When Do You Really Need Managed Laravel Hosting?

• 16th May 2016
• by: Danny Foo
• note: 0 Comments

Are you a Laravel beginner who is wondering what is managed Laravel hosting?

During your research, you probably came across numerous providers and found that prices of managed Laravel hosting is quite higher than the average shared hosting which you can get for as low as $3.95 per month.

Why is there such a big price difference? Is it really that much better? Do I need managed Laravel hosting for my site? Which is the best managed Laravel hosting company? If you have those questions, then you are at the right place.

In this article, we will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of managed Laravel hosting. You can use our research, knowledge, and experience to decide whether managed Laravel hosting is right for you.

What is Managed Laravel Hosting?

Due to the rise of Laravel, several web hosting providers have chosen to specialize in Laravel and offer what's known as managed Laravel hosting.

Managed Laravel hosting is a concierge service where all technical aspects of running Laravel is managed by the host.

This includes security, speed, Laravel updates, daily backups, website uptime, and scalability.

The idea behind managed Laravel hosting is to offer a completely hassle-free experience, so you can focus on running your business and doing what you are good at.

One of the best parts about Managed Laravel hosting is the premium support. Your support is provided by real Laravel experts with lots of experience rather than someone who is reading a support manual.

Customers describe managed Laravel hosting as "a Five-Star Hotel for Laravel" and "like having an army of Laravel experts on your side".

Advantages of Managed Laravel Hosting

• Blazing Fast

  – Managed Laravel hosting servers are configured specially for Laravel. They are blazing fast even when your website gets a lot of traffic.

• Security

  – You are practically hacker-proof when you go with a managed Laravel hosting provider. They have a very tight security layer that actively scans for malware and block all hacking attempts.

• Expert Support

  – Unlike other web hosts, the staff is highly knowledgeable in Laravel. They advise you against using plugins that impact performance, solve problems faster, and much more. It is like having an army of Laravel experts on your side for assistance.

• Daily Backups

  – They create daily backups and offer restore points if you ever want to revert.

• Automatic Updates

  – You don't have to worry about updates because they are done automatically.

• No downtime

  – No matter how much traffic your site gets, your website will probably never go down.

• Dev Tools

  – Although it varies by host, you usually dev tools such as staging area, version control, etc.

You are probably thinking that the advantages sounds pretty attractive, are there any downside?

Disadvantages of Managed Laravel Hosting

• Price – Managed Laravel hosting is significantly more expensive when compared to shared hosting. Base plan usually starts around $59/mo. where as shared hosting plan starts at $3.95/mo. But if you factor in the cost of running a large website and the salary of system admin, then this will sound like a pretty good option.
• Limits – Because the server architecture is specialized for Laravel, often you are limited to run only Laravel based sites. But that’s what you were looking to do anyways. You also cannot run all Laravel plugins. Managed Laravel hosting providers block plugins that slows down your site. So this is not entirely a disadvantage, but it can be an issue for larger companies.
• Less Control – Since someone else is managing all the technical aspects, you don't have nearly as much say as to what gets changed. But isn't that the point? You don't want the hassle of managing things yourself.

Now that you have read the pros and cons of managed Laravel hosting, you're probably wondering if it's the right solution for you.

When do you need Managed Laravel hosting?

If you are a beginner who is starting a blog, then you DO NOT need managed Laravel hosting. You should start with regular Laravel hosting which is a lot more affordable.

We recommend Webqom's Host88 which is also one of the official Laravel hosting providers.

Now if you are a small business or have a high-traffic website, then it makes sense for you to get managed Laravel hosting. The decision really boils down to your needs.

If you lack the technical skills, then average web hosting can become a hassle as your site grows. With an average hosting (shared, VPS, or dedicated), you are responsible for security, updates, speed, uptime, etc.

As a business owner, you have two options. You could either hire a system admin to manage your website, or you can use a managed Laravel hosting provider.

If you want something that is hassle-free, blazing fast, and offer mind-blowing support, then you have your answer. Basically, if your website is your business, and you can't afford it to go down, then pay the extra bucks for the exceptional service that you will get with managed Laravel hosting.

In the end, you have to decide whether you can justify the cost for the value. If low cost is your biggest priority, then go with a non-managed Laravel hosting provider.