What Is a Rental Server? The Server You Need to Publish a Website

The success of every web project, whether it is a website, blog, or online shop, depends on choosing the right rental server.

In this article, I explain in detail everything from the basics of rental servers to the key points for choosing one, along with the common pitfalls, so it can serve a wide range of needs from beginners to business use. I also dig into tips for improving performance and strengthening security, so you can build a web strategy that succeeds.

Rental Server Basics: The Foundation of Web Projects

What Is a Rental Server? Its Role and Benefits

It is a service that lets you rent space to store website data and keep it published on the internet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.Because the provider handles server maintenance and administration, you can start running a website easily even without specialized knowledge.

• Benefits: low cost, easy operation, no specialized knowledge required, and 24/7 availability

What You Can Do with a Rental Server: The Possibilities Are Endless

With a rental server, you can do much more than just build a website.

• Publishing information: blogs, portfolio sites, and news sites
• Business development: company websites, online shops, and e-commerce sites
• Building communities: membership sites, forums, and online salons
• A runtime environment for web applications: original services, web apps, and API delivery
• Data storage and sharing: file servers and online storage

Types of Rental Servers: Choosing the Best Type for Your Needs

Shared Hosting: Start Easily at Low Cost

This is a type in which multiple users share the server’s resources.It is easy to get started at a low price, but because resources are limited, performance may drop when traffic is concentrated.

• Best for: small websites, beginner blogs, and sites with low traffic
• Points to watch: because CPU, memory, disk space, and other resources are shared, you can be affected by other users

Even so, not all shared hosting environments are the same. How many users share the server differs from one service to another. In general, lower-priced servers tend to have more users, while higher-priced servers tend to have fewer. The fewer users there are, the less likely you are to run into problems related to server specs, and the more comfortably you can use it.

ConoHa WING and エックスサーバー are popular examples of shared hosting. If you want a lower-priced shared server, there are also options such as LOLIPOP and さくらのレンタルサーバ. All of them are stable servers with high uptime.

★ A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Rental Server Uptime and SLAs

VPS: The Best Balance of Flexibility and Performance

This type uses virtualization technology to divide one physical server into multiple virtual servers and provide each one as an independent environment.It offers better performance than shared hosting and allows flexible customization through root access.

• Best for: medium-sized sites, web applications, sites with large traffic swings, and sites that need a highly customizable environment
• Points to watch: basic server administration knowledge is required

Dedicated Servers: The Highest Level of Performance and Security

Because you can use the entire server exclusively, this type delivers the highest level of performance, security, and flexible customization.It is ideal for large-scale sites and mission-critical systems.

• Best for: large-scale sites, e-commerce sites, high-traffic sites, and systems that require strong security
• Points to watch: high cost and specialized server administration knowledge are required

Cloud Servers: Scalability and Availability

This type connects multiple servers over a network and uses them as one virtual server.It excels in scalability and availability and can respond flexibly even when traffic suddenly increases.

• Best for: fast-growing services, sites with major traffic fluctuations, and systems that require high availability
• Points to watch: pricing structures can be complicated, and cost management is necessary

Today, there are servers that are technically shared hosting but can scale according to traffic like a cloud server. Examples include ConoHa WING and シンレンタルサーバー. As traffic increases, they automatically move you up to a higher plan.

Eight Checkpoints for Choosing a Server Without Mistakes

Clarify Your Purpose: What Do You Want Your Website to Achieve?

Clarifying the purpose of your website is the first step in choosing a server.

If the purpose changes, the functions and resources you need also change. For example, if you only want to launch a simple blog, shared hosting may be enough. However, if you plan to run a large-scale e-commerce site, you will likely need a high-performance dedicated server or cloud server.

• If your goal is publishing information (blogs, portfolios, and so on): consider the amount of content, the update frequency, and the expected traffic.
• If your goal is selling products (e-commerce sites): consider the number of products, peak traffic, and integration with payment systems.
• If your goal is running web applications: consider support for the programming languages you need, the type of database, and processing capability.
• Corporate websites: consider the size of the company, the brand image, and the required functions such as inquiry forms or membership features.

Required Specifications: How Much Traffic and Data Do You Expect?

• Disk capacity: a text-centered site may only need a few gigabytes, but if you use many images or videos, you may need tens or hundreds of gigabytes, or even more. Choose capacity with room to spare, keeping future content growth in mind.
• Bandwidth: sites with a great deal of traffic or sites that deliver large files such as videos need wide bandwidth.If bandwidth is insufficient, page speed can slow down and damage the user experience.

★ What Are Traffic and Data Transfer? Managing and Optimizing Web Traffic

Performance: Display Speed Directly Affects User Experience

• Server specifications (CPU and memory): CPU affects processing power, and memory affects how much data can be handled at the same time. A high-performance CPU and sufficient memory improve site responsiveness.
• Storage type (SSD or HDD): SSDs are dramatically faster than HDDs for reading and writing, so they can improve display speed significantly. Today, most domestic servers use SSDs.
• Network speed: the connection speed between the server and the internet is also important. A fast network makes sending and receiving data smoother and delivers a comfortable browsing experience.

The easiest way to understand performance is to compare site display speed. Based on my own experience, servers with faster display speeds also tend to be better overall in terms of features and usability.

★ A Speed Test Comparison of 15 Rental Servers

Security Measures: Protect Your Site from Data Breaches

• Firewall: a security feature that blocks unauthorized external access.
• WAF (Web Application Firewall): a security function that detects and blocks attacks against web applications. It protects your site from attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
• Malware protection: functions that protect the server from malware such as viruses and spyware.
• DDoS protection: measures that protect the site from DDoS attacks that try to bring the server down by sending massive amounts of traffic.
• Whether an SSL certificate is available: this encrypts communication between the website and the browser to prevent eavesdropping and tampering. It is essential for sites that handle personal information, such as e-commerce sites. SSL is standard security, and rental servers almost always provide free SSL.

★ What Are SSL and TLS? How Encryption Protects Information and Why It Matters

Backup Systems: Are You Fully Prepared for Data Loss?

• Frequency of automatic backups: check how often automatic backups are performed, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Restore method: make sure it is easy to restore from backup data and that restoration can be done quickly.
• Where backup data is stored: make sure the backup data is kept in a safe place and that disaster countermeasures are in place.

Support: A Reliable Ally When Trouble Happens

• Support hours: check whether support is available 24/7 or only during weekday business hours.
• Support channels (phone, email, chat): check whether you can contact them in the way that suits you best.
• Support quality and response speed: check whether support is prompt and accurate, using past reviews as a reference as well.

Cost Performance: Consider the Balance Between Price and Capability

• Initial fee: the upfront fee charged when you sign the server contract.
• Monthly fee: the usage fee charged every month.
• Renewal cost: the fee charged when the contract is renewed.
• The balance between setup cost and operating cost: even if the initial fee is low, the long-term cost may become high if the monthly fee is expensive.

Server Location: Where Are Your Target Users?

• For sites aimed at Japan, choose domestic servers; for overseas audiences, choose overseas servers: placing the server closer to your target users can improve access speed.
• Latency: the delay involved in sending and receiving data. The smaller the latency, the faster the site feels.

Review these items carefully and choose the rental server that best fits the purpose of your website.

Warning: Common Pitfalls When Choosing a Rental Server

Do Not Choose Based on Price Alone: Judging Only by Cost May Lead to Regret

Cheap servers can look attractive, but if you choose one based on price alone, you may run into various problems later.

• Lower performance: cheap servers often have limited resources such as CPU and memory, and when traffic spikes, site speed may fall, and in the worst case the server may go down.
• Security weaknesses: servers with inadequate security measures are more likely to become targets of cyberattacks, increasing risks such as data leaks.
• Insufficient support: cheap servers may not have a strong support system in place, which means you may not get enough help when trouble happens.
• Feature limits: there may be restrictions on things such as database types and capacity or support for programming languages.

Do Not Sign Up for a Server with More Power Than You Need: Choosing the Right Plan Matters

High-spec servers are attractive, but if you sign up for an oversized server that does not match the scale of your website or your traffic, you will end up paying unnecessary costs.

First, analyze the current state of your website and estimate how it is likely to grow. Then consider the specs you truly need. If you choose a server that lets you move up plans step by step, you can expand flexibly as needed.

Always Check the Contract Terms: Watch for Lock-In Periods and Cancellation Fees

Rental server contract terms differ from one provider to another. If you do not check things like contract lock-in periods, cancellation fees, and whether renewal is automatic ahead of time, you may face unexpected costs.

• Contract lock-in period: some services require a fixed contract period, and cancelling during that period may result in a penalty fee.
• Cancellation fee: there may be a fee when you cancel.
• Automatic renewal: the contract may renew automatically at the end of the term, so if you do not want to renew, you need to take action in advance.

Support for the Latest Technologies: HTTP/3, the Newest PHP Version, and More

Web technology is always evolving. To improve speed and strengthen security, it is important to choose a server that supports the latest technologies.

• HTTP/3: the latest communication protocol that succeeds HTTP/2. It delivers faster and more stable communication.
• The latest PHP version: PHP is a programming language used widely in web development. Newer versions improve both performance and security.
• Also check support for the latest databases and software.

With these points in mind, choose the best rental server by looking not only at price, but also at performance, security, support, contract terms, and support for the latest technologies as a whole.

The Rental Server Beginners Should Choose First

The rental server beginners should choose first is ConoHa WING. It lets you launch a site more easily, more reliably, and more quickly than anywhere else.

On top of that, ConoHa WING excels in speed and stability, so as long as you continue running your website or blog, it is a server you can keep using comfortably without frustration. Our company uses ConoHa WING as well.

ConoHa WING Review: Why 750,000 Users Choose It, with Verified Speed, Pros, and Cons

ConoHa WING Review: Why 750,000 Users Choose It, with Verified Speed, Pros, and Cons

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Summary

Rental servers are necessary for moving forward with any web project. You can start using one from a few hundred yen per month. Because the types and functions differ from server to server, be sure to check the information on each server’s official website carefully before signing up.