Dedicated web hosting is a hosting service provided by web hosting providers that allows the client to lease a physical web server on which to host their website.  Unlike shared hosting plans, this server is not shared with any other clients’ website.

One of the key benefits of signing up for a dedicated web hosting plan is that clients acquire root access over their server. What this means is that clients have full control of the server that they lease. Clients are allowed to install any software they want on the server and can utilize the server for any function that they wish. This includes utilizing it as a game server or for hosting complex web applications. Clients also get to choose which type of hardware they want, with more powerful servers costing more. Hosting plans also come with a specific amount of guaranteed bandwidth. And as a clients business grows, they can easily upgrade to a higher capacity server with more bandwidth.

Most providers of dedicated hosting will also help to manage the leased servers. Providing routine maintenance, server monitoring, Firewall service and helping to update software and install security patches. Some dedicated web hosting providers also offer plans where the client can manage and maintain their leased servers, although this is generally not recommended.

These features make dedicated hosting plans great for business websites that require security and performance.  Most high traffic sites on the web rely on dedicated hosting to maintain web site performance.

Of course, all these features come at a price. Dedicated hosting plans are considerably more expensive than shared hosting plans. Costs for dedicated hosting plans usually start at $ 100 - $150 per month. This can go all the way up to $1000 per month, depending on the server hardware and bandwidth needs of the client.  As a result, dedicated hosting plans are generally not recommended for personal or small business websites that don’t require much in terms of server resources.  Also, because of the technical sophistication required to run a dedicated server, dedicated hosting is generally not suitable for webmasters looking to host small websites.