Dedicated IP vs Shared IP: What are the Differences

by Sumit Sharma Digital Marketing Specialist

Every domain that is available online has an ID that is unique. This ID is used as the domain’s address. DNS, short for Domain Name System, refers to a repository of data that contains IP addresses along with their domains. Domain names are used by the people, and IP addresses are used by network routers and servers.

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What is dedicated IP?

Dedicated IP addressed are for specific domains. A number of prominent websites, along with online stores, choose to go for dedicated IPs. The reason behind this is that reserved IP addresses are not adulterated and they especially point at the company. This gives the domain user total control over their IP address and its reputation.

What is shared IP?

What it comes to Share IP addresses, a number of sites and people use it to connect to the net. The websites that are available on shared servers use a common IP. This IP is shared amongst the sites.

You should note that while sites and individuals share an IP address, the domain resources can be allotted individually, depending on the web hosting service provider.

Now that you know what dedicated and shared IP addresses are, let’s explore the differences between them.

Dedicated IP vs. Shared IP

There are a number of differences between dedicated IP and shared IP. Some of the major differences are given below:

Address and Network

When someone has a dedicated IP address, then anybody on the internet can visit their website by entering the IP address. This can be done as just one domain is drafted for the particular IP. For instance, when you type http://64.233.187.99/in the address bar of the internet browser, Google will appear. This is the dedicated IP address of Google. This address is unique and is only attached to http://www.Google.com.

As shared IP addresses host a myriad of domains and sites, they cannot be located using the IP address. But, in most cases, regular users use domain names instead of IP addresses to visit websites.

Speed and website performance

When talking about speed, there isn’t much difference between shared and dedicated IP. But, when you use resources that are given in a server that is shared, your site might not be too responsive to your liking. This issue mostly appears in shared hosting. In order to fix this issue, servers have imposed restrictions to stop a single site from using up all the available resources.

Security

It is well-known that dedicated IP addressed offer better protection. Dedicated IPs were a requirement for obtaining SSL certificates. But, with the introduction of SNI or Server Name Identification, this has ceased to be a requirement. However, it depends on the hosting service provider, as well. Some hosting providers may have stringent provisions for the kind of IP address needed for the SSL certificate.

Email Service

In case you send emails in bulk, then you should consider using a dedicated IP address. The reason behind is that the email deliverability largely depends on the IP address reputation.

Billy Mark is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cyber security, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet and new media. He writes for Norton security products at norton.com/nu16.