When you start a new website or application, you have to decide how you are going to host the site. You can use different servers, and among them, the two most popularly used servers are dedicated servers and shared servers. In a shared server, as the name suggests, you share your server with multiple people. The issue with a shared server is that one server can affect the performance of other servers. While on the other hand, a dedicated server is much better in terms of several aspects. In this article, you are going to learn about dedicated servers and the best storage device you can use to store your data while using a dedicated server.

What Is A Dedicated Server? 

A dedicated server is a private hosting server that offers several unique features. It allows you to have full control over your website or app and its performance, unlike the shared server in which you share your server with others. A dedicated server provides incredible features that can fulfill several requirements of performance and security. The hosting service of the dedicated server will provide physical server as well as technical support. 

A dedicated server is best when it comes to server security, management of servers, and hosting features. The dedicated server is also more expensive than a shared server as it offers complete control over the system and more privacy. Furthermore, there are more features available in dedicated servers than others. Dedicated servers can be used for several things such as web hosting, etc.

A dedicated server provides several features that can aid you in controlling and managing your website or application. There are also several advantages of using a dedicated server. Below mentioned are some of the advantages of using a dedicated server:

• Server resources are not shared. So, the website won’t make the server lag.
• The dedicated server is extremely flexible. You can easily customize the server and its features according to your requirements.
• A dedicated server offers you a unique IP address. That means that you don’t have to share your IP Address with other sites.
• A dedicated server provides enhanced performance and more security.

You can choose a fast and reliable server for yourself, i.e. dedicated server for hosting. But, after choosing the server, you might face trouble in choosing the right storage. Choosing the right type of storage is extremely crucial. For a long time, people have been using Hard Disc Drives (HDD) and it is the most commonly used storage type. It can help in storing a large amount of data at a lower price. But, in recent years, Solid-State Drives (SSD) received an increase in popularity as an amazing storage option for a dedicated server. 

In such a situation, you must select the right storage system to go with your server. Here is the difference between both storage systems to find the storage system that suits you best.

Hard Disc Drives (HDD)

Hard Disc Drives or HDD is the device used for storing electromagnetic data. Hard Disc Drives have been in use for around 50 years, and with time, you can see an increment in the storage capacity and reduction in the size of the device. A hard disc drive includes one or more platters, a motor to spin the platters, and an actuator arm for each platter. The rest of the system is operated on an I/O controller and firmware.

Hard Disc Drives offer multiple benefits to users. The top 5 benefits of Hard Disc Drives are as follows:

• They are readily available in the market.
• Hard Disc Drives have the largest storage capacity as compared to the other storage devices till now.
• Hard Disc Drives run on platter discs and it is highly durable and less deteriorated.
• They have non-volatile memory.
• HDDs are extremely affordable as compared to any other storage device in the market.

Solid State Drives (SSD) 

Solid State Drives use flash memory for storing data. It provides durability and high performance. It does not have any small moving parts so it operates properly without using more energy. SSD can be considered as large USB drives. The technology used in Solid State Drives is known as NAND. The Solid State Drives controller provides numerous functions and even tracks the location of the data.

Solid State Drives provide several advantages. Here are the top 5 benefits of Solid State Drives:

• SSD is highly reliable
• They are very efficient in terms of power and energy
• They have a more practical size 
• SSD operates at high speed as compared to any other storage device till now
• It is lightweight and does not produce any noise

Comparison Between HDD & SSD

• Comparison In Terms Of Speed

Speed is a necessary factor in determining the right storage drive. Here, speed implies the speed at which the server stores, accesses, and provides the data to the visitors. The metal disc in Hard Disc Drives is responsible for storing the data. A reading arm hovers over the disk. The faster the disc spins, the faster it stores or accesses all the data. But there is a limitation in the speed of the disc. On the other hand, if you consider the Solid State Drives, there aren’t any moving parts. They provide basic storage but have much higher efficiency. There are no limitations in speed. So, here you can conclude that Solid State Drives are better compared to Hard Disc Drives in terms of speed.

• Comparison In Terms Of Cost

As Solid State Drives is the newest technology for storage, it is more expensive than Hard Disc Drives. Although, as most people are adopting SSD, the cost difference between both Solid State Drives and Hard Disc Drives is reducing. But for now, Hard Disc Drives are more affordable than Solid State Drives. 

It can be concluded that Hard Disc Drives are less expensive than Solid State Drives in terms of cost, but of course, even if SSD is expensive, it offers more reliability and more features. So, if you want more capacity at a lesser cost, then Hard Disc Drives are the best choice to go for.

• Comparison In Terms Of Security And Reliability

Safety is a crucial concern as it is important to keep all the data safe. Hard Disc Drives are more prone to failure in this situation. Most of the hosting service providers face this problem. The biggest issue here is data loss, so if there is no backup, you might not be able to access the data again. In this situation, again Solid State Drives are better than Hard Disc Drives. There are fewer chances of data loss with Solid State Drives.

• Comparison In Terms Of Capacity 

Storage is of course what you want the most. If you look at the storage capacity of both the storage systems, Hard Disc Drives are way better than Solid State Drives. Commercial HDD can offer capacities ranging from 4GB to 12TB. There are larger capacities available. Moreover, today you can easily find hard drives of 2TB at an affordable price. Although, most of the time it is recommended to use storage devices with less capacity so that you don’t lose so much data. But when comparing both Solid State Drives and Hard Disc Drives, you can say that Hard Disc Drives have better capacity than SSD.

• Comparison In Terms Of Other Considerations

Several things need to be made sure of before buying any storage device. If you talk about Solid State Drives, they don’t have any moving parts and they are robust, which makes them reliable for use with mobile and laptops. Furthermore, SSD uses less power, which means the laptop will get longer battery life when using Solid State Drives. While SSDs are faster, HDDs are more affordable and efficient in terms of their storage capacity.

Conclusion 

Both Solid State Drives and Hard Disc Drives are tough competitors in the market. Solid State Drives are great in terms of speed and efficiency. On the other hand, HDDs are great in terms of cost and durability. 

So, now that you are aware of both Hard Disc Drives and Solid State Drives, you can conclude that Solid State Drives are better than Hard Disc Drives in most situations. It is mostly because there are very few chances of losing data on an SSD. In Hard Disc Drives, the disc is more prone to risk. 

Moreover, Solid State Drives is the latest one available and comes with a lot of benefits. Solid State Drives is extremely reliable while using a dedicated server. Hard Disc Drives can also be used with ease, but it is somewhat more prone to failure. Furthermore, most people are switching to Solid State Drives these days. Solid State Drives could be the new and great storage option for a dedicated server.