Updated August 19, 2026 · CodeGuardHost Editorial
DIY hosting
With a self-managed server, the business is responsible for operating-system updates, web-server configuration, deployment, TLS, backups, monitoring, incident response and capacity decisions. That can be appropriate for teams with experienced infrastructure staff.
Managed hosting
Managed hosting moves routine operational responsibility to the provider. The exact scope matters: ask who handles deployment, backups, monitoring, security maintenance, restore assistance and support.
Backups are not enough by themselves
A backup is useful only if it can be verified and restored. Mature operations test backups and understand where copies are stored.
Security is continuous
Website security is not a one-time plugin installation. It includes patching, access control, credential protection, logging, least privilege and response when something abnormal happens.
Choose based on responsibility, not only price
The cheapest server can be expensive if no one owns operations. The right question is who is responsible when a certificate expires, a deployment fails, a disk fills, or a restore is needed.