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Where your journal lives online—its hosting environment—affects everything from page load speed to email deliverability to how well your site handles traffic spikes during submission deadlines. Yet hosting decisions often get made based on cost alone, without understanding what different options actually provide.
This guide explains what each hosting type offers and which makes sense for different journal situations.
Understanding the Options #
Shared Hosting #
Shared hosting puts your website on a server alongside potentially hundreds of other websites. Everyone shares the same server resources—CPU, memory, disk space, and network bandwidth. It's the most affordable option, often costing just a few dollars per month.
How it works: Your journal gets allocated space on a server managed by the hosting company. You access a control panel to manage files, databases, and basic settings. The hosting provider handles server maintenance, security patches, and backups.
Typical cost: $3-15 per month
Virtual Private Server (VPS) #
A VPS carves out a dedicated portion of a physical server just for you. While multiple VPS instances run on the same hardware, each operates independently with guaranteed resources. You get root access to configure the server environment however you need.
How it works: You control a virtual server with specified CPU cores, RAM, and storage. You're responsible for server configuration, software installation, and often security management—though many providers offer managed VPS options where they handle the technical maintenance.
Typical cost: $20-100 per month
Cloud Hosting #
Cloud hosting runs your site across distributed infrastructure that can scale dynamically. Rather than a single server, your site draws resources from a network of servers. You typically pay for what you use rather than fixed allocations.
How it works: Major cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, etc.) provision virtual resources on demand. You can scale up during high-traffic periods and scale down during quiet times. Configuration varies from simple managed setups to complex architectures.
Typical cost: $10-200+ per month depending on usage and configuration
What OJS Actually Needs #
Before comparing options, understand what your OJS installation requires:
PHP and MySQL/MariaDB — OJS runs on PHP with a database backend. Any hosting that supports WordPress generally supports OJS at a basic level.
Adequate memory — OJS can be memory-intensive, especially during large file uploads or when running multiple concurrent users. Minimum 512MB of allocated PHP memory is reasonable; more is better.
Storage for files — Journals accumulate files: submissions, reviews, published articles, supplementary materials. A journal with several years of history might have gigabytes of files.
Email capability — OJS sends many automated emails. Your hosting must either support reliable email sending or allow connection to external email services.
SSL certificate — HTTPS is expected. Most hosting now includes free SSL through Let's Encrypt.
When Shared Hosting Works #
Shared hosting can be adequate for:
New journals with low traffic — A journal just starting out, publishing a few issues per year with modest readership, may run fine on shared hosting.
Limited budgets — When hosting cost is a genuine constraint, shared hosting keeps costs minimal while still getting your journal online.
Non-technical managers — Shared hosting requires minimal technical knowledge. The hosting company manages everything server-related.
However, shared hosting has real limitations:
Resource competition — When other sites on your server get busy, your site slows down. You have no control over this.
Email problems — Shared IP addresses often have poor email reputation due to other users on the same server sending spam. Your legitimate emails may suffer.
Configuration restrictions — You can't modify PHP settings, install custom software, or optimize the server for OJS specifically.
Performance ceilings — Shared hosting has hard limits. If your journal grows, you hit walls that can't be overcome without migrating.
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When VPS Becomes Necessary #
Consider a VPS when:
Traffic has grown — If page loads are slow or timeouts occur during busy periods, you've likely outgrown shared hosting.
Email deliverability matters — A dedicated IP address lets you build your own email reputation rather than inheriting others' problems.
You need custom configuration — Running specific PHP versions, optimizing MySQL settings, or installing additional software requires server access.
Reliability is critical — VPS resources are guaranteed; you're not competing with neighbors for CPU and memory.
Multiple journals — Running several OJS installations works better with VPS resources than shared hosting limits.
VPS does require more technical involvement. Someone needs to maintain the server—applying security updates, managing backups, troubleshooting issues. Managed VPS services handle much of this for additional cost.
When Cloud Makes Sense #
Cloud hosting offers advantages for specific situations:
Variable traffic patterns — If your journal sees dramatic spikes (submission deadline days, when a popular article gets shared), cloud scaling handles these gracefully.
Geographic distribution — Serving readers worldwide may benefit from content delivery networks and distributed infrastructure that cloud platforms provide.
Integration with other services — If you're using cloud-based tools for other parts of your publishing workflow, keeping OJS in the same ecosystem simplifies management.
Institutional requirements — Some universities mandate specific cloud providers for security or compliance reasons.
Cloud hosting can be complex. Simple configurations may be straightforward, but optimized setups require understanding of cloud architecture. Costs can also be unpredictable if usage varies.
The Hidden Factor: Email #
Hosting choice significantly impacts email deliverability—something journal managers often discover only after problems arise.
Shared hosting typically means shared IP addresses with unpredictable email reputation. Even if you do everything right, your emails may land in spam because someone else on your server sent spam last week.
VPS with a dedicated IP gives you control, but building good email reputation takes time and proper configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC records).
Many journals regardless of hosting type benefit from using dedicated email services (Amazon SES, Mailgun, etc.) rather than relying on their hosting server's email capability.
Cost vs. Consequences #
The cheapest hosting option isn't always the cheapest choice overall. Consider:
Time costs — Hours spent troubleshooting slow performance, email issues, or server limitations have value. A marginally more expensive hosting option that works reliably may cost less in total effort.
Opportunity costs — Authors frustrated by slow submission systems may submit elsewhere. Readers who give up waiting for pages to load don't become regular visitors.
Recovery costs — Security breaches or data loss on poorly configured hosting can be catastrophic. Proper backups and security on VPS or cloud may prevent disasters that cheap hosting can't.
Migration costs — Moving from shared hosting to VPS later isn't free or simple. Starting with adequate hosting avoids migration hassles.
Making the Decision #
For most academic journals:
Starting out with minimal budget → Quality shared hosting with awareness of limitations. Plan to migrate as the journal grows.
Established journal with steady traffic → Managed VPS provides the best balance of control, reliability, and reasonable cost.
High-traffic journal or multiple publications → VPS or cloud depending on specific needs and technical capacity.
Institution with existing infrastructure → Leverage what's available. Many universities provide hosting for affiliated journals.
Whatever you choose, ensure proper backups exist and someone monitors the server's health. The best hosting means nothing if a problem goes unnoticed until authors can't submit.
