Are Immutable Infrastructure Models Practical for Shared Hosting

[johny899]

Have you ever broken a shared hosting server by changing just one small thing? I have! I find it interesting how, on the surface, the concept of "immutable infrastructure" would solve my prior problem. However, does it work for shared hosting or create additional issues?

What is Immutable Infrastructure?​

"Immutable Infrastructure" means once you have built your server (on any platform) and it is in production, you do not make modifications to your server. If something goes wrong, you discard your server and build a brand new one. I think this concept is appealing because it eliminates unknown configuration issues. Makes sense, right?

Immutable infrastructure works exceptionally well with cloud-based applications. Shared hosting, on the other hand, is a completely different issue altogether.

How Shared Hosting Affects the Effectiveness of an Immutable Infrastructure​

In the event of a server failure or specific issue on the shared hosting server (or both), creating an immutable infrastructure isn't feasible due to the inherent flexibility of shared hosting servers. Users can install plugins, change settings, and upload files whenever they need to.

An immutable infrastructure solution would find these types of requests from shared hosting clients unacceptable as it requires rebuilding a server every time a user requests it to do so.

The following are the major issues to address:

• There are frequent changes made by users.
• Each account requires different configurations.
• Support teams require expedited resolutions.

The issue begins with immutable systems needing to be re-established while shared hosting requires immediate responses.

How Immutable Infrastructure Assists​

It provides assistance in certain circumstances, particularly in these key areas:

It helps in:

• Maintaining one consistent central infrastructure
• Improving security
• Ability to quickly recover from hacks

If a server gets hacked, replacing it completely feels much safer and faster.. This is a primary benefit of immutable infrastructure.

A Better Practical Solution​

Using immutable infrastructure is impractical for shared hosting, although a partial strategy could work better. Locking down the core infrastructure and allowing some limited changes would help create stable servers for customers.

So, can you use immutable infrastructure effectively for Shared Hosting? No; however, yes, partially or some of the ways to do so is effective.

For Shared Hosting Providers, one of the first questions to ask is, do they want to allow strict rules and regulations or faster and more efficient customer service? Many times simplicity and flexibility will prevail.