Let’s face it: when web hosting companies talk about “unlimited” anything, it does NOT mean unlimited. The hosting companies are in it to make money, and providing truly unlimited resources is just not viable for any of them.

Practically every main-stream hosting company will try to lure you in by providing Unlimited Bandwidth, Unlimited Traffic, Unlimited Domains, Unlimited This, Unlimited That. These promises are simply not true in the real sense of the word.

Is it a scam then?

I’m not saying that unlimited hosting is a complete fraud. Web hosting companies know that the vast majority of hosting clients only use a small fraction of the capacity they have paid for in the first place, so they feel safe in promising “unlimited” resources knowing that the average user will not push them to the limits. In this sense they are not really lying, since from your (the client’s) point of view, you are still receiving what appears to be unlimited service.

In all likelihood, if you have purchased unlimited hosting account, you will happily use it for all time without even approaching the actual limits that will cause problems.

What are the real limits?

The real limits to your unlimited account are set out in your Terms Of Service (TOS) – you know that agreement you agreed to when you signed up with the host. I’m sure you read through all of that J.

In the TOS, you WILL find the limits you are subject to. It may contain such items as the number of inodes you are allowed to consume, the percent of server processing capacity you are allowed to use, and what you can use the “unlimited” disk space for.

These vary from host to host as well as from time to time. You will have to check you TOS to find out what limits your host places on your hosting account.

Inodes, in a simple way, means the number of files within your hosting account. Your TOS may limit what purpose you can use the server disk space for. It may, for example, state that you cannot back up your personal computer’s 548 gigabyte music library on the hosting company’s disk – that only the files used on the website may be stored there. You get the point…

WARNING: This is the danger

If you exceed the limits imposed in the TOS, then you are in breech of contract. Typically inodes are the first problem you may face. In the worst case (and quite typical) scenario, this is what will happen. First, the hosting company will stop making and keeping backups of your data. When the second threshold is reached, your website will be closed (remember, you are now in breach of contract). Since the backups had already stopped sometime ago, you now have no website, no databases, and no backups. You are screwed!

This is a VERY REAL DANGER you have to be aware of. The hosting company may not warn you at all before this happens. The onus is on YOU to keep an eye on your use resources. Aaaargghhh…

So what can I do?

To keep your data and your website safe, YOU have to keep an eye on how the resources are used on your website: keep an eye on inodes, and ALWAYS backup your website and its databases to your own home computer on regular basis.

All that may sound awfully scary, but it is not such a big deal – just common sense. Technically you are in the wrong by being in breach of the TOS, and similarly the hosting company is in the wrong by blatantly advertising unlimited everything, and then hiding important information in the small print of the contract. The key is to be aware of the inherent limitations of your contract, and take appropriate precautions.

…And the bottom line is

Read the Terms Of Service document. Nobody ever does, so make an exception. Back up your data regularly to your own computer. Always purchase your domain names from a different company than you purchase your hosting, and remember that the hosting company you are with is no different from others (in regards to the limitations) – they ALL have limits imposed in the small print. Finally, choose a hosting company you feel you can trust. My favourite is HostGator. They, just like any other company, impose the true limits to “unlimited” in their TOS, but I am aware of them, and I respect the candidness of their technical support team in disclosing any information regarding those limits (even though you will have to ask them to do so).

When you know where the traps are, you can avoid them, and you can have a great relationship with your hosting company.