SSD Web Hosting: Fast, Reliable Plans for Every Site

Old-style hard drives are fast approaching obsolescence due to their slow speed when compared to other parts of the hosting system. SSD web hosting solves this by replacing them with solid-state drives, improving the speed at which information can be read from and written to the server.

For a website, this results in faster loading time for pages, quicker database queries, and better ability to withstand sudden increases in traffic. This article analyzes the impact of solid-state storage on hosting performance, the different plan types available, and how to select the right plan for your website.

What Makes SSD Hosting Different

The traditional hard drive uses spinning platters along with a movable read/write head, creating a minor lag each time information is requested. In solid state drives, since there are no movable components involved, data access is instant. For a website with heavy database usage — a classic case being WordPress — the speed will add up on every page load.

Some web hosts have started offering NVMe hosting services, an advanced version of SSDs where the storage unit is connected directly to the server's CPU. There is no harm in finding out the actual technology used by the plan, especially considering "SSD" and "NVMe" are not synonymous.

Types of SSD Hosting Plans

Shared servers provide the most accessible way to enter the market, but even these will continue to benefit from improved speed of storage even in the most basic package available. SSD cloud servers source their resources from a network of server nodes, meaning that if one node experiences very busy times, then other nodes can compensate by doing the work — this is particularly helpful for sites that have variable amounts of traffic. SSD dedicated hosting provides a complete machine for one site alone, making it ideal for big shops or applications that cannot share any of its resources.

Performance: What Actually Changes

Loading Speed

The most obvious advantage that comes from speedy SSD hosting is seen in situations where a server is receiving lots of requests at one time. Since the read and write speeds are significantly faster than on a regular hard drive, the server under such conditions will remain fast for longer periods of time before performance drops off.

Database-Driven Websites

Websites that use CMS systems such as WordPress, e-commerce websites, or any sites that require lots of database calls will see the best performance gains from SSD hosting. WordPress-based SSD hosting in particular will usually result in noticeably faster loading times in comparison to regular HDD hosting plans because of its database-intensive nature.

Reliability

Solid state drives do not contain any mechanical parts that can get worn out over time.

Choosing Between Cheap and High-Performance Plans

It is available at all web hosts, but "cheap SSD hosting" means very different things. In many cases, "cheap" means that the SSD drive is used exclusively for the operating system, whereas the client's data is stored on other drives.

However, having a plan that is hosted using SSD technology does not necessarily have to be more expensive than a regular plan, although it is wise to check on just what the SSD hosting plan currently offers.

Control Panel and Management

While there are many hosting plans which provide SSD storage together with a standard cPanel control panel for management, there are not many cases where an SSD hosting plan would also come with a dedicated panel for the server.