What is shared hosting? An overview for beginners
Shared hosting puts your website on a server alongside other accounts, sharing resources like CPU and RAM.
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Shared hosting is the most accessible way to host a website. Your account lives on a server alongside other hosting accounts, sharing its hardware resources. UnderHost manages the server-you get a cPanel control panel to manage your website, email, and databases without needing any server administration knowledge.
What is included
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Control panel | cPanel with full file, email, and database management |
| Email accounts | Unlimited mailboxes on your domain (IMAP, POP3, SMTP, webmail) |
| MySQL databases | Create multiple databases and manage via phpMyAdmin |
| 1-click app installs | WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and 400+ apps via Softaculous |
| Free SSL | AutoSSL from Let's Encrypt, auto-renewed |
| PHP version selection | Supported PHP 8.x versions selectable per domain; legacy options may vary by plan |
| Backups | Server-side backups (frequency varies by plan) |
| FTP / SFTP access | Upload files securely with any FTP client |
Who shared hosting is ideal for
- Personal websites and blogs
- Small to medium business websites
- WordPress, Joomla, or other CMS sites with moderate traffic
- Developers hosting client sites on separate accounts
- Email-only hosting for small teams
Resource limits
Shared hosting uses CloudLinux to isolate each account's resource usage. Limits include CPU, RAM, concurrent processes, and I/O. If your site temporarily exceeds limits, affected requests may slow down or return errors, but other accounts on the server are not affected.
Go to cPanel → Metrics → Resource Usage (or CPU and Concurrent Connection Usage) to see real-time and historical CPU, RAM, and entry process graphs for your account.
Shared hosting vs VPS
| Shared Hosting | Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Management | Fully managed-UnderHost handles the server | Self-managed-you administer the OS |
| Resources | Shared with other accounts; limits apply | Dedicated CPU and RAM for your server only |
| Root access | No | Yes |
| Control panel | cPanel included | Install your own (cPanel, DirectAdmin, aaPanel, or none) |
| Best for | Websites, small businesses, WordPress | High-traffic apps, custom software, multiple sites |
Related: How to choose the right hosting plan | Resource limits | CloudLinux overview | Upload website
Need shared hosting?
Choose an UnderHost shared hosting plan with cPanel, email, SSL, DNS tools, and 24/7 support.
