Web Hosting Features Explained (Bandwidth, Databases, Email, etc.)

Shopping for web hosting confronts you with a barrage of technical terms, specifications, and features that can feel overwhelming. What's the difference between bandwidth and storage? How many databases do you actually need? Why does one host advertise "unlimited" everything while another provides specific numbers?

Understanding hosting features empowers you to make informed decisions rather than relying on marketing hype. This comprehensive guide decodes the most common web hosting features, explaining what they mean, why they matter, and how much you realistically need for your website in 2025.

Storage (Disk Space)

Storage refers to the amount of space available on the server's hard drives for storing your website files, databases, email, and other data.

What Uses Storage Space

Website Files:

• HTML, CSS, JavaScript files
• Images (often the largest storage consumer)
• Videos and audio files
• PDF documents and downloads
• Application code (WordPress, plugins, themes)

Databases:

• MySQL or other database content
• User data, posts, product information
• Configuration settings

Email:

• Email messages and attachments
• Archived email

Backups:

• Website backups (if stored on same server)

Storage Types: HDD vs SSD

HDD (Hard Disk Drive):

• Traditional spinning disk storage
• Slower data access speeds
• Lower cost per gigabyte
• Mostly phased out for web hosting in 2025

SSD (Solid State Drive):

• Flash-based storage with no moving parts
• 10-20x faster data access than HDD
• Industry standard in 2025
• Dramatically improves website loading speeds

NVMe SSD:

• Next-generation SSD technology
• Even faster than standard SSDs
• Premium hosting feature
• Excellent for high-performance needs

What You Need: All quality hosting in 2025 should offer SSD storage minimum. DreamHost's web hosting uses SSD storage across all plans, from Web Hosting to VPS hosting.

How Much Storage Do You Need?

Simple Blog/Business Site: 5-10 GB sufficient for hundreds of pages and thousands of images

Medium-Sized Website: 10-30 GB handles substantial content libraries

E-Commerce Store: 20-100 GB depending on product image quantity and quality

Media-Heavy Sites: 50-200+ GB for video hosting or large media libraries

Reality of "Unlimited" Storage: Many hosts advertise "unlimited" storage, but acceptable use policies restrict excessive consumption. Most websites use under 50 GB, making practical limits rarely encountered.

Recommendations:

• Start conservatively—most sites need far less than imagined
• Optimize images to reduce storage consumption
• Monitor usage via control panel
• Upgrade when approaching 80% capacity

Bandwidth (Data Transfer)

Bandwidth represents the amount of data transferred between your server and visitors over a specific period (usually monthly).

How Bandwidth is Consumed

Every visitor action transfers data:

Viewing a Page:

• HTML file: 20-100 KB
• CSS files: 50-300 KB
• JavaScript: 200-500 KB
• Images: 500 KB - 5 MB
• Total per page view: 1-10 MB typically

Downloading Files: Large PDF, video, or software downloads consume significant bandwidth.

Email: Sending and receiving email with attachments uses bandwidth.

Bandwidth Calculation Example

Scenario:

• Average page size: 2 MB
• Monthly visitors: 10,000
• Average pages per visitor: 3
• Total monthly bandwidth: 10,000 × 3 × 2 MB = 60 GB

With Downloads: If 1,000 visitors download a 10 MB file:

• Additional bandwidth: 1,000 × 10 MB = 10 GB
• Total: 70 GB monthly bandwidth

"Unmetered" vs "Unlimited" Bandwidth

Unmetered: No specific monthly cap, but connection speed may be limited (e.g., 100 Mbps port). You can transfer unlimited data at the limited speed.

Unlimited: No monthly transfer limits and no speed restrictions (within reasonable use policies).

Reality: Both terms generally mean you won't hit bandwidth limits for typical websites. Acceptable use policies prevent abuse (like file sharing or video streaming services).

How Much Bandwidth Do You Need?

Small Website (< 5,000 monthly visitors): 25-50 GB/month

Medium Website (5,000-25,000 monthly visitors): 50-200 GB/month

Large Website (25,000-100,000 monthly visitors): 200 GB - 1 TB/month

High-Traffic Site (100,000+ monthly visitors): 1+ TB/month

Most Hosts: Offer unmetered or very generous bandwidth allocations (500 GB - unlimited) making bandwidth limits rarely problematic for standard websites.

DreamHost provides unmetered bandwidth across all hosting plans, eliminating bandwidth concerns entirely.

Databases

Databases store dynamic content and settings for websites and applications.

Database Types

MySQL:

• Most common database for web hosting
• Powers WordPress, Joomla, Drupal
• Industry standard
• MariaDB (MySQL fork) functionally identical

PostgreSQL:

• Advanced open-source database
• Preferred by some developers
• Less common in entry-level web hosting
• Available on VPS and dedicated servers

MSSQL (Microsoft SQL Server):

• Windows hosting database
• Required for ASP.NET applications
• More expensive than MySQL

What Uses Databases

WordPress:

• Posts, pages, comments
• User accounts
• Settings and options
• Plugin and theme data

E-Commerce:

• Product catalogs
• Customer information
• Order history
• Shopping cart data

Custom Applications:

• Dynamic content storage
• User authentication
• Application settings

How Many Databases Do You Need?

One Database Per Application: Best practice for security and management isolation.

Example Needs:

• 1 WordPress site = 1 database
• 5 WordPress sites = 5 databases
• WordPress + Joomla + custom app = 3 databases

Hosting Plan Limits:

• Budget shared: 5-10 databases
• Mid-tier shared: 25-50 databases
• Unlimited plans: No database limits
• VPS/Dedicated: Unlimited databases

Database Size Considerations

Typical WordPress Database: 10-500 MB depending on content volume

Large Database: 500 MB - 2 GB (large e-commerce or content libraries)

Huge Database: 2+ GB (requires optimization or advanced hosting)

Management:

• Regular optimization reduces size
• Delete spam comments, revisions, transients
• Monitor via phpMyAdmin or control panel

Email Hosting

Email hosting enables professional email addresses using your domain name ([email protected]).

Email Accounts

Quantity:

• Budget plans: 5-25 email accounts
• Mid-tier plans: 50-100 email accounts
• Unlimited plans: No email account limits

Storage Per Account:

• Typical: 5-10 GB per email account
• Some hosts: Unlimited (shared from total storage allocation)

What You Need: Small businesses typically use 5-15 email accounts. Unlimited account plans provide flexibility for growth.

Email Features

POP3 and IMAP:

• POP3: Downloads email to one device, removes from server
• IMAP: Synchronizes email across multiple devices (preferred)
• Both should be supported

SMTP:

• Outgoing mail server protocol
• Required for sending email
• Should be included with hosting

Webmail:

• Browser-based email access
• Common options: Roundcube, Horde, SquirrelMail
• Enables checking email without configuring email clients

Spam Filtering:

• SpamAssassin or similar
• Reduces unwanted email
• Customizable sensitivity

Autoresponders:

• Automatic response emails
• Useful for out-of-office messages

Email Forwarders:

• Redirect email from one address to another
• Typically unlimited

Mailing Lists:

• Group email management
• Useful for newsletters (though dedicated services like Mailchimp often better)

Email Hosting Alternatives

Professional Email Services:

• Google Workspace: $6/user/month
• Microsoft 365: $6/user/month
• Zoho Mail: $1/user/month

When to Use Separate Email:

• Large organizations needing advanced collaboration
• Enhanced security and compliance requirements
• Desire for email independent from web hosting

When Hosting Email is Fine:

• Small businesses with basic needs
• Budget constraints
• Simple email requirements

SSL/TLS Certificates

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates enable HTTPS encryption for secure connections between browsers and servers.

Why SSL Matters

Security: Encrypts data transmission protecting passwords, credit cards, and personal information.

Trust: Browsers display padlock icons and "Secure" indicators for HTTPS sites.

SEO: Google uses HTTPS as a ranking factor, boosting secure sites.

Requirements: Many modern features require HTTPS to function.

SSL Certificate Types

Free Let's Encrypt:

• Domain Validation (DV) certificates
• Same encryption strength as paid certificates
• 90-day validity with automatic renewal
• Included with most quality hosting in 2025

Paid Certificates:

• Organization Validation (OV): $50-300/year
• Extended Validation (EV): $100-1,000+/year
• Marginal benefits for most websites

What You Need: Free Let's Encrypt SSL is sufficient for 99% of websites. DreamHost includes free SSL certificates with automatic installation and renewal across all hosting plans.

Wildcard SSL

Coverage: Protects primary domain plus all first-level subdomains (*.yourdomain.com).

Use Case: Multiple subdomains (blog.site.com, shop.site.com, mail.site.com).

Availability: Let's Encrypt provides free wildcard certificates.

FTP/SFTP Access

File Transfer Protocol enables uploading and managing website files.

FTP Types

FTP:

• Unencrypted file transfer
• Legacy protocol
• Security risk (passwords sent in plain text)

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol):

• Encrypted file transfer
• Secure password transmission
• Preferred method in 2025

FTPS:

• FTP with SSL/TLS encryption
• Less common than SFTP

What You Need: SFTP access for secure file management. Most modern hosting provides SFTP.

FTP Accounts

Multiple Accounts: Create separate FTP accounts for different users or purposes.

Directory Restrictions: Limit FTP accounts to specific directories for security.

Typical Needs:

• Personal sites: 1-2 FTP accounts
• Business sites: 3-5 FTP accounts
• Development teams: 5-15 FTP accounts

Control Panel

The control panel is your website management interface.

Common Control Panels

cPanel:

• Industry standard
• User-friendly icons interface
• Comprehensive features
• Licensing costs increasing

Plesk:

• cPanel alternative
• Windows and Linux support
• Modern interface
• Similar costs to cPanel

Custom Panels:

• Proprietary provider-developed interfaces
• DreamHost's custom panel
• Often simpler and more intuitive
• No licensing costs passed to customers

DirectAdmin:

• Lightweight cPanel alternative
• Lower resource usage
• Budget-friendly

What You Need

Any modern control panel providing:

• File management
• Database administration
• Email setup
• Domain management
• SSL management
• One-click application installers

Brand matters less than functionality and usability.

PHP Version and Settings

PHP is the programming language powering WordPress and many web applications.

PHP Version Selection

Multiple Versions: Quality hosting offers PHP version selection (PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3).

Why It Matters:

• WordPress and plugins require minimum PHP versions
• Newer versions offer better performance and security
• Legacy applications may need older versions

Best Practice: Use the newest PHP version your applications support.

PHP Settings

memory_limit:

• Maximum memory PHP scripts can use
• WordPress minimum: 64 MB (128+ MB recommended)
• Configurable on quality hosting

max_execution_time:

• Maximum script runtime
• Important for imports, backups, migrations
• Should be adjustable

upload_max_filesize:

• Maximum upload file size
• Important for media uploads
• Default: 2-8 MB (should be adjustable to 64+ MB)

Staging Environments

Staging environments are testing versions of websites where changes can be previewed safely.

Staging Features

Exact Site Copy: Identical copy of production site for testing.

Isolated Testing: Test updates, designs, features without affecting live site.

One-Click Deployment: Push tested changes to production site with single click.

Availability:

• Basic entry-level web hosting: Usually not included
• Managed WordPress hostingg](/go/dreamhost-wordpress): Often included
• VPS/Dedicated: Can be configured

DreamHost's managed WordPress hosting (DreamPress) includes built-in staging environments for safe testing.

Automatic Backups

Automated backup systems protect your data from loss.

Backup Features

Frequency:

• Daily: Best for active sites
• Weekly: Acceptable for moderate update schedules
• Monthly: Minimal protection

Retention:

• 7-30 days typical
• Longer retention on premium plans

Restoration:

• One-click restoration preferred
• Some hosts charge restoration fees

What's Backed Up:

• Files, databases, email
• Verify what's included

Availability: DreamHost's managed WordPress hostingg](/go/dreamhost-wordpress) includes daily automated backups with simple restoration.

CDN (Content Delivery Network)

CDNs distribute your content across multiple global servers for faster loading.

CDN Benefits

Global Performance: Serve content from servers geographically near visitors.

Reduced Server Load: CDN handles static content delivery.

Bandwidth Savings: CDN bandwidth doesn't count against hosting bandwidth.

Availability:

• Basic shared: Usually requires separate CDN service
• Premium hosting: May include CDN integration
• Easy integration with services like Cloudflare (free tier available)

SSH Access

Secure Shell (SSH) provides command-line server access.

SSH Use Cases

Advanced Users:

• Execute server commands
• Automated tasks and scripts
• Git version control
• Database operations

Availability:

• Entry-level web hosting: Limited or restricted
• VPS/Dedicated: Full SSH access
• Managed WordPress: Sometimes restricted

Do You Need It: Beginners don't require SSH. Developers and advanced users benefit from SSH access.

One-Click Installers

One-click installers automate application installation (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal).

Common Installers

Softaculous: Most comprehensive with 400+ applications.

Fantastico: Popular cPanel installer.

QuickInstall: Simple, focused on popular applications.

Custom Installers: Providers often develop proprietary WordPress installers.

Why They Matter

Simplified Installation: Install WordPress in 2 minutes without technical knowledge.

Automatic Updates: Some installers offer automatic application updates.

Essential for Beginners: Critical feature for non-technical website owners.

Uptime Guarantee

Uptime guarantees promise your site will be accessible a specific percentage of time.

Standard Guarantees

99.9% Uptime: Industry standard allowing 8.76 hours annual downtime.

99.95% Uptime: Better guarantee allowing 4.38 hours annual downtime.

100% Uptime: Ambitious guarantee (DreamHost offers 100% guarantee).

SLA (Service Level Agreement)

Compensation: What happens if uptime guarantee isn't met:

• Account credits
• Service refunds
• Extended service periods

Monitoring: Some hosts provide uptime monitoring and reports.

Conclusion: Understanding Features Enables Smart Decisions

Decoding hosting features transforms confusing technical specifications into understandable criteria for evaluating hosting plans. Focus on features that matter for your specific needs rather than being swayed by "unlimited everything" marketing.

Essential Features Checklist:

Storage: SSD storage, adequate for your content (10-50 GB most sites)

Bandwidth: Unmetered or generous allowance (100+ GB or unlimited)

Databases: Adequate quantity for your applications (unlimited preferred)

Email: Professional email support with adequate accounts

SSL: Free SSL certificates included with automatic renewal

Backups: Automated backups with simple restoration

Control Panel: User-friendly management interface

Support: 24/7 expert assistance

Uptime: 99.9%+ guarantee

When comparing hosting plans, look beyond headline prices to evaluate total feature sets and their relevance to your website's requirements.

Ready to choose hosting with the features you actually need? DreamHost's web hosting starting at $2.99/month includes SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, unlimited databases and email, free SSL, and a user-friendly control panel—providing essential features without complexity. Find your perfect domain name with Namr's domain generator and launch your website on hosting that delivers features that matter.