Ecommerce Web Design Blog

What is a shared IP address and how is it different from a dedicated IP address? What do you need for your website?

Every domain name on the web has an IP address assigned to it like 75.125.237.98. The IP addresses are like a telephone number for a web server that is hosting your website. So do you need a shared or a dedicated IP address for your website? The answer is it depends on what you want to do with your site.

In many cases, customers choose a shared IP address. A shared IP address occurs where there are multiple domain names that all point to the same server address. An individual web server may have tens or hundreds of web sites all sharing the same IP address depending on the size of those sites and the kinds of traffic they use. When a browser goes to look for a website e.g. www.yourdomain.com.au the domain name lookup servers tell the browser that www.yourdomain.com.au points to the server IP address of the hosting provider. It then goes to that server and asks for the website name at that address. It does not affect performance of the site.

The key benefit of a shared IP addresses is that it usually keeps costs down for customers. As there is no separate IP address for the hosting company to manage, this saving is often passed on to customers in terms of their package prices.

If your site is going to hold a shopping cart or run a complex web-application like a gaming server, you will find you need a dedicated IP address. A dedicated IP address means that your site does not share an IP with other customers even if they are physically housed on the same server. You would be able to type your dedicated IP address into a web browser and see your site. For example, www.oscworks.com.au has its own IP address of 174.133.139.23 so if you type this into your browser you will see our website. A dedicated IP address is a mandatory minimum requirement for getting an SSL Certificate to collect credit card details within your site.