“Unmanaged” in relation to WordPress hosting refers to a type of hosting where the hosting provider gives you a server with an operating system, but does not provide any additional services or management support. With unmanaged hosting, you are responsible for all aspects of server management, including updates, security, backups, and any other maintenance tasks. This can give you more control over your website and its environment, but it also means you must handle these tasks yourself or with your own IT staff.
Here are some key characteristics of unmanaged hosting:
- Responsibility: You are entirely responsible for managing the server, including installing and updating software, securing your site, and performing backups.
- Greater Flexibility: Unmanaged hosting can offer more flexibility, as you are not restricted to using WordPress or any particular platform. You can host multiple sites using different systems and have full control over the server environment.
- No Pre-Installed Control Panel: Some unmanaged hosting plans do not come with a pre-installed control panel like cPanel or Plesk. Instead, you may need to install these yourself using the command line, which can be more complex but also more customizable.
- Maintenance Tasks: All maintenance tasks, such as updating WordPress, installing security plugins, and scheduling backups, fall on you. This can be time-consuming but also allows for a high degree of customization.
- Cost: Unmanaged hosting is typically cheaper than managed hosting because it does not include the additional services that managed hosting provides.
In contrast, managed WordPress hosting involves the hosting provider taking on the task of managing the server for you, including backups, updates, security, and optimization. This allows you to focus more on your website’s content and less on technical maintenance.
Managed WordPress related articles
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- What kind of server optimization does managed WordPress hosting do?
- How to choose between regular WordPress hosting and managed WordPress hosting?