True, Drupal isn’t as popular as WordPress, but it has some enhanced features for building a more stable and secure business website. For large amounts of content publishing or selling products, Drupal is an excellent Content Management System or you can say a great choice.
However, if you want to run Drupal, you’ll need to choose a web host that specializes in Drupal-specific optimization. If you’re new to the framework or need assistance, it’d be helpful if your web host could help.
In this blog, we’ll look at some of the top Drupal-managed hosting providers and pick the Best Drupal Managed Hosting Provider but first, let us understand what it is.
What is Drupal Managed Hosting?
Managed Drupal Hosting is a sort of web hosting solution that guarantees Drupal content management system compatibility. Customers may benefit from Drupal’s features without having to worry about configuring, managing, organizing, or fixing Drupal.
In other words, your website data is stored on a Drupal hosting provider’s server. When someone visits your website, they type the domain address into their browser, which connects their system to the hosting provider’s server, which then displays your website on their screen.
What advantages does Managed Hosting provide?
- Managed hosting allows you to save time that would otherwise be spent building the Drupal infrastructure from the ground up.
- It makes software setup and infrastructure administration simple.
- Managed hosting relieves you of the complexity of managing a whole Drupal infrastructure.
- It enables remote administration and handles tedious, routine tasks like module updates.
Top Drupal Managed Hosting Providers
Pantheon
Pantheon is a Drupal and WordPress managed hosting platform. It offers a suite of developer tools, deployment services, and access to the Pantheon community.
Pantheon’s managed hosting service was designed specifically for Drupal and WordPress, offering a host of features that make it easy to manage your content. It also provides a free plan for developers who want to try out their system before committing.
Pantheon offers live chat support 24/7, which we don’t see too often with managed hosts. You can also submit tickets by email or through Zendesk.
Pantheon has been around since 2010 and offers both a SaaS and self-hosted version of its solution. The SaaS version is easier to use than self-hosting, although both solutions offer negative and positive impacts on your needs.
Pros of Pantheon:
- It’s a managed hosting provider, so you don’t need to worry about the technical aspects of your site.
- It’s ideal for web developers because it lets them create, test, and deploy websites without any restrictions.
- The platform has a built-in version control system that allows developers to roll back changes if there are any issues with new updates or deployments.
- It’s easy to use and can be set up within minutes after signup, making it perfect for beginners and small businesses who want to get started with Drupal quickly.
- Pantheon offers 24/7 customer support if you ever run into any issues with your website during regular business hours.
Cons of Pantheon:
- It’s not easy to find a good developer who is familiar with the system.
Pantheon is Best Suitable for:
- Small to medium-sized businesses that want a managed hosting solution with an agency-like level of attention.
- Large enterprises want to move their sites off of legacy infrastructure and onto a modern, flexible platform.
- Pantheon is a great choice if you’re an SME (or even an enterprise) seeking an easy method to get started with Drupal or WordPress. Pantheon provides all the tools you need to manage your site and scale as you grow.
Acquia
Acquia is the world’s leading enterprise-class digital experience management (DXP) solution. Acquia provides a unified platform that empowers organizations to create, manage and measure digital experiences across every channel and device.
Acquia’s products include Acquia Lift, an enterprise-grade digital engagement platform for enterprises looking for an easy way to create and manage great customer experiences with Drupal.
Acquia Cloud Site Factory is a cloud-based solution that helps enterprises build responsive websites quickly with Drupal.
And Acquia Cloud Enterprise Edition, which offers advanced enterprise-level capabilities for managing large-scale Drupal deployments.
Pros of Acquia
- It’s easy to manage your website on the platform.
- You can sign up for an account without doing anything else
- The pricing model is simple.
- There are no additional costs or hidden fees when using the platform.
Cons of Acquia
If you don’t have experience with Drupal, you may need help configuring your site initially or periodically as your needs change.
Acquia is Best Suitable for:
Mid-sized to large organizations and enterprises with a Drupal site or multiple sites. Acquia is also suitable for small organizations that need a managed service provider (MSP) but do not have the resources to manage to host on their own.
AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is amongst the most popular managed hosting providers globally. It’s a highly flexible and scalable cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of computing, storage, databases, networking, analytics, and many others.
AWS is used by many organizations worldwide, including Netflix, Spotify, Uber, and even NASA. AWS offers a vast variety of features that can be used to create highly customized environments for your Drupal website or application.
There are two main ways how AWS can be used with Drupal:
Hosted Drupal Solutions
You can use one of the existing solutions provided by AWS (e.g., Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2) or use Drupal distributions like Acquia Cloud Site Factory, which are specifically designed for managing your Drupal site on AWS.
PaaS
If you don’t want to spend time configuring servers and maintaining them yourself, it’s better to choose a Platform as a Service (PaaS). PaaS providers usually offer managed services for different types of applications, including PHP frameworks such as WordPress or Magento and other types of applications like NodeJS or Ruby on Rails.
Pros of AWS
- Ease of use. AWS is easy to use and set up, so you won’t have any trouble getting started with it.
- Cost-effective pricing model. AWS provides a variety of pricing plans for different needs and budgets.
- Security features. AWS has strict security protocols in place to ensure data safety and privacy.
Cons of AWS
- Lack of customization options. You can’t customize the server configuration or software stack on your own, which may be an issue if you wish for more control over your website’s infrastructure.
AWS is Best Suitable for
As we all know, AWS is the best hosting provider for Drupal, and it provides a wide range of services to host your Drupal websites on it. The most important thing is that it has a very flexible pricing scheme and you can choose the one that suits your needs.
Final Thoughts
Still, confused about which one to choose?
Then not just another Drupal development agency, LN Webworks is a team of Drupal experts who can guide you to choose the best Drupal Managed Hosting according to your business needs.
Our goal is to make your experience with Drupal a positive one and put you in control of all of your data for the long haul. Our clients enjoy that they have the ability to choose what applications they integrate with their website, as well as being able to rely on us for ongoing maintenance and support if they like.
Author Information
Pankaj Kumar
Co-Founder & Managing DirectorPankaj is a Senior UI/UX specialist with more than ten years of industry experience who focuses on usability, user experience, and user research in his designs. He has worked with small and large teams, including management of LN Webworks Organization.