Should I choose a cloud hosting for my forum? Can you tell me the pros and cons of this kind of hosting?
Cloud has become a fancy buzzword, there's Cloud hosting and then there's "Cloud" hosting. I'm assuming you're referring to using a VPS to host your forum? If you're currently on shared hosting it's probably a good move as you have a lot more resources available to you. Are you looking for managed or unmanaged?
Cloud hosting in general is a scaleable platform that is seamless as far as upgrades/downgrades. A good bet to reduce cost )as a true cloud hosting provider charges a lot) would be a VPS. Depending on your technical ability a managed or unmanaged server would be your choices.
It's a forum only, and it's only starting. Bad advice to start with a VPS. Unnecessary costs. A good high-speed shared hosting will be more than enough. Maybe in a year or two the forum can migrate to a VPS - it it has substantial traffic by that time.
Thank you guys, I will re-think the cloud hosting idea. Maybe shared hosting would be a better solution for my forum at this point.
Pros: It's mostly just an idea. Wait... that doesn't sound like a pro. Cons: Expensive you don't even want to know.
There are some options available in the net that can provide you with the tools and information you need when formulating your hosting decisions.
Without the technical knowledge to manage a cloud instance, I am thinking you would be better off starting with shared hosting and making the move to a managed VPS at some point. A main limitation of shared hosting is that you do not run the server. You share resources and space with many other residents, which creates limitations on configurability; you can’t usually modify the web server or configure the software stack to better meet your needs. This is a nice post that breaks down the differences between cloud hosting and VPS. https://www.wiredtree.com/blog/virtual-private-server-vs-cloud-server-whats-difference/
I would recommend you to go to a few hosting review sites and read what people have said, there is a high chance that a host has written positive things about himself so you are looking for negative reviews because those will tell you the truth. If you ask me, I know that Look to do business with a company that offers support in various means whether it’s a combination of phone and email or phone and live chat.
You could definitely try a cloud package -- my company identifies "cloud" as low-budget semi-dedicated solutions. Any entry-level VPS package would work for you though. I would actually not recommend this, and here's why: 99% of web hosting review sites are owned and operated by web hosting companies that use affiliate links to make an extra buck -- the positions are paid for, and for the most part, reviews are inaccurate or outright false. I'd recommend looking for a community dedicated to this industry, that's where you'll find the best help and recommendations. Just a thought.