When the talk of the hour is web hosting, it is always recommended to have a proper understanding of all the relevant and important terms so that you can make the most out of your web hosting resources and put them to their optimum use.
Among the various resources offered to you by a web hosting company, storage space, and bandwidth are the most crucial ones. As a result, it is especially essential to have a clear perception of these two terms, how they’re related to each other, and how they’re different from each other. In this article, we will take a look at what these two terms mean and how they’re different from each other in various aspects.
Storage Space vs. Bandwidth
Even if you possess a clear understanding of what these two terms mean in the web hosting environment, it’s beneficial to comprehend how they’re different, and in what ways.
Both storage space and bandwidth are extremely vital parameters when it comes to choosing the appropriate web hosting service to cater to your requirements. Let’s dive into the depths of what they stand for, and in what ways they are different from each other.
Storage Space
Storage space refers to the total available space on the server to store your files, especially the ones you’d use, or have used, to create your business’s or organization’s website.
You can perceive storage space as the filing cabinet in which you’re going to store your image files, HTML files, email files, website scripts, and so on. Some people also intend to utilise the available storage space to store the old copies of the web pages, the backup files from their personal computers, and even to log the various backup files for the purpose of safekeeping.
It is typically recommended that people take website expansion into their consideration, especially when it comes to web storage space while selecting the web hosting service and package of their choice. A good analogy is to expect website growth of up to 3-4 times its original size when you incorporate more and more web pages and other necessary aspects into your website.
So, if your plan is to have a tremendously large amount of data going onto your web server, you should buy a large enough web storage space to house it all.
When you have the proper understanding of the storage space being provided to you by your web hosting platform, you’ll be able to select the appropriate package out of the ones available and, thereby, feel secure about the online availability of your uploaded content.
Bandwidth
This is where a large number of web users get confused. Simply put, bandwidth refers to the amount of data and information transfer that takes place between the end users and your website. This amount of data transfer required, depends on the requirements of the business or individual, and on the overall popularity of the website itself, i.e., the traffic and engagement coming into the website most of the time.
When it comes to understanding how much bandwidth might be required, you must first realise that whenever someone takes a visit to your website, their computer automatically downloads the various files that constructs the webpage from the web server, before actually being able to showcase it.
The total size of the files downloaded, which can range from small-sized image files or text documents to larger-sized coded program files and so on, accounts for the total amount of bandwidth being used up at that specific moment.
A factor that’s often overlooked when it comes to bandwidth usage is that whenever you send an email from your hosted email account full of large-sized files to multiple people at the same time, this particular transfer from the web server accounts to your overall bandwidth usage.
When you consider the overall bandwidth usage from your web server, it is wise to ensure the ability of your chosen web hosting service to be able to accommodate your requirements in case they grow more than expected. Some web hosting companies may charge an additional fee in order to transfer your website to an upgraded plan. Some companies may even suspend your account once the maximum bandwidth limit has been reached, and you would have to pay an extravagant amount to get promoted to a new plan.
What Distinctions exist between Bandwidth and Storage Space?
The following are some of the most typical and apparent distinctions between bandwidth and storage capacity.
What do they mean?
Web storage space is the amount of available server space that your website is allocated when it comes to your file sharing and storing needs.
On the other hand, bandwidth refers to the amount of data and information transfer that can be carried out from your web server to the other locations on the internet.
The general size of the two
Bandwidth will always be larger than the amount of web storage space your website is entitled to, by quite a bit.
This is because the information you have stored on your server needs to be transmitted effectively to the web visitors, and ensure that this transfer process is a smooth and time-efficient one.
Nature of the two parameters
Web storage space is always going to be limited in nature, and you might need to upgrade to a larger storage plan in the future to meet your website’s needs.
Contrary to this, most website owners and developers opt for an unlimited bandwidth plan to minimize user inconvenience when there’s a potential website crash or if more than the average number of visitors are present on the site. Generally, businesses use bandwidth at least three times the available storage space.
How are they measured?
Bandwidth is always measured for a specific amount of time.
However, when it comes to storage space, it is fixed at all times, and this is why website owners often need to upgrade their plans or purchase a plan with larger amounts of storage space than what might be necessary.
This is owing to the fact that their website is always going to grow, and the number of visitors is also going to increase. Hence, greater storage space will remove the need to buy additional web space in the future.
Units of the two
Storage space is typically measured in GB (GigaBytes), MB (MegaBytes), or TB (TeraBytes).
Meanwhile, bandwidth, in the networking realm, is typically measured in Gbps (gigabits per second) and Mbps (megabits per second).
Final Words
Apart from the usual differences between storage space and bandwidth that have been simplified in this article, it is essential to understand that these two terms are also similar in certain situations. For instance, in the case of low storage space and bandwidth, a website is more prone to crashing when there’s greater traffic.
Even when a website is simply being used at its maximum capacity, it can tend to become unresponsive. This is why it is extremely essential for every website holder to opt for a web hosting service that offers unlimited bandwidth and space as it is the most convenient approach to counter various website lagging and crashing issues.
