StarDomain offers four ways to run a website or app. This guide explains how they differ and when to move from one to the next.
DirectAdmin shared hosting is the budget option, with email accounts included. Container Hosting gives one site its own CPU and RAM, managed from a simple panel (your plan sets how many domains can point to it). App Platform runs apps from GitHub. A VPS gives you a whole server with root access, which you manage yourself.
1. The four options
| DirectAdmin hosting | Container Hosting | App Platform | VPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Small sites on a budget | A WordPress or PHP site that needs steady speed (one site; your plan sets how many domains can point to it) | Node.js, Python and other apps from Git | Developers who want full control |
| Resources | Shared server, per-account limits | Your own CPU and RAM in an isolated container | Set amount per app | Your own virtual server |
| Panel | DirectAdmin | StarDomain container panel | Client area | None supplied; you install what you need |
| Email accounts | Included | Not included (your site sends through SMTP) | Not included | You set it up |
| Backups | Weekly, automatic | Daily, automatic; you restore yourself | Your code is in Git; database backups depend on your setup | Snapshots included (number depends on plan); backups are an optional paid add-on |
| Shell access | Jailed SSH on request | Browser Terminal tab (no direct SSH login) | No SSH | Root SSH |
| Management | Managed by us | Managed by us | Managed by us | Managed by you |
For email at your own domain with any of these, add Business Email (₹60 per mailbox a month).
2. When to move up
From DirectAdmin hosting to Container Hosting
- Your site is often slow, or hits its resource limits.
- You want steady performance that other customers' sites cannot affect.
- You want daily backups that you can restore yourself.
See Container Hosting Plans and Limits.
From Container Hosting to a VPS
- You need software the container does not offer, such as Redis, Docker or a custom service.
- You need root access, your own firewall rules, or background processes.
- You are comfortable keeping a server updated and secure yourself.
When App Platform fits better
If your project is an application, not a PHP website (a Node.js API, a Python web app, anything with a Dockerfile), App Platform builds and runs it from GitHub with a PostgreSQL database included. See Getting Started with the App Platform.
3. Moving from one to another
- Order the new service.Choose a plan that fits your traffic and storage.
- Copy your site.Upload files over SFTP and import your database.
- Test it.Check the site on the new service before you change DNS.
- Point your domain.Update the DNS records to the new service.
- Cancel the old service.Do this only after everything works on the new one.
If you want help planning a move, open a support ticket.
Does a VPS come with a control panel?
No. A VPS gives you a clean Linux server with root access. You install and manage the software yourself.
Does Container Hosting include email accounts?
No. It hosts your website only. Your site can send mail through an SMTP service, and you can add Business Email for mailboxes at your domain.
Which option has daily backups?
Container Hosting backs up every night. Nightly backups are kept for 7 days, plus one a week for 4 weeks, and you restore them yourself. DirectAdmin shared hosting is backed up weekly.