Why plan tables need translating
A hosting plan table compresses a lot into a few words. "Unlimited", "99.9%" and "50 GB NVMe" are all accurate in a narrow sense, but they do not mean what a first time buyer might assume. This guide translates the common terms into practical numbers, so you can judge whether a plan fits. For how these terms feed into a buying decision, see how to choose a hosting plan.
Bandwidth and data transfer
Strictly, bandwidth is the rate at which data can move, measured in megabits or gigabits per second. Data transfer is the amount of data sent over a period, usually a month, measured in GB. Hosting companies often use "bandwidth" to mean monthly data transfer.
How much data transfer does a site use?
Multiply the average page weight by monthly page views:
Page weight 2 MB × 20,000 page views a month = 40,000 MB, roughly 40 GB a month
Page weight 1 MB × 20,000 page views a month = 20,000 MB, roughly 20 GB a month
Halving page weight with compressed images halves data transfer and makes pages faster. Most small business sites transfer a few GB to a few tens of GB a month.
What "unlimited" and "unmetered" mean
No server has infinite capacity. "Unlimited bandwidth" means the host does not charge or cut you off at a fixed monthly GB figure. It does not mean anything goes. In practice two things limit you:
- Fair use terms. Hosting is for websites, not for file distribution, video streaming at scale or backup storage. Accounts used that way can be restricted.
- Resource limits. On shared hosting, CPU time, memory and the number of simultaneous processes run out long before data transfer does. A sudden traffic spike usually hits those limits first.
"Unmetered" on a VPS or dedicated server usually means data transfer is not counted, but the speed of the network port (the uplink, such as 1 Gbps) caps how fast data can leave the server.
ODHOST note: ODHOST shared plans list "unlimited bandwidth", subject to ODHOST's fair use terms. VPS and dedicated plans list unmetered bandwidth under fair use, with an uplink of up to 1 Gbps. Compare every plan on the pricing page.
Uptime percentages
Uptime is the share of time a server is reachable. Percentages near 100 look alike, but the downtime they allow differs a lot. Using a 30 day month (43,200 minutes) and a 365 day year (525,600 minutes):
| Uptime | Downtime allowed per month | Downtime allowed per year |
|---|---|---|
| 99% | 7 hours 12 minutes | 3 days 15 hours 36 minutes |
| 99.5% | 3 hours 36 minutes | 1 day 19 hours 48 minutes |
| 99.9% | 43 minutes 12 seconds | 8 hours 45 minutes 36 seconds |
| 99.95% | 21 minutes 36 seconds | 4 hours 22 minutes 48 seconds |
| 99.99% | 4 minutes 19 seconds | 52 minutes 34 seconds |
The calculation is simple: downtime = total minutes × (100 − uptime percentage) ÷ 100. For 99.9% in a month, that is 43,200 × 0.1 ÷ 100 = 43.2 minutes.
Points to keep in mind:
- An uptime figure is a target unless a contract says otherwise. A service level agreement (SLA) states what happens if the target is missed, usually a service credit, not compensation for lost sales.
- Planned maintenance is often excluded from the calculation.
- Your own site can be down while the server is up, for example after a faulty plugin update. That does not count against the host.
- Measure it yourself with an external uptime monitor if your business depends on the site.
ODHOST note: Every ODHOST plan lists 99.9% uptime. Treat it as the stated target, and ask ODHOST by ticket if you need written service terms.
Storage
Storage is disk space for everything in your account: website files, databases, email and any backups kept on the server. The type matters as well as the size; our guide on NVMe storage explains the difference between NVMe, SATA SSD and hard disks.
How much storage do I need?
Work it out from what you will store. These examples use simple arithmetic so you can redo them with your own numbers.
A brochure site for a clinic. 15 pages and 60 photos compressed to about 200 KB each is 12 MB of images. Add WordPress, a theme and a few plugins, and the site still fits comfortably inside a 10 GB plan.
A WooCommerce shop with 800 products. 800 products × 4 photos × 250 KB = 800 MB of original images. WordPress also creates several resized copies of every upload for thumbnails and different screen sizes, which can multiply that figure several times. Allow 2 to 4 GB for media, plus the database, which grows with orders.
Ten staff mailboxes. If each mailbox holds 1 GB of mail and attachments, that is 10 GB on its own. Email is often the largest single user of storage on a business account.
Backups stored inside the account. A full backup of a 3 GB account kept on the server uses another 3 GB. Download old backups and delete them from the server.
A sensible rule: add up today's usage and choose a plan with roughly double that, to leave room for growth.
| ODHOST shared plan | NVMe storage | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Spark | 10 GB | One small site with a few mailboxes |
| Boost | 25 GB | Up to 3 sites, or one site with many mailboxes |
| Thrive | 50 GB | Up to 5 sites or a growing shop |
| Turbo | 100 GB | Up to 10 sites, agencies |
| Elite | 200 GB | Unlimited sites within 200 GB |
The full plan details are on the shared hosting page.
Inodes
An inode is a record the file system keeps for each file and folder. Some hosts limit the number of inodes per account as well as storage. A site with many tiny files (cache plugins, image thumbnails, email in individual message files) can reach an inode limit before a storage limit. If your host lists an inode limit, cleaning cache folders and old email usually brings usage down. ODHOST's plan pages do not list an inode figure; ask by ticket if your site stores very large numbers of files.
Databases
A database stores structured content: WordPress posts, WooCommerce orders, user accounts. Each WordPress installation needs one MySQL or MariaDB database. Plans list how many databases you can create, which in practice limits how many database driven applications you can run.
vCores and RAM
These terms appear on VPS and dedicated server plans.
- vCore (virtual core): a share of a physical CPU core assigned to your virtual machine. More vCores let the server handle more work at the same time, such as several visitors running PHP or database queries together.
- RAM: working memory. The web server, PHP, the database and caches all use RAM. When it runs out, the server slows sharply or processes are stopped.
As a rough guide, a single WordPress site runs on a small VPS, while several busy sites, a large database or memory hungry software need more RAM first and more vCores second. Our guide on what a VPS is explains how these resources are allocated.
Other terms you will see
- Subdomain: a prefix on your domain, such as
shop.yourbusiness.in, often used for a separate section or a staging copy. - Dedicated IP: an IP address used only by your server. VPS and dedicated plans usually include one; shared hosting accounts share an IP.
- Control panel: the web dashboard for managing hosting, such as cPanel or Plesk.
- Weekly backups: the host keeps a copy of your account once a week. Keep your own copies as well.
Still have a question about a plan term? The ODHOST FAQ answers common ones.
Frequently asked questions
What does unlimited bandwidth mean in web hosting?
It means the host does not set a fixed monthly cap on data transfer, but your account is still limited by fair use terms and by CPU, memory and process limits. A normal business site will not reach those limits through visitor traffic alone.
How much downtime does 99.9% uptime allow?
About 43 minutes in a 30 day month, or about 8 hours 46 minutes in a year. The figure describes a target; check whether the provider offers any remedy if it is missed.
How much storage do I need for a WordPress website?
A typical small business WordPress site uses well under 10 GB. Large image libraries, email stored on the same account and backups kept on the server are what push usage up.
What happens if I run out of storage?
Uploads, new emails and sometimes database writes start to fail. Delete old backups and large unused files, or move to a larger plan.
Does email count towards my hosting storage?
On many shared plans it does, because mailboxes sit on the same account. Check your plan's details or ask your host to be sure.