Programming Experts' Advice on Hosting a Personal Blog – Bluehost or AWS?


Are you confused about where to host your personal blog - Bluehost or AWS? Read this article to know what an Expert Programmer suggests while selecting the right hosting provider for yourself.

Amazon AWS, for a personal blog, could easily be a fantastic choice to start with, especially if the blog is super-simple and static or just dynamic and not-so-popular yet. Bluehost, on the other hand, is arguably every non-techie's favourite today.

We sought developers' guidance on Amazon AWS against Bluehost for a personal blog and the outcome might interest you.

Can You Host a Blog Using Amazon AWS?


Just like using Bluehost to host your blog, you can actually choose Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, or simply opt for CDN like CloudFront. However, Amazon AWS appears perfect for a blog that's still in its nascent stage and hasn't gained lots of popularity yet.

Amazon AWS hosting services vary. The cheapest of them all is t2.micro instance types and it is normally great for hosting a personal blog is yet to gain massive traffic.

Or, opt for Amazon S3 if the blog is simple and static. However, in case you are a techie or have little tech know-how on programming and you own a dynamic blog, Amazon EC2 instances will be your best fit.

To be brutally honest about hosting a blog with Amazon AWS, however, setting up everything is usually a tricky, time-consuming affair. EC2 instance is the most labour-intensive of them all, and besides being technical, it is also a bit complex to navigate through the whole process.

On how to how to host a personal blog with Amazon AWS, you will have to do the following:
  • Log into your EC2 instance account using SSH before using commands to install all the other details with the help of the host.
  • Set up an Amazon security group to protect the server and turn away hacks and other forms of attacks.
  • With your little programming skills, setting up email MTA support on the server is absolutely important unless you expect no emails.
  • Other vital procedures would be to install an SSL certificate in Apache so that you get the permission to use HTTPS and buy Amazon reserved instances.
Amazon AWS gives blog owners total control over their servers. This is unlike how ordinary web hosts such as Bluehost do. The only downside with Amazon AWS hosting is the fact that blog owners actually do all the donkey work in case there's a hosting problem.

Amazon Hosting vs. Bluehost – How Do The Two Compare?


It is customary to compare Bluehost versus Amazon Web Services when choosing who among them is perfect for a personal blog. As programming experts would advise, the two are unique and employ completely diverse approaches to web hosting.

Bluehost is a bit more conventional with basic hosting features and a typical cPanel. It is one of the most popular hosting solutions amongst small and mid-level websites. But it isn't everyone's favourite.

And so, it isn't a walk in the park to compare the two and highlight a clear winner because AWS has lots of hosting options. We may only focus on EC2 and S3 hosting offers since they are the most popular when it comes to Amazon AWS hosting.

Customer Service and Performance


On WordPress hosting as well as hosting any form of a personal blog, Bluehost tends to be portrayed as a perfect choice. But unless you've once used websites independently powered by both, it would be a surprise to tell you that Amazon AWS possibly offers a more superior performance advantage.

AWS is the real deal in almost all major deciding metrics. It is a lot faster with solid speeds and generally reliable website hosting performance, even for WordPress hosting.

On pricing, the structure is flexible and friendlier, especially with the first year being free of charge. Additionally, on an apple-to-apple basis, if you go long term with AWS, say 12, 24, or 36 months, the overall cost ridiculously reduces compared to Bluehost.

And while Amazon AWS hosting scares the hell out of non-techie bloggers, there's a leeway out. It isn't necessary to get those hands dirty when you can choose Cloudways and enjoy managed AWS cloud hosting.

Amazon AWS is More Popular and Hosts a Vast Number of Websites


According to SimilarTech, Amazon seemingly has an upper hand. Amazon hosting soars at a staggering 2,058,308 websites compared to Bluehost's 240,909. Furthermore, the former dominates the market share, hosting more on all websites compared to those powered by Bluehost.

Compared to Bluehost, Amazon enjoys bigger popularity in tech and electronic, science and education, entertainment as well as business and consumer hosting categories. In fact, there's no single niche where Bluehost hosts more websites than AWS.

And so, from the findings deduced from the above data, it is crystal clear Amazon AWS hosting enjoys bigger traction in the webspace. Unfortunately, the number of websites hosted can't be the only deciding factor worth considering when choosing between Bluehost and Amazon AWS.

Bluehost is Feature-rich and User-friendly


There's a lot that the two have in common – excellent uptime, affordable starting prices, and great customer support services. Their reliability and general user-friendliness are equally noteworthy.

However, perhaps the only platform where Bluehost does well compared to Amazon AWS is on its value and customer support. The first and often the greatest selling point is on customer support, whereby customers get top-notch services.

Amazon AWS offers great customer support services, but Bluehost is exemplary on this. Quite simply, you get round-the-clock support services, including 24/7 Live Chat support and Ticket Service.

Also, it's almost natural for those who prefer Bluehost to highlight the fact that it's affordable and reliable and also has a cPanel with an easy one-click WordPress install.

Programmers Recommend Amazon AWS for Agencies – Not Individuals


That's basically because Amazon AWS is mainly tailored to suit the needs of app developers and agencies with huge development teams with technical knowledge on hosting setup.

Still, Amazon AWS is one step ahead of Bluehost and other web hosting platforms that thrive on shared hosting on scalability and pricing. Even though most of its hosting offerings aren't geared towards individuals, the new Amazon Lightsail product seems to have arrived specifically for blog owners.

Amazon Lightsail hosting solution is beginner-friendly, but still well-engineered to offer the premium services similar to those of EC2 and S3. Anyone with basic technical skills can comfortably set up this hosting solution.

Conclusion - Bluehost or AWS?


Amazon being the giant brand it currently is, far outweighs Bluehost and its owners. But since this comparison isn't based on that, the eventual decision one may make on which hosting choice to go for between Bluehost and Amazon AWS is somehow complex.

After looking at key features the two hosts offer, it is clear Amazon is a winner. It is scalable, employs a Pay-Per-Use model, which essentially is a lot cheaper in the long run, and welcomes new customers with a year-long free plan.


Comments



  • Do not include your name, "with regards" etc in the comment. Write detailed comment, relevant to the topic.
  • No HTML formatting and links to other web sites are allowed.
  • This is a strictly moderated site. Absolutely no spam allowed.
  • Name:
    Email: