Greetings all, I am looking to host a Boonex Dolphin Site with moderate (not heavy) traffic. I am trying to decide between a cheap vps or a shared hosting solution. Deep down I want a vps, but that may just be me wanting SSH, as realistically a shared host would probably work... I'm not sure what host to go with is my biggest problem...I was thinking GreenGeeks.com but i dont see many reviews of them...please advise. Cheers. Edit: Also looking at siteground.com
It's not just about traffic but the amount of resources your site uses such as CPU and RAM (which can be a LOT even with small amounts of traffic) so it's difficult to recommend the best route for you until we know more.. A VPS is a different proposition from shared hosting, and if you don't have a lot of experience with managing servers then shared hosting may be the most sensible option to start with. Personally, I can't see any benefit of having SSH unless you plan to make some changes to the OS or other custom setting..which again comes down to your experience and confidence. If you think a shared host will work then your instincts are probably correct. As for what host to use, you've hit the classic dilemma - who do you choose? There are so many, and on the surface they all seem to be offering the same thing. All I can say is don't get hung up on the "number game" because the chance of you needing 1000 email accounts, or 200 MySQL databases (or whatever numbers some hosts offer) are so slim that the numbers are almost irrelevant. A host offering 10 email account and 1MySQL database (which is all you might actually need) for the same money as one offering you the everything and the earth, could end up being a better option than one offering huges amounts of these resources if the former is more reliable, has better performing servers, really does have a backup system, and better support. Any host you choose is a business, and you want to be dealing with a busines that makes a profit or the chances of them surviving in the long-term as not good. Also, make sure your host has an address on their web site (check it), and a functioning telephone number that is answered BEFORE you deal with them. If that basic info is missing from a site, give them a wide berth. Don't be fooled by a great looking site, even a tiny business with no actual assets can have a great looking site.
The big issues with Dolphin are the memory requirements, and then the CPU usage after that. The minimum memory requirements for Dolphin are 128mb (which most hosts will allow), but in actuality, it's quite more. Our clients using Dolphin installations have ranged anywhere from 170-ish to well over 512mb, particularly when the chat scripts get installed. Very few shared hosts are going to allow you to get away with that kind of memory usage. So I personally would recommend a small VPS for Dolphin, but that's just me.
A VPS is most likely the best choice that you can make considering what you have laid out here. No matter who you decide to use you will want to do your homework so to speak as another poster mentioned. Read some reviews, decide on a budget and make sure the the hosting provider is a reputable one. When you check phones, chat and e-mails before you sign up for an account you will be saving yourself time and money in the end.