What Are The Best VPS Hosts? Top 8 Best VPS
Infrastructure
02.11.2021
10 min read
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In this article we will talk about VPS — powerful computers that hosting providers sell access to, so that developers, administrators, and webmasters around the world can create amazing apps and useful websites.
Let’s find out how the VPS works, how it is different from classic servers, and how to choose the best one. And at the end, we will discuss the best VPS hosts to use now.
What is a VPS hosting?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. In short, it is a special combination of software and hardware that lets developers and webmasters publish their websites and applications on the web.
This type of server is virtual because it is not a real computer but an isolated space on a powerful PC that is controlled via a program called a hypervisor and imitates a fully-fledged «machine». Even though it is intangible it lets you deploy applications and use whichever technology and utilities you want on your own server (you can even access BIOS and quickly change hardware characteristics).
For example, you might want to host a database on your VPS or launch a dynamically changing website. It is up to you how you set up your server. You just have to rent enough virtual power.
So a VPS is a server without the need to buy a real server.
Is VDS any different?
Yes and no. Overall, they are the same. VDS stands for Virtual Dedicated Server and dedicated in this case is similar to private. Both use hypervisors to control virtual hardware.
The difference sometimes lies in the technology of virtualization that is used on the server. Some users divide Virtual Private Server and Virtual Dedicated Server into two different camps, the OpenVZ virtualization and the KVM, VMWare virtualization.
The first one is much more flexible than the second one. It lets you change the hardware characteristics of the server on the go without shutting down the running site or application. But it only supports Linux and is not as secure as KVM and similar virtualization technologies.
KVM is different because it isolates your workspace more effectively, depriving the host and other users from accessing your data in any way. But you can’t change the virtual hardware set without rebooting the server (KVM seems to be closer to a real computer).
Benefits and disadvantages of VPS
VPS offers a relatively cheap and functional way of sending your site or app to the web. But like any complex software solution, it has its pros and cons.
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This type of server is cheaper than dedicated servers and most cloud clusters.
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It is easy to transfer all the data from one VPS to another. You don’t have to consider hardware-related issues. Everything is encapsulated into a virtualized block of data.
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The hosting provider usually takes care of all the tech stuff.
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VPS comes with a dedicated IP, Firewall, and other necessary components, distinguishing it from virtual hosting which is a cheaper and less functional solution.
On the other hand, you have less performance with a virtual server because you are sharing it with other users renting VPS at the same hosting. Also, even with root access, you have no impact on the hardware.
How to choose the best VPS hosting?
When choosing the VPS hosting consider these factors:
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Type of operating system. It might be Linux or Windows Server. In most cases, Linux is an optimal solution but some services work best with Windows.
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Virtual hardware should be powerful enough to run your app smoothly. Pay special attention to the storage volume so you don’t have to limit yourself.
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Choose hosting that offers servers around the globe so every user on the planet can access your website or application without visible lags.
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Good VPS hosting offers different features that simplify the process of creating the server. For example, an opportunity to deploy projects that are stored in git-system.
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And the hosting itself should have a good reputation. It is important to choose one which is already used by some users and uses well-grounded data centers.
Top 8 best VPS
Here we will quickly observe the most popular hosting providers that are on the TOP right now.
Most of the apps have the same features so we will not discuss all of them. We will consider specific characteristics and note the cons of the servers if they are any.
This is one of the most popular and powerful VPS hosts at the moment. It tops a lot of ratings and is loved by many webmasters. The uptime of the InMotion is remarkably high — about 99.99%. It sports a qualified and proactive support team and flexible billing system.
InMotion hosting has many plans from the cheapest with 2 GB of RAM, 45 GB of space on SSD, and 2 CPUs to powerful machines with 8 CPUs and 8 GB of RAM. Every plan comes with unlimited bandwidth, free transfer from another hosting, and a control panel called cPanel.
There are many users of InMotion servers around the globe so you can be sure about the reputation of the host. InMotion VPS guarantees the security of your files stored on the server.
Of course, InMotion offers its users basic functionality like regular data backup, a free SSL certificate to assure data encryption, and many other necessary features.
Price: starting at $18 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
Hostman is the VPS hosting that offers unique virtual machines that are ready to work with specific tools and applications like databases, Webpack-projects, etc.
While most of the other VPS hosts give you an empty server that you must set up manually, Hostman lets you use your GitHub repository to deploy a fully-fledged and ready-to-run application in a few clicks. Immediately after connecting the repository.
Renting a Hostman server allows you to choose from the cheapest virtual machine with one 3.2 GHz CPU, 25GB SSD, and 1 GB of RAM to the most advanced with 8 processors, 16 GB of RAM, and 320GB of SSD.
It uses DigitalOcean, Amazon, and Azure as a backend, so you have an outstandingly reliable server with amazing uptime up to 100% with global data centers around the world.
You can also choose a pre-made server with installed MongoDB, Minecraft server, or any operating system you like (including Ubuntu, CentOS, FreeBSD, Debian).
And the best thing about Hostman is that it offers a 7-day free trial without functional limitations so you can try out all the features of the VPS and decide whether or not you should rent.
Price: starting at $5 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
It is a hosting provider that became popular because of the good balance between the price and the value it offers to server renters. You can choose a flexible plan that fits well with your unique requirements. You can even buy a plan with an administrator who will manage your site.
A2 works with different operating systems including Linux and Windows. But it has some pitfalls like the absence of a free domain on all the plans and less uptime.
Users describe the support team of the A2 hosting as friendly and skilled. So, by renting a server here you won't have to worry about the qualifications of people behind A2.
The second big potential drawback when using A2 is the limited amount of disk storage. The maximum you can get at A2 VPS hosting is 150 GB.
Price: starting at $40 per month
Uptime: 99.95%
A quite reliable server that is known for its extremely good uptime.
It is a fully functional VPS that delivers everything you would expect from this kind of software product. Developers usually use it for deploying web projects based on WordPress site builder. But in any case, it has the tools and services required to maintain a stable and powerful VPS.
Bluehost will please new users with the free domain it gives to everyone forever. You just need to rent any of the VPS’s offered on the official website of Bluehost hosting.
The reason you may not like this host is its limited storage. If you need to store an impressive number of files or a big database you will be a bit disappointed by the cap of 120 GB of SSD storage.
Additionally, the plan system is not as flexible as you would expect from hosting at this scale. You’d have to choose one of three options. But you might find it easy to decide which is best.
Price: starting at $19.99 per month
Uptime: 99.98%
This one is one of the cheapest VPS hosts for those who are creeating their first website or application. Hostgator offers massive discounts for starting plans to encourage you to rent their hardware.
Hostgator is well known for its flexible customization system that lets webmasters cherry-pick necessary components, tools, and services to create the server of their dream. Moreover, it boasts impressive reliability due to its state-of-the-art data centers.
The 45-day guarantee period may help you decide. If you’re not satisfied with the quality of the server a refund will be easy enough to get.
But you probably won’t be happy with a static amount of RAM and the same bandwidth for every plan. Also, Hostgator VPS hosting doesn’t deliver free bonuses such as a domain name or SSL certificate.
Price: starting at $20 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
Hostinger is a good choice for those who want to jump from shared hosting to a VPS mostly because of its reasonable prices and the ease of starting a new server.
The cheapness is the biggest advantage of Hostinger. The first plan is a bargain. You can get a decent server for the monthly price of an app in the App Store.
Unfortunately, there are several disadvantages that could put you off this hosting provider. Hostinger sports the lowest uptime around the VPS in this set (it’s unlikely to reach 99% and it might be the lowest number), it has no phone support and boasts only 800 GB bandwidth while most of its counterparts offer at least 1 TB. Furthermore, the support team here doesn’t work 24/7 so you can’t rely on it. They don’t always help, especially in critical situations.
Price: starting at $4 per month
Uptime: 99.90%
Liquid Web reviews usually tell us how this hosting offers balanced plans that are cheap and at the same time give enough hardware power to launch quite demanding applications.
One of the reasons to choose Liquid Web hosting is the large selection of control panels included.
Also, every plan comes with professional backup for more than a hundred gigs of data. There’s a good support team that might help with setting up the server for the first time and neutralizing any issues that appear while already utilizing a rented server over a given period.
Moreover, Liquid Web is good enough at protecting your VPS from DDoS attacks. And a highest data transferring speed is achieved owing to high-quality SSD.
Price: starting at $15 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
This is a contradictory VPS host. It is accessible and functional enough but has the biggest amount of restrictions. You have to think twice before renting a server here.
You might like it because DreamHost VPS offers you totally unlimited bandwidth, so you’ll never have to think about any limitation connected to data transfer speed.
But there are many disadvantages. First of all, there’s no live chat and phone support. To resolve any issue you’ll have to use email. That’s quite archaic and not especially useful. The second problem lies in the lack of root access. There isn’t the control you would have using other hosts. And the last thing that you probably won’t like is the lack of a money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with the server quality.
All things considered, we don’t really believe in their claim of 100% uptime.
Price: starting at $10 per month
Uptime: 100%
Conclusion
That’s it, you can try many VPS hosts and decide which is best. This list includes conservative and reliable solutions like A2 and modern and powerful ones like Hostman. The last gives you a chance to try all the features for free and quickly create your own project to test it out.
But if you want to try a different solution choose the one that gives you the advanced tools to secure your data and while providinng you with as much high uptime as possible.
Infrastructure
02.11.2021
10 min read
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Infrastructure
10 Best Python IDEs and Code Editors 2024
Python IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
An integrated development environment (IDE) is a package of software tools and capabilities designed to help developers write code. An integrated environment containing tools for code editing, debugging, testing, and other development tasks is usually offered by Python IDEs. These environments provide capabilities like code completion, syntax highlighting, and project management and are intended to make the development process more efficient.
Python Code Editor
A code editor is a more basic tool designed mostly for editing code. Code editors are quick, light, and very configurable, even though they might not have all of the sophisticated capabilities of IDEs. Code editors are frequently chosen by developers due to their speed and ease of use. Code editors can be used with a variety of programming languages, and they frequently allow plugins or extensions that offer features unique to Python development.
Choosing the right Python IDE (Integrated Development Environment) or code editor is important and will have a big influence on how you build applications. Here are key factors to consider when making your choice:
Usability
Consider on the general usability and user interface. Especially for beginners, a straightforward and user-friendly integrated development environment (IDE) or code editor can increase productivity.
Features and Integrated Tools
Explore the functions that the code editor or IDE has to offer. Syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging tools, version control integration, and support for virtual environments are examples of standard characteristics. Project management features, testing frameworks, and build systems are examples of integrated tools. The IDE's built-in tools can help you optimize your productivity.
Flexibility
Think about if plugins or extensions are supported by the code editor or IDE. With flexibility, you can easily incorporate third-party products and alter your environment to suit your unique requirements.
Compatibility
Select an IDE or code editor that is cross-platform compatible. This ensures a consistent experience if you are working on different operating systems.
Language and Community Support
Make sure the tool has top-notch Python support. It may seem apparent, but selecting a tool that is tailored to Python development requirements is essential
Consider the community's strength and the developers' level of support. A thriving community guarantees easy access to extensions, tutorials, and help, and continuous support keeps the tool updated.
Performance
Assess the IDE's or code editor's performance, paying particular attention to how well it handles the quantity and complexity of your projects. Verify that the tool functions properly on your workstation.
Cost
Think about how much the IDE will cost. Some can only be used with a license, but others are free and open source. Determine whether the features, given your needs and budget, outweigh any related costs.
Version update and maintenance
To ensure compatibility with the most recent Python versions, introduce new features, and repair issues, regular upgrades and maintenance by the developers are necessary.
Customization
Being able to customize the setting to what you prefer can have an important effect on how comfortable and productive you are when developing.
10 Best Python IDEs and Code Editors in 2024
Here are the popular Python IDEs and code editors:
PyCharm
Spyder
Eclipse PyDev
IDLE
Wing
Here are the best Python Code Editor:
Emacs
Visual Studio Code
Sublime Text
Atom
VIM
Safe and scalable Virtual Servers and VPC
PyCharm
PyCharm is widely regarded as the finest IDE for Python developers, with the majority of professional developers using it in various industries. It is a cross-platform IDE created by the Czech company JetBrains. One really useful aspect is that it provides daily advice to help you become more knowledgeable about how to use it more effectively. There are two versions available: the professional version requires payment, while the community version is available for free. Here are a few other features of this IDE.
PROS:
Code completion, syntax highlighting, debugging tools, testing support, and integration with well-known web frameworks
Intelligent code assistance
Built-in testing tools
Powerful debugger
CONS:
Learning curve. PyCharm might have a steeper learning curve compared to simple editors.
Cost for professional version
Start-up time might be longer than a lighter weight editor.
Spyder
Another excellent Python-based cross-platform and open-source IDE is called Spyder. It is the lightest Python IDE and goes by the name Scientific Python Development IDE. Data scientists who are proficient in integrating Matplotlib, SciPy, NumPy, Pandas, Cython, IPython, SymPy, and other open-source software are the primary users of it. It has some nice advanced features including edit, debug, and data exploration, and it comes with the Anaconda package manager distribution. Here are a few other features of this IDE.
PROS:
Designed for Scientific Computing.
Interactive Console.
Integrated Variable Explore.
Matplotlib Integration.
NumPy and SciPy Integration.
CONS:
Heavy Resource Usage.
Not as Lightweight as Simple Editors.
Limited General-Purpose IDE Features.
Eclipse PyDev
Combining the Eclipse IDE platform with the PyDev plugin, Eclipse with PyDev is an integrated development environment (IDE) for Python development. First popularized in the Java programming community, the Eclipse IDE is an open-source, extremely extendable IDE. On the other side, Aptana Inc. created PyDev, an Eclipse plugin for the Python IDE.
PROS:
It is compatible with a number of programming languages, and PyDev easily interacts with it to offer Python development features.
It supports Django, a popular Python web framework.
Integrated debugger.
CONS:
Some users might find the learning curve more challenging, particularly those who are unfamiliar with the Eclipse IDE or who would rather use lighter, more straightforward editors.
It can be resource-intensive, particularly for larger projects.
Challenges with Customizing Interfaces.
IDLE
IDLE is a specialized software or platform for creating Python apps. It is a feature-rich editor for writing, editing, and running Python programs. It can also be used to run single statements, much like the Python Shell. IDLE for Python would be quite beneficial, particularly for novices.
Notable features include call hints, code context, auto-indentation, basic syntax highlighting, and auto-completion of the code. There is a debugging tool included as well. One of IDLE's fundamental functions is Stack Viewer, which aids in tracking down the fault or exception that was encountered. Customizing fonts, keys, extensions, highlights, and other elements is also possible. IDLE is freely available and open-sourced.
PROS:
Lightweight and simple.
Bundled with Python.
Provides basic features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, and an interactive Python shell.
CONS:
Limited features for advanced development.
Limited customization options.
Lacks advanced project management features.
Wing
An integrated development environment (IDE) made especially for Python is called Wing. It is produced by Wingware and is renowned for its emphasis on giving Python developers access to an effective toolkit.
PROS:
Well-known for its powerful interactive debugger.
Provides strong code intelligence capabilities, such as syntax highlighting, code navigation, and intelligent auto-completion.
Allows for customizations and expansion via scripting.
CONS:
It is a commercial product that needs a license to use its full-featured Professional edition.
Users may experience slower performance and increased memory usage for large projects or less powerful machines.
Emacs
Emacs was founded by Richard Stallman in 1976. The software is completely customizable, free, and compatible with all systems. For customization, Emacs leverages a version of the robust Lisp programming language; for Python development, a variety of customization scripts are available.
PROS:
It comes with an integrated package system (package.el) that makes it simple for users to add and manage packages, increasing the editor's capabilities.
It has several powerful text editing tools, such as numerous built-in commands, comprehensive keyboard shortcuts, and sophisticated search and replace.
It allows users to customize virtually every aspect of the editor by writing scripts in Emacs Lisp.
CONS:
It has steep learning curve
It can be resource intensive when working with large files or complex tasks.
Its unconventional interface deviates from the norms of contemporary apps by largely depending on keyboard shortcuts.
Visual Studio Code
A highly customizable, lightweight code editor developed by Microsoft, with a vast selection of extensions and excellent Python support.
PROS:
It provides a large marketplace of extensions and supports a broad variety of programming languages right out of the box.
It has strong code editing tools like code navigation, syntax highlighting, and IntelliSense (code completion).
Integrated Git Version Control.
CONS:
Customization complexity
It can consume a large amount of system resources when working with large projects or multiple extensions.
Users with less powerful computers can run into performance problems.
Sublime Text
A complex and well-liked text editor for prose, markup, and code editing is called Sublime Text. It is renowned for its quickness, ease of use, and wide range of customization possibilities. Will Bond and Jon Skinner created Sublime Text.
PROS:
Known for its speed and performance.
It supports a wide range of plugins and extensions.
It introduces the concept of multiple selection, that allows users to make changes in various sections of a document simultaneously.
CONS:
It is not free.
It has less frequent updates.
It has limited integrated tools.
Atom
GitHub created the open-source text editor Atom. It is renowned for having an up-to-date interface and being extensible and flexible. Since Atom is meant to be a hackable text editor, users can add new features and personalize the program with a variety of packages and themes.
PROS:
Open source and free.
Modern and user-friendly interface.
Highly extensible and customizable.
CONS:
Slower start up time.
Less mature ecosystem and packages and themes.
Limited built-in features.
VIM
Vim is a cross-platform, open-source text editor. On macOS and UNIX computers, it comes pre-installed; however, you must download it for Windows. This text editor functions both as a stand-alone program and as a command-line interface.
PROS:
It allows for quick navigation, editing, and manipulation of text using keyboard shortcuts.
It is highly customizable and extensible.
It is easily accessible on a variety of servers and development environments because it comes pre-installed on many Unix-like systems.
CONS:
It is not beginner-friendly.
Limited out-of-the-box features.
Steep learning curve.
In a nutshell, IDE offers a full suite of tools for coding, testing, and debugging, whereas a code editor is solely designed for editing code and is typically more lightweight and adaptable. Depending on personal preferences, project objectives, and the difficulty of the development activities, one can choose between an IDE and a code editor.
02 February 2024 · 10 min to read
Infrastructure
Differentiating Static And Dynamic Websites
Creating a website for a business or organization can present many challenges. What sort of content should be included? While browsing, how will mobile apps affect functionality? And crucially, you need to decide whether your business’ needs are best suited by a static or dynamic website.
This article will help you decide which type of website is best for your purposes. We will lay out the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of website to help you differentiate and decide between the two.
What’s the difference?
When the internet was still in its infancy, the only type of website you’d be able to find were static websites. If you wanted to change or update something on your site, a human web developer would need to change the code directly.
But as technology progressed, web developers began to create dynamic websites. These are websites that can dynamically access and display content when requested.
Not every website needs to be dynamic, but some static websites can use dynamic functions to create a kind of hybrid of the two. An example of this kind of hybrid site would be a website for a vacation resort that integrates local weather forecasts into its homepage.
For some, a well laid-out static website is sufficient for their business’ needs. It really depends on the purpose of your website and how much flexibility you need to provide the user.
Code and delivery
A website with static code will not change unless a web developer edits it.
On the other hand, a dynamic website is built by accessing a database to deliver content in real-time.
Static web pages are pre-rendered for the user and look the same no matter from where or how they accessed. The web developer can know exactly what the user will see when they arrive at the website. Meanwhile, a dynamic page is generated by a server. It can also look different depending on the location from where it would be accessed to which browser is being used.
Static Websites
A static web page, also known as a flat page or stationary page, is usually coded in HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Static web pages, also known as flat or stationary web pages, are essentially a viewable document only editable with the right coding skills. Regardless of where the page is accessed from, or who is accessing it from the host server, the page appears the same as when it was originally created. In order to make your static website go live easily, you can deploy it with tools such as Hostman.
Let’s take a look at some pros and cons of static websites.
Pros
Simple to set up: Static websites present far less complexity than their dynamic counterparts and so are easier to set up. There is a wide range of website builders that can help you do this.
Speedy process: The ease of setting up static web pages means that it’s a speedy process. If you need to get something up in a hurry, static websites might be the best choice for you.
Lower Costs: The simplicity of static websites means they tend not to take up a lot of space. The result is that they are cheaper to host.
Stability: As the content on a static website is unchanging, it’s far less likely to malfunction. This makes usability testing a breeze.
Performance: The simplicity and stability of static web pages allow them to load quickly for the user. This quick performance is a result of the efficient coding languages used to create them.
More Secure: Without the need to utilize third-party software, databases, or a CMS (Content Management System, more on that later), static websites allow for fewer potential vulnerabilities than a dynamic website.
Cons
Updates: Without the prerequisite coding skills, updating a static website is difficult. A web developer would likely be required, eating into your initial setup savings.
Limited: It’s entirely possible to build a larger static website, but that would be a long and labor-intensive process. This is because each time a new page is required, it needs to be built from scratch. A template can help, but that will only get you so far.
Tired content: Without giving visitors to your website a reason to return, you may find traffic numbers stagnate. Static websites are less well suited to the adding of lots of fresh content to keep users coming back for more.
User Interaction: Static websites don’t provide opportunities to engage with active, up-to-the-minute content.
Ongoing costs: As your website grows, if the static model is what you’re sticking with, you’ll require a larger team to manage it, therefore increasing costs.
On mobile: A static website that looks fantastic on a laptop may not appear so well on a mobile device. According to Statista, 56.89% of global internet traffic was through mobile devices as of February 2022.
Dynamic Websites
Written in more complex programming languages such as CGI, Ajax, or ASP, dynamic websites are presented to users with the help of databases.
Users can experience a dynamic website differently depending on a number of factors. A user looking at a website through Safari on an iPhone versus one viewing through Chrome on a laptop may see different content, better tailored to them individually.
What is a CMS?
Content Management Systems are vital software for the functioning of dynamic websites. They allow multiple users to publish or edit content on the site. A CMS is often essential to ensuring quality user experience on a dynamic website, and can be used to schedule content posts for a later date and edit old content. It’s well worth considering if a CMS might be useful for your business’ website. If you do, ensure whichever one you choose has undergone rigorous software application testing.
Let’s now take a look at some of the pros and cons of dynamic websites.
Pros
Easy updates: It is much easier to update dynamic websites, which is a significant advantage. With the help of a CMS, multiple people within an organization can contribute without any specialist coding experience.
More volume: Thanks to the way dynamic websites are structured, it is much easier to provide much more content than possible with a static website. You can offer hundreds of searchable pages and drive more traffic to your website. Just make sure you have the best database management tools to help you.
Sleek design: Dynamic websites allow an organization to put on a more professional face when compared to static websites. This type of website also provides increased flexibility for design choices.
Tailored Content: By taking advantage of cookies, demographics, and keyword research, a dynamic website enables you to present content that will most appeal to different groups of users. The website is able to recognize if you’ve got a new visitor and even present special offers for new potential customers.
Mobile device optimization: As a dynamic website can recognize the type of device being used to access it. It can also adapt to present itself just as well on a mobile device as on a laptop or tablet.
Discoverability: More content and a great design makes your website easier to find. A dynamic website, in tandem with good keyword research, brings higher traffic volumes. If discoverability is a priority for your organization’s website, it’s well worth taking the time to learn what is keyword research?
Cons
Start up cost: You will have to outlay more in the early stages. Even so, ongoing maintenance and updates are fortunately easier and cheaper than static websites.
404: Errors are more likely with a dynamic website. This is a result of the way it needs to access outside databases and shows why testing is vital. For advice on how to mitigate this, head on over to Global App Testing.
Security Concerns: By using outside applications and databases, your site is exposed to a greater risk to security.
Load times: Due to increased complexity and more content, it’s likely that a dynamic website will be slower to load. Be wary that this can cause visitors to leave.
Choices
Now that you’ve seen the differences between static and dynamic websites, you need to decide which is best for you.
For a small organization whose requirements amount to an online brochure, a static website might make the most sense. These days, having a website is essential for a small business. As long as you don’t need to constantly update content, a static website might be the way to go.
For a larger organization, especially one that operates mostly online, a dynamic website can offer the flexibility and room for growth that you will require. For example, a business offering a commercial phone system would want to reach a variety of customers with tailored content presented in a sleek, professional way.
A hybrid approach may be best suited for some organizations. A website for a tour operator, for example, may have a lot of content that doesn’t change very often, and use static web pages to feature this content. They would be well served to also set up dynamic elements to the website to reflect changing accommodation and transport costs.
Expertise
Whichever approach suits your purposes best, ensure you have the right people to help. There are many services and web developers available to help you deliver a quality experience for your website visitors. Choosing the right approach, and executing it well, will give you an edge in attaining online success.
Author: Kate Priestman - Head Of Marketing, Global App Testing
Kate Priestman is the Head of Marketing at Global App Testing, a trusted and leading end-to-end functional testing solution for QA challenges. Kate has over 8 years of experience in the field of marketing, helping brands achieve exceptional growth. She has extensive knowledge on brand development, lead and demand generation, and marketing strategy — driving business impact at its best. Kate has laso written for sites such as Stackify and Smith. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
25 December 2023 · 8 min to read
Infrastructure
3 Key Core Software Development Metrics For Success
Defining success in software development is a complex and multifaceted task. Inevitably, each software project will measure success in different ways.
In a sector known for high performance and workplace productivity, clearly defined metrics have been key to the success of projects large and small. An insightful metric lets developers know what’s expected of them and allows you to judge the quality of a software product.
There are countless technical metrics for performance, reliability, and security that developers can use to determine the success or failure of a piece of software and compare this to the competition.
As well as technical metrics, which lend themselves to automation and require the most input from coding teams, there are also business process-oriented and more customer-centric metrics that assess the user experience of a piece of software.
When initiating measurement procedures, just be sure to avoid using metrics to set targets arbitrarily. Instead, use them as a measurement of the health of processes and their results to seek improvement in discussion with the relevant teams.
This article covers three key metrics that can be measured to assess the success of a software development process from a whole-project perspective.
Source: pixabay.com
1. Customer Satisfaction
Arguably the ultimate measure of success in software development is how satisfied and engaged end-users are with the final product. This includes responses to the initial release of a piece of software, but you should also keep track of how customers experience updates and patches. For Software as a Service, or on-demand software products, you will need to measure customer satisfaction with the performance of your technology continuously.
Customer satisfaction can be understood through the completion of surveys. A widely employed and respected metric for customer satisfaction is the Net Promoter Score (NPS), a customer loyalty and satisfaction measurement taken by asking customers how likely they are to recommend your product or service to others on a scale of 0-10. NPS is calculated as a value ranging from -100, indicating no customers would recommend a product to others, to +100, meaning all customers would be likely to recommend.
Of course, NPS alone is of relatively little use as a pointer for further improvement. To get the most out of customer surveys, the results need to be contextualized.
For example, if you’re attempting to measure the success of a voip solutions for small business, additional information such as whether the customer is using the best VoIP router or not is also needed.
For this reason, consumer surveys rarely only ever collect an NPS but will also ask other questions. The best surveys provide space for recommendations that can’t be communicated quantitatively. Continuing with the VoIP example, if customers were happy with general software performance, but most also wanted call recording functionality, metrics alone wouldn’t pick up on this.
Source: pixabay.com
2. Test Coverage
Test coverage is a sort of meta-metric that determines how well an application is tested against its technical requirements.
Although related, test coverage differs from code coverage, in which the idea is to measure the percentage of lines and execution paths in the code covered by at least one test case. While code coverage is the responsibility almost exclusively of developers, test coverage is a more holistic metric that belongs to any comprehensive quality assurance program.
The collation of both test coverage and code coverage data is amenable to different types of testing technology that uses scripted sequences to examine the software and then reports on what’s been found.
Software engineers will frequently refer to test coverage when they really mean unit test coverage. Unit tests assess very small parts of an application in complete isolation, comparing their actual behavior with their expected behavior. This means that, when unit testing, you don’t typically connect your application with external dependencies such as databases, the filesystem, or HTTP services.
On the other hand, true test coverage tells you how much of your codebase is covered by all types of tests—unit, integration, UI automation, manual tests, and end-to-end acceptance tests. It’s a useful way to reveal quality gaps, and low test coverage is an indicator of areas where your testing framework needs to be improved.
Source: alisterbscott.com
3. Escaped Defects
Software quality assurance is a process that checks that all software engineering processes, methods, activities, and work items are monitored and comply with the defined standards. Deploying a quality assurance plan for your software product requires open communication across multiple teams.
Many software developers will use a cloud communications platform like a voicemail service for business to facilitate remote collaboration. But with remote work more widespread, the quality of software quality control mustn’t lapse. Engineers should adapt and make their quality control procedures more stringent and metric-based.
Ultimately, buggy or defective software is bad software. Measuring the number of bugs discovered after release is a good way to keep track of your quality assurance program. A high or increasing number of escaped defects can be an indicator that you’re not testing enough or that you need to implement some extra performance review prior to releases and updates.
Depending on whether your company is a start-up or a well-established software developer, you will have different quality assurance mechanisms and defect detection checks in place. Just be sure not to cut corners with this vital aspect of software development. If faulty or glitchy products go to market, the damage it does to your reputation can take years to overcome.
And Finally
Remember that these three metrics are intended to be helpful for allowing you an overview of your entire development cycle. As part of an overarching business strategy, they will need to be aligned with the processes of individual teams who will each have their own standards by which they measure success. The only way to do this is to have the best project management procedures in place and great team communication. These should allow your entire software development process to knit seamlessly together.
Author: Grace Lau - Director of Growth Content, Dialpad
Grace Lau is the Director of Growth Content at Dialpad, an AI-powered cloud communication platform that enables streamlined whiteboard app and contact center outsourcing. She has over 10 years of experience in content writing and strategy. Currently, she is responsible for leading branded and editorial content strategies, and partnering with SEO and Ops teams to build and nurture content. Here is her LinkedIn.
24 June 2022 · 6 min to read
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