pro plan. You can create as many websites as you want, plus your account has unlimited storage space. They also provide unlimited monthly data, so you’re free to create as many sites with as much content as you like. The plan also comes with a free domain name for the first year plus a free SSL certificate and CDN. An unlimited number of email accounts round out the features. When compared to a Hostinger WordPress hosting account, you can definitely see why GreenGeeks is a great hosting option.

The Pro plan is priced at $14.95. However, you can take advantage of special offers. The more months of hosting you commit too, the cheaper each month will be. This is true for all GreenGeeks plans. It’s also often true of other web hosts, so always look to see what pricing options are available before you make a decision.

What Other Managed WordPress Hosting Options Does GreenGeeks Have?

In addition to the Pro plan, GreenGeeks offers two other WordPress hosting options. Their cheap WordPress hosting option is called the Lite plan. GreenGeeks created this plan for individuals who want to set up a single blog or for small businesses that are just starting out. You can only create one website per Lite account. However, these accounts do include unlimited web space, data, and email accounts. Like the Pro plan, you get nightly backups and a free domain name.

For those who need a bit more than what the Pro plan offers, there’s the Premium option. GreenGeeks took everything from the Pro plan and added performance. The Premium plan has double the speed and performance capabilities of the Pro plan. This means your website will load very quickly. If speed is a requirement, you may want the Premium plan. If it’s not, however, the Pro plan may be the best managed WordPress hosting here.

GreenGeeks is an Environmental-Friendly Company

In addition to everything their plans offer, GreenGeeks is also a proud green business. They offset 300% of their carbon emissions. This means that they not only have a zero carbon footprint, they actually erase other carbon footprints. The company does this by buying wind energy credits. The Environmental Protection Agency has recognized GreenGeeks as a green business that is working to help reduce climate change. While this doesn’t have an impact on your web hosting, it does have an impact on the world.

Is GreenGeeks the Best WordPress Host?

GreenGeeks has a lot of features that make it a very attractive WordPress host. The fact that you have unlimited websites, storage, email accounts, and data on the Pro plan is great. Their focus on the environment is also comforting. The Pro plan may be too much for you if you’re only planning on creating a small website or personal blog. However, for growing businesses, GreenGeeks offers a lot for a fairly good price.

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GreenGeeks Managed VPS Hosting Plan Review & Analysis

While many reviews of GreenGeeks focus on the environmentally friendly aspect of the company, that’s not their only strong point. GreenGeeks uses servers that are incredibly reliable and very fast. They also offer a number of nice features and benefits. If you need VPS hosting and also want to help save the environment, you should consider GreenGeeks.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for cheap VPS hosting, GreenGeeks is not the place to start. Their plans can be rather pricey when compared to some of their competitors. However, you do get a lot for your money. GreenGeeks includes daily backups, around the clock support, near 100% uptime, and a number of CMS options that can be installed with a single click. If you’ve got the budget and are concerned about the environment, GreenGeeks may be perfect for you. If you need something more affordable, though, you may want to read our Hostinger VPS hosting review. They are more affordable, but you don’t get as many features.

GreenGeeks Managed VPS Hosting Features

GreenGeeks Managed VPS Hosting Prices

The Benefits of VPS Hosting

VPS hosting provides a number of benefits that standard shared hosting does not. With shared hosting, your data is stored on a server with many other websites. All of these websites share the server’s resources, including its memory, processors, and bandwidth. If one website takes up more than its fair share, the others have fewer resources to use. This, in turn, leads to them being slower to load. Many web hosts solve this problem by simply shutting down the resource-intensive website temporarily. If that’s your website, you effectively have no online presence until the website is restored.

A VPS or virtual private server, however, provides a solution to this problem. Your website is still stored on a server along with other data, so you don’t have a fully private host. However, the server’s hard drive is portioned into sections, each of which acts as its own server. These virtual servers still share physical resources, but they’re managed in such a way that you don’t need to worry about your website being slowed down or temporarily removed. Web VPS hosting provides other benefits, too. For example, your virtual server can run a different operating system than other websites stored on the server. You can also change some of its configurations without worrying about how those changes will affect others on the physical server.

Is GreenGeeks the Best VPS Host? 

While GreenGeeks is certainly a good web hosting option, whether or not it’s the best VPS hosting company is up for debate. It is more expensive than some other VPS hosts, but you get a good amount of resources and benefits, too. For example, the cheapest plan still includes 50 GB of disk space plus a free website transfer, SSL certificate, and more. GreenGeeks automatically backs up all of its servers every day. Their team pro-actively monitors all servers to identify and repair issues as quickly as they can. You also get a dedicated IP, a number of advanced security tools, and a free Content Delivery Network (CDN).

There are a few downsides, though. For one, you do need to commit to long-term hosting to get the best price. They also charge a reactivation fee if you don’t pay your invoice within a few days of receiving it. Their money-back guarantee also has some strings attached to it. To truly determine if GreenGeeks is right for you, read our BlueHost VPS hosting review and other reviews of similar services. You could also read our Cloudways cloud hosting review

GreenGeeks Managed VPS Hosting Plans 

Like many web hosts, GreenGeeks offers three different levels of managed VPS hosting. Their basic fast and affordable plan offers 2GB of RAM, 4 virtual CPUs, 50 GB of storage space, and 10 TB of data transfer. If you upgrade to the next level, their best-selling option, the amount of ram doubles. You also get 75 GB of storage space. The high powered plan offers 8 GB of memory, 6 virtual CPUs, and 150 GB of storage space. All of the plans include the various features listed above.

Should You Use GreenGeeks?

Now that you have an idea of what GreenGeeks has to offer, is it for you? Their emphasis on using carbon offsets is certain one to be lauded, but when it comes to a web host, that shouldn’t be your only concern. You need to have a VPS host that offers you the best value. GreenGeeks is one of the best green hosting options, but that does come at a price. It’s up to you to determine if the price, extra features, and focus on green services is the right combination for you.

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GreenGeeks RH-50 Reseller Hosting Plan review & analysis

One of the biggest selling points of GreenGeeks is their focus on the environment. However, this isn’t their only selling point. Their RH-50 reseller hosting plan does provide many benefits for you and your clients. The plan’s flexibility allows you to scale as needed. These plans are also for managed hosting, so there won’t be a lot of technical work for you to worry about.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

If you plan on reselling server space and are just now getting into the business, GreenGeeks RH-50 reseller web hosting is a good place to start. It’s budget-friendly, but it also gives you a good amount of resources. With 50 cPanel accounts, you can effectively bring in 50 clients. Even if you don’t commit to long-term hosting to get the best price, that still allows you to bring in a good amount of profit.

GreenGeeks Reseller Hosting Features

The Essentials

E-Commerce Capabilities

Developer Friendly

Performance

Security & Reliability

GreenGeeks Reseller Hosting Plan Prices

Is Reseller Hosting Right for You?

Starting a server space reselling company isn’t difficult. There’s nothing you need in the way of hardware or even special software. You simply find a cheap reseller hosting company and sign up for an account. Most of the work is in the advertising. You have to get your name out there and bring in customers. Since GreenGeeks’ RH-50 plan is very affordable, you won’t need a large number of customers to offset your hosting costs. However, you may have advertising costs in addition to your hosting account. Be sure to take all of that plus your time into consideration when determining your pricing.

Another thing to keep in mind is the number of competitors out there. Since reselling server space is so easy, there are a lot of people doing it. You want to look for a specific market for your services to maximize your returns. Also keep in mind that there’s nothing to stop your potential clients from signing up for a A2Hosting shared hosting plan or for Network Solutions WordPress hosting. This means you’re not just competing with other resellers—you’re competing with major hosting companies, too.

How to Leverage GreenGeeks for Your Advertising

GreenGeeks may not be the cheapest or even the best reseller hosting option out there, but they do have one feature you can highlight: their eco-friendliness. They offset 300% of their energy use by purchasing wind energy credits. While there are other green web hosts out there, there aren’t a huge number of them. Many also only offset their own carbon footprint. GreenGeeks buys enough wind credits to offset their own energy usage plus that of other companies. The EPA has certified GreenGeeks as a green power partner in recognition of their work to decrease global warming.

GreenGeeks Reseller Web Hosting Plans

The GreenGeeks RH-50 reseller plan is their middle option. It includes 80 GB of disk space, 800 GB of bandwidth, and 50 cPanel accounts. All websites are stored on solid state drives. You receive a free SSL certificate and free cPanel migrations, plus many other benefits. Your customers can take advantage of an easy-to-use website builder and create as many email accounts and domains as they want.

The RH-25 plan is GreenGeeks’ basic reseller option. It includes 60 GB of storage space and 600 GB of bandwidth a month. You only get 25 cPanel accounts with this plan. It does include all of the other features that the RH-50 plan includes, though. Depending on how many months you commit to, the price is only $5 to $10 less than the RH-50 plan. With that small of a difference, you may want to go with the higher-level plan.

Finally, there’s the RH-80 option. As the name suggests, this plan offers 80 cPanel accounts. You also get 160 GB of disk space and 1600 GB of bandwidth a month. Pricewise, it ranges from $10 to $20 more than the RH-50 option. Again, that’s not a large amount of extra money per month, so it may be worth considering it. You can also upgrade to this plan if you need to.

Should You Work with GreenGeeks?

If you’re looking for a webhost for yourself, the InterServer unlimited hosting plan or something similar is definitely the right move. However, if you want to operate your own hosting reseller business, GreenGeeks is certainly worth considering. Their RH-50 plan does offer a good number of resources, and the pricing is not bad. You can use their focus on the environment as a unique selling point to set yourself apart from some of the competition, too. The only thing to keep in mind is the price. You do need to sign up for multiple months or years to get the best discount. There’s also not a huge price difference between the RH-25, RH-50, and RH-80 options.

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UpCloud MaxIOPS review & analysis

Block storage can be incredibly useful for some projects. UpCloud makes it very simple to add this type of storage technology to your cloud servers, even going so far as to offer a free trial. In this review, we look at what MaxIOPS has to offer those who need block storage. The high points of MaxIOPS are certainly great, while the low points may not be low enough to send you to convince you to move to a competitor such as Digitalocean block storage.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

Overall, UpCloud’s MaxIOPS block level storage can be ideal for a number of projects. However, if you have a strict budget and will need a large number of resources, you may need to look for alternatives. While the plan is flexible, it also quickly increases in price. It’s also a good idea to compare UpCloud’s cloud hosting to other options before signing up for an account since you will need that service to use MaxIOPS.

UpCloud Block Storage Hosting Features

Deployment and Management

Infrastructure and Networking

Compliance and Security

UpCloud Block Storage Hosting Prices

What Is Block Storage?

Block storage is a way of saving data to the cloud. It’s faster, more reliable, and more efficient than how files are normally stored. Traditional storage methods store files congruently on a hard drive. The system saves all of the data in the file together on the same server. Block storage, on the other hand, splits files up into smaller blocks. It then stores each block of data in the most efficient location. Each of these blocks has a unique identifier that the server can use to put the file back together again when the user needs it.

By splitting files, the network can make use of hard drives spread across the entire cloud. The system can even store blocks of data on servers that use different operating systems. The system can also reach all of these blocks through different paths. That allows the data to be retrieved more quickly.

Block Storage vs Object Storage

Another question you may ask yourself other than what is block storage is how does block storage compare to object storage. Object storage also breaks files up, splitting them into objects instead of blocks. It then saves these objects to a repository. This repository is then spread out over multiple servers. Applications manage these objects, not the file system. Each of these objects has a unique identifier and stores metadata that allows apps to assemble the objects. This metadata is customizable and can include other information about the data. With block storage, that’s not possible.

When debating block storage vs object storage, the winner is determined by the data being saved. Block storage can’t save as much metadata. It’s also the better option for files that won’t often change. Object storage, on the other hand, may be better for files such as photographs. That’s because the files can save additional metadata such as the location where the photo was taken.

What Are Some Projects That May Need Block Level Storage?

There are many different projects that can make use of block level storage. Generally, this type of storage is useful for any project that will deal with large amounts of data and requires higher speeds. One such example is video conferencing or video streaming. Multiple users may need to view video files at once. Block storage then quickly retrieved the blocks that make up the video files. Because apps spread these blocks across multiple servers, the server load is spread out. With object storage, one server could be under a lot of stress if many users request files stored on that server at the same time 

Bitcoin processing is another project that can make good use of block storage. You can do this using a number of tools, including several WordPress plugins. Being able to spread out the load among different servers is very helpful for this type of application.

Other Block Storage Options

In addition to UpCloud, there are a number of other companies that offer block storage solution. Two of these are DigitalOcean and Linode. Linode block storage comes with a number of different features, including automated backups. Overall, it’s often considered a master of all trades, although it does fall short in some key areas. UpCloud has faster servers because their hardware is newer. Then there’s DigitalOcean. They’re not as strong in security, but they do have several other features. You can quickly add new servers to your cloud, and they make a number of tasks easier. Which one is right for you? That depends on your needs. Take a look at everything offered in the UpCloud MaxIOPS plan and compare it to what Linode and DigitalOcean offer.

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GreenGeeks Lite Web Hosting Plan Review & Analysis

Many reviews focus on GreenGeeks’ environmental practices, and that’s certainly something to applaud. However, they do offer much more than carbon offsets. Their Lite plan may be the slowest out of their hosting options, but it still contains everything you need to build a good website. When compared to HostWinds shared hosting plan or similar plans, you’ll see that many hosts do offer nearly identical plans. However, the price and carbon offset pledge set GreenGeeks apart from these competitors.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

Don’t let the green focus of GreenGeeks fool you—it’s not a gimmick to hide less-than-useful hosting features. While it’s debatable whether or not GreenGeeks is the best website hosting option available, they’re certainly one of the best options as far as features and price goes. If you’re willing to commit to several years of hosting with them, you can’t beat the discount. Just be aware that there are some downsides.

GreenGeeks Web Hosting Features

E-Commerce Capabilities

Developer Friendly

Performance

Security & Reliability

Technical Support

GreenGeeks Web Hosting Prices

What GreenGeeks Lite Shared Hosting Plan Offers

The GreenGeeks Lite plan offers more than you might expect from a shared hosting account. It’s similar to the HostGator shared hosting plan in that GreenGeeks offers unlimited web space, email accounts, and bandwidth. You also have unlimited email accounts and unlimited databases. The Lite plan comes with a free CDN and a free SSL certificate. GreenGeeks also gives you a free domain name for a year.

The downsides to this unlimited web hosting plan are few, but they may be significant. First, while the special price is very affordable, you only get that price if you sign up for multi-year hosting. This means you’ll lock yourself in and may not be able to change hosting options for years.

GreenGeeks Offers Two Other Shared Web Hosting Plans

In addition to their Lite plan, GreenGeeks offers two other hosting options. The Pro plan, which is their recommended option, includes everything the Lite plan has. The major difference, though, is in the performance. The Pro plan offers double performance speed and allows you to create as many websites as you want per account. You may want to compare this plan to a Hostinger shared hosting plan to determine which offers the better options if you decide Lite isn’t enough for your website.

The Premium plan is GreenGeeks’ top of the line option for shared hosting. While it is more than double the regular price of the Lite plan, it is much faster. It includes everything the Pro level offers but adds four times the performance of the Lite option. GreenGeeks designed this plan for small businesses that are planning on opening eCommerce shops.

All three of these plans use shared hosting. This means that they are subject to the limitations that come with sharing a server with other websites. If you need more dedicated resources, GreenGeeks does offer VPS hosting. For smaller websites that don’t get a large amount of traffic, however, a shared host is perfectly fine. You can always upgrade to a VPS server later.

GreenGeeks’ Pledge to the Environment

As a green company, GreenGeeks works to reduce the impact they have on the Earth. They do this by offsetting their carbon emissions by 300%. The company buys wind energy credits to do so. By buying three times the amount of carbon emissions they create, GreenGeeks is also effectively offsetting the carbon footprint of other companies, too. Because of this, the US Environmental Protection Agency has named them a Green Power Partner. While this has no effect on their hosting capabilities, many individuals and companies are embracing green practices. It can be good to know that you’re working with a web host that is actively engaged in protecting the environment.

Should You Use GreenGeeks?

GreenGeeks does have a lot to offer. The unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and email accounts give you plenty of space to grow your website. The biggest two limitations of the Lite plan are the standard performance and the single website restriction. If you’re planning on creating a personal blog or a small business website, you shouldn’t have any issues with either of these. However, if you want to create several websites or know you’ll need more resources, the Pro plan isn’t that much more in price. This is especially true if you agree to a multi-year contract. GreenGeeks’ focus on the environment is an added bonus that, while not an impact on your hosting, is a nice extra.

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GreenGeeks Web Hosting Prices

GreenGeeks Pro WordPress Hosting Plan Prices

GreenGeeks Reseller Hosting Plan Prices

GreenGeeks Managed VPS Hosting Prices

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UpCloud SND Private Plan Review & Analysis

Understanding what an SDN private network is requires more than a passing knowledge of web hosting. UpCloud builds these networks on top of cloud servers, so you do need to purchase both server space and a the additional SDN tool. However, UpCloud does make it easier to control your budget. Your SDN private network costs remain the same regardless of traffic or number of servers, so your budget can easily accommodate at least one private network.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

UpCloud’s SDN networking option can be very useful for a number of projects. However, it’s important to realize it’s not web hosting. This means you will need to also purchase UpCloud server space. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of the private network into your budget. This certainly isn’t an add-on that everyone needs, though, so be sure you fully understand the benefits of SDN before you buy it. If you simply need basic web hosting, look at hostgator snappy VPS hosting or an alternative. You don’t need the additional resources (and costs) that come with cloud computing.

UpCloud SDN Cloud Networking Features

SDN Benefits

UpCloud Cloud Networking Prices

What Is Software Defined Networking?

Software Defined Networking is a somewhat new way of managing applications and cloud resources. Network administrators can use the SDN to quickly deploy applications to servers in the network, manage the resources shared among the cloud, and more from one central control panel. SDNs have become popular because it’s much easier to maintain a network, especially one with physical hardware that is spread among different offices in different locations. An SDN shifts everything to a more virtual infrastructure instead of the traditional physical one.

SDNs no longer require organizations to manage physical routers or switches. Instead, everything is handled by software virtually. Everything, including Network cloud security, is virtualized. Resources can be assigned and reassigned as needed, regardless of where they are physically located.

Advantages of SDN

Software defined networking comes with a number of benefits. Everything is done using a single software application. You can easily scale your network as needed by moving resources around and provisioning additional resources. In fact, your entire network’s infrastructure can be changed as needed. Your network is also much more secure from external attacks and threats. Because it’s fairly new technology, software defined networking is also growing and changing rapidly. It’s likely that some of its current disadvantages, such as its high latency issues, will be dealt with in the future.

Should You Use UpCloud for Your Cloud Computing Needs?

Now that you have a basic understanding of what an SDN is, the next question to ask is if UpCloud’s cloud computing is right for you. If it’s not, you won’t need to pursue the question of whether or not you need their SDN. UpCloud’s servers aren’t designed for basic web hosting. For that, you may want to consider using Hostinger VPS hosting. Instead, these servers are ideal for tasks that require speed and flexibility. For example, they are ideal for bitcoin processing. They are also a good choice for projects that require video streaming or sharing large amounts of data. The servers are able to handle transferring large files to many users at once without much latency or other issues.

Another benefit to UpCloud’s cloud servers is that they are highly flexible. It’s possible to increase or reduce the number of servers you have at any given time. These servers can also be moved in and out of your private network as needed. Since UpCloud doesn’t have a limit on how many servers can be in one of their private networks, there’s no worry about adding too many and increasing your SDN costs.

The Downsides of UpCloud Cloud Networking

One of the downsides of using UpCloud’s cloud networking is that it does require you to understand the cloud and how private networks work. You will need to do much of the configuration of your servers yourself. You will also need someone who understands cloud security to handle that aspect of your network.

UpCloud also has competitors, and these other companies are stronger than UpCloud in some ways. For example, Digital Ocean makes it very easy to add new servers, though they’re weaker in security. Linode, another competitor, has more automated features and backup options. However, UpCloud has newer hardware, so their servers are a little faster. You’ll need to be sure you carefully consider your needs before selecting a hosting company. In addition to your cloud server needs, be sure to keep in mind what UpCloud’s SDN offers.

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UpCloud Simple Plan Review & Analysis

UpCloud’s Simple Plan is based around flexibility. Their basic option has everything you might need for a small project. However, you’re most likely going to need much more than what it offers. The strength of the Simple Plan is that you can select the level that provides exactly what you need. You’re not paying for more than necessary. The downside is that the cost does add up quickly. You may also find that you have to change your pricing level multiple times throughout the year depending on your cloud computing needs.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

UpCloud’s Simple Plan is very flexible and useful for a number of cloud computing needs. However, if you need a large number of resources, be aware that you’re going to also need a large budget. The cost does increase quickly, and you may easily hit the $640 a month level before you know it. If you have the budget and understand how to manage a cloud server, though, UpCloud is a good option.

UpCloud Simple Plan Cloud Computing Hosting Features

Additional Features

UpCloud Cloud Computing Hosting Prices

UpCloud’s Pricing Structure

UpCloud’s Simple Plan starts out at $5 a month. However, this level does not include a lot. Upcloud’s $5 a month plan provides one GB of RAM, one CPU, 1 TB data transfer, and 25 GB of storage. Most cloud computing projects are going to need more than that. Each level doubles in price. Generally, the resources also double. For example, the next level is $10 and offers two GB of RAM, two TB of data transfer, 50 GB of storage, and one CPU. UpCloud’s plans extend all the way to the $640 a month option. It offers 20 CPUs, 128 GB of memory, 24 TB of data transfer, and 2048 GB of storage.

What Is Included in UpCloud’s Cloud Computing Services?

Upcloud includes a number of features with every plan, regardless of what level you purchase. UpCloud includes schedule backups and the ability to create snapshots of your server configuration. You can restore your server within seconds at any time. You can also deploy new cloud servers within a minute. UpCloud provides both Windows and Linux support, too. You can clone servers when needed as well. If you have cloud hosting already and are switching to UpCloud, they give all new accounts a two-month free migration period.

Security and compliance are also vital parts of all cloud computing services. UpCloud provides two-factor authentication to ensure your data is protected. They also include server tags to minimize who has access to which servers. A secure firewall protects your data from hackers and malicious programs. UpCloud stores and secures all data in such a way to meet EU requirements.

Is UpCloud Right for Your Needs?

There are various types of cloud computing available. Is what UpCloud offers right for your needs, or should you consider something like a Hostwinds managed VPS hosting account? UpCloud designed their accounts for experts. This means they do not include easy-to-use control panels. However, their interface does give you full access to everything. You can configure your servers in any way you need.

UpCloud’s plans are also not designed for web hosting. For that, you might want to check out our Interserver cloud VPS hosting review. Instead, these plans are more for running cloud software or storing data that needs to be main available to multiple locations or users while still being carefully protected. You will also find most web hosting plans fit your budget better than cloud computing plans do.

What UpCloud’s plans are designed for is unique situations that require a large amount of processing power, storage space, and flexibility. For example, their servers are ideal for processing Bitcoins using BTCPay or other WordPress plugin. Other cloud computing examples include video streaming and video conference hosting. Their servers can handle a large number of users all accessing large files at the same time.

Comparing Cloud Computing Options

When it comes to cloud computing, there are a number of companies out there that compete with UpCloud. Two of these major competitors are Digital Ocean and Linode. Both offer similar services to UpCloud and, depending on your project, may actually be more ideal hosts. Before selecting your cloud host, you should compare the three options. While there are many factors to compare, we’ve done a broad comparison.

For example, Digital Ocean makes it very easy to add new servers with custom settings. You can expand your cloud in just a few clicks. However, their security isn’t the strongest. You may need a security expert to help you make certain your data is safe. Linode, on the other hand, offers a large number of features. Their servers, though, are not as fast as UpCloud’s. Overall, Linode scores mostly high marks across the board, but UpCloud has newer hardware and is faster. Again, though, evaluate all three options with an eye towards your particular needs. You may find that UpCloud is the solution you’ve been looking for.

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UpCloud Cloud Networking Prices

UpCloud Cloud Computing Hosting Prices

UpCloud Block Storage Hosting Prices

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DigitalOcean Managed Databases Review & Analysis

By offering three database options, DigitalOcean ensures that they have what you need. They provide many of the same great features, such as daily backups and scalability, with every plan. To determine which one is right for you, you’ll need to look at how MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis differ. You can’t go wrong with what DigitalOcean offers, though.

Who This Hosting Plan is For

Who This Hosting Plan is Not For

Bottom Line

You may not need a cloud database attached to your web hosting. If you do, having three options is very beneficial. Many hosting companies such as Cloudways cloud hosting don’t offer as many options. Most only provide MySQL databases. By learning more about DigitalOcean’s three database options, you can determine which one best fits your needs.

DigitalOcean Managed Databases Hosting Features

Start Your Engines

Other Features

DigitalOcean Managed Database Hosting Prices

The Different Cloud Database Options

If you’re not familiar with website databases, you likely don’t know the differences between MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis. You may not even know if you need a database for your website. There are many different reasons why you may need a database. Most often, though, it comes down to one factor: storage. If your website is going to contain a large amount of data, you’re going to need a database to store it all and organize it. Databases can be searched for information and return specific data. Without one, a user would have to sift through everything on your website to find what they need.

Now that you know why you need a database, let’s look at each option to see which is right for you. Note that much of what a database does is behind the scenes. You won’t really see a difference on the user end. This is true of all three options. The end user won’t see anything different, but each database has significant differences.

MySQL

MySQL is one of the most popular databases. Many hosting companies only offer MySQL databases. Companies such as Facebook and Twitter use MySQL because of its security. This also makes it ideal for eCommerce websites. MySQL can also be quickly scaled as needed. It’s easy to use, has high uptime, and is also very affordable.  While your database will be fully managed, you can begin to learn how MySQL works. It’s fairly easy to pick up, so you may be able to look at unmanaged solutions later if you need to.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is also an open source database engine. However, it differs from MySQL in a few ways. First, it stores data using an object-relational model over MySQL’s relational one. This may not mean much to you, but it does make the database more flexible. It’s possible to create data structures that are more complex than what MySQL offers. PostgreSQL also supports many different data types and even has a unique way of storing network addresses. The database also comes with many pre-defined data types, which can be useful.

Redis

The third open source database type DigitalOcean offers is Redis. Redis, however, is technically not a database. Its developers call it an “in-memory data structure store” that can be used like a database and a memory cache. Redis supports many common data types and is very fast. A number of major online websites, including Craigslist, Pinterest, and Snapchat, are powered by Redis. For developers, Redis is easy to use and is supported by many programming languages.

Do You Need Database Management Support?

DigitalOcean does all of your database management for you. This is very helpful if you’re not comfortable configuring your own database. Their team also handles all of the maintenance and updating needed. For many people, even those familiar with database management software, it’s simply easier to let them handle it all. It’s one less thing you have to do.

With an unmanaged database, you can customize it more to your needs. This is sometimes very important. Most of the time, though, it’s not an issue. Unmanaged database hosting is cheaper, of course, but you’re doing more work. If you need more features, tools, or settings that a managed database doesn’t provide, you may have to use an unmanaged host. If you don’t, though, a managed option is likely the best way to go.

Is DigitalOcean the Right Option for You?There are some benefits to DigitalOcean’s cloud hosting. Their servers, which they call Droplets, are very easy to use. You can add additional Droplets at any time, and you can connect them to your database. While you do need to have more experience with hosting to use their plans, they are ideal for some situations. For basic webhosting, you’re better off with something such as Hostinger startup cloud hosting. If you need multiple servers that are incredibly fast and offer a large amount of processing power, though, DigitalOcean has you covered.

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