Dedicated IP Address vs Shared IP Address: Which Should You Choose?

Are you a business owner looking for a solution to maximize your current business security infrastructure? Or maybe an IT admin to set secure access permissions for your team or employees?

Well, you may not be aware of an easy way to achieve both. Using a Dedicated Internet Protocol (IP) address allows you to protect your workforce. At the same time, you and your team can access the company network from anywhere, concurrently shielding crucial assets from prying eyes.

Think of it like the address of your house. your house is your website while
Your house address is your IP address.

Some hosting providers may have a dedicated IP address included in their hosting package, while other times, you may have to add it separately.

So in this article, you’ll learn what a dedicated IP address is, the difference between shared and dedicated IP addresses, and finally, the benefits of dedicated IP hosting, so you can decide if this is something you will require.

What Is a Dedicated IP Address?

You probably know what an IP address is. If not, here is the definition:

An IP address is a combination of a unique string of numbers that identifies a computer connected to the internet.

Now the question is, what is the dedicated IP?

A dedicated IP address is that you have sole use of. Usually, when you connect to a server, you share that IP address with many other users. For example, if you choose a server location, i.e. UAE, An IP with that location will be assigned to you. This same IP address is also used by many other VPN users that chose UAE. In short, the data traffic of every user with that IP is being sent through the same VPN server. But, This isn’t the case with a dedicated IP.

With a dedicated IP, your service provider will assign you an IP address that only you can use. Although this IP address will be different from your actual local IP, you’ll still be protected online. All your data traffic will be sent through your dedicated IP without losing control of your privacy. In addition, no one else can use your dedicated IP.

Different service providers may use different names for their dedicated IP options. For example, “personal static IPs” even offer complete personal servers.

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Shared IP vs Dedicated IP

The difference between shared and dedicated IP might be clear from the above section. Regardless, the difference is very important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of dedicated IPs; we want to explain it further. With a dedicated IP address, you always have the same IP address according to your location. You can connect to that one IP address on the specific VPN server.

As the name suggests, you share a shared IP with multiple domains. Most businesses start their journey with a shared IP like a shared hosting plan. This is because shared IP addresses are common with shared hosting. However, it is possible to have a shared IP without a shared server. For example, a web hosting provider could offer managed WordPress hosting but no shared resources.

On the other hand, a dedicated IP address is a static IP address that only you can use. It isn’t tied to any other domain name.

Unlike shared IP, A dedicated IP address is different from dedicated hosting. Of course, you can always get a dedicated IP without a dedicated server. But when you purchase a dedicated hosting plan, you’ll automatically get a dedicated IP address.

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Dedicated IP and SSL Certificates

To get an SSL certificate, a dedicated IP was a requirement. However, with a new SNI technology (Server Name Identification), you can get an SSL certificate without needing a dedicated IP. SNI will match the server names as the SSL certificate matches the IP address.

You can still get an SSL certificate with a dedicated IP address. However, it’s not a requirement anymore. But, it also depends on your hosting provider, as they might have strict rules for the type of IP address to achieve an SSL certificate.

By adding an SSL certificate to your site, you will get improved security, and it’s a must, especially if you’re running an eCommerce store or any other kind of website requiring your users to input sensitive information.

Plus, having an SSL certificate active on your website will enable you to upgrade to a secure HTTPS connection. It will help you rank higher in the search engines and help you avoid displaying messages like: “site is not secure” to your visitors.

Click here: Does My Website Need SSL? Know Why It Really Matters!

Top Benefits of Dedicated IP

A dedicated IP address has many benefits over shared IP for individual users and businesses. First, as a dedicated IP is a static IP address, there is zero chance of your IP getting blocked unless you do something malicious such as sending viruses, malware or spam emails.
Here are the biggest benefits of using dedicated IP hosting.

It Grants Easy and Secure Website Access:

Sometimes, it is necessary to check how the website will look before pointing the domain to the server and launching your website on the internet. A dedicated IP address will provide direct server access without changing DNS settings for the domain name.

Dedicated Servers with unique IPs allow employees to connect to company resources securely. If a company encounters any security breach, it can immediately identify the account where the problem came from as each employee is assigned a unique IP address.

It Is Advantageous for the Email Sender’s Reputation:

As mentioned above, using a single IP address for your website may cause unpredictable difficulties. In this case, email service may also be affected. In addition, there are situations when some users sharing the same IP address get banned or blacklisted for spamming, which may affect your email service as well.

Using a dedicated IP address for email separates your service from the negative consequences where others are at fault.

It Is Good for Business Identity:

Suppose you launch your online store or other e-commerce website, and you don’t want to use additional third-party services for handling payments. In that case, it is quite necessary to get a Dedicated IP address and, of course, an SSL certificate for the website to provide security for your customers’ data and gain their trust.

It Is Required for Third-Party Applications:

Sometimes, a particular third-party application or script you may want to run on your server requires a dedicated IP address. Since shared IP addresses are very common, most applications will run fine with them. But if you want to run unique apps or scripts, double-check that a dedicated IP isn’t required.

Suppose you consider getting an IP address for the SSL installation. In that case, we recommend you to use the SNI option, which allows SSL installation on shared hosting, VPS and Dedicated servers with cPanel.

It Reduces the Risk of IP Blacklisting:

One of the biggest advantages of a dedicated IP address is that your IP won’t get blacklisted so easily as you’ll be the only person using that particular IP address. However, while shared IP is generally safe, it risks country-specific blocking of your website. In addition, another website on your server may perform malicious activities such as sending out spam emails, malware, or viruses and get you blocked by search engines.

With a dedicated IP, there is zero chance of your IP getting blocked unless you do something illegal.

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Dedicated IP or Shared IP for My Business?

Hopefully, you have a better understanding of a dedicated IP address, the benefits it can bring, and how it is different from the shared IP address.

Chances are, you may not need to upgrade to a dedicated IP address, at least while your website is young. However, if you want improved security and speed and require direct access to your server, it will be a worthwhile investment for your business.

If you’re looking for an improved website, you can enjoy the benefits of a dedicated IP by purchasing an AEserver dedicated IP as an add-on. Or you can get one free by signing up for the AEserver dedicated hosting plan.