Cloud hosting means your website runs on infrastructure that uses virtualised computing resources. The label alone does not tell you whether your plan shares resources, gives you a dedicated allocation or automatically moves between servers. Those details belong in the plan specification.
Cloud hosting versus shared hosting
These terms can overlap. Shared hosting describes how customers use resources and manage their sites; cloud describes the underlying infrastructure. A managed shared plan can run on a cloud platform. You still need to know the website count, storage allowance, CPU and memory limits, backup arrangements and supported software.
For an agency, look beyond the size of the disk. Several quiet brochure sites have different needs from a single busy shop. Ask what happens when the site reaches a limit and how an upgrade affects availability and billing.
When is a VPS different?
A virtual private server gives you a server environment with the resource allocation in its plan. Root access allows custom services and operating-system configuration. That flexibility brings responsibility: an unmanaged VPS needs someone to maintain the system, secure it, monitor it and arrange backups.
A managed VPS puts agreed server tasks with the provider. It does not automatically include development work on your application. Compare the responsibilities and resources on our managed and unmanaged UK VPS plans before choosing.
Does cloud hosting mean no downtime?
No hosting label is a guarantee of uninterrupted service. A platform needs an actual design for redundancy, backups and recovery. A backup helps restore lost data; it does not automatically take over live requests. Multiple application servers also need a way to handle shared data and sessions.
Our load-balancing guide explains how distributing requests differs from keeping every part of an application available. For service commitments, use the provider's published service commitments rather than assumptions about the word cloud.
Questions to ask before moving
- Which runtime versions, databases and background processes can this plan run?
- Are CPU and memory shared or guaranteed, and what happens at the limit?
- Who maintains the operating system and who maintains the application?
- What is backed up, how often, and how is a restore requested or tested?
- What do the renewal and annual billing terms actually charge?
Snappyhost UK cloud hosting uses LiteSpeed and NVMe with published site and resource allowances. For a WordPress-specific workflow, compare WordPress hosting. Share your current usage and application requirements when arranging a migration, so the destination fits the workload from the start.
Hosting that keeps up
Fast, managed UK hosting with a team that answers.
NVMe SSD, LiteSpeed and free managed migration from your current host, run by a UK support team around the clock.
