Yes, hosting is necessary for a mobile application.
This is because most mobile apps are Cloud Applications and require most of the app features to be created by an external server.
To do that you will need one or several servers.
Depending on the type of app you are building.
Let us take a closer look at the details.
In addition to the servers used to serve content to app users, using a development platform such as Docker or Gitlab, we need a central server to store files.
How much is a server for a mobile app
The cost of an app hosting server can range from $70 a month to $320 a month.
While the price largely depends on factors that are particular to the app (such as the content being served to users), we have included the major factors below.
As you evaluate your Application Server Hosting costs, consider these three questions:
What Kind and How Much Data Do You Serve?
When you’re considering the type of server you need regarding the associated application hosting costs, you need to think about the type of data you are serving to users.
Do users send or receive audio, video, or other large data? Or is the data largely vernacular or static in nature?
The larger the data being transmitted, the more CPU, memory, and disk space the server will need.
This will lead to increased costs. Estimating the amount of server resources your specific app will use is a real puzzle.
Set up a server and start sending users to it. You can then estimate based on current and future growth.
It may also make more sense to deploy multiple small servers like the E3 1240v3 for $70/month to spread out the load.
This comes in handy when your app needs more processing power but less memory.
You will need a server that is not only functional but fast if you are running any kind of interactive product.
You may opt to have servers located in different geographies.
How much data does a mobile app use?
larger mobile apps such as Facebook and Instagram will use more storage space quickly.
If you’re saving any account information, avatar, photos, preferences, and social media information, your server requirements could grow quickly.
Prior to launching a beta version, you may want to make some projections about the amount of information the users are going to use.
See how soon you start filling up the room of the server and projecting the limits you can meet. Consider placing limits on how much data users would allowed.
If the app is being used to store data elsewhere, limit its use.
How many users do you have and what is your growth strategy
The mobile app server requirements are largely dependent upon the number of active users and how much CPU, RAM, and disk space each user will use on average.
This needs to be determined again by setting up a server and measuring the current numbers for users.
When you see the real numbers, you might find ways to minimize resource usage.
The server resources needed for a mobile app are dependent mainly on the number of active users and the amount of system CPU, RAM, and disk space each user will utilize on average.
By setting up a server and just calculating what the real numbers are for the existing users, this is better calculated. When you see the real numbers, you can find ways to minimize resource use.
It’s important to know that your server needs will likely change quite regularly with any growing app.
The advantage of renting a Bluehost server is that you don’t need to invest in the hardware of the server that you’ll outgrow.
With zero up-front hardware costs, you can add, eliminate, and adjust server hardware. This helps the organization to remain agile and nimble.
The factors that impact the app server cost should be clear now in addition to the typical cost of the app server and how this is affected by the data hosted, the users, and the storage needs.
Can I use Web Hosting Instead Of Mobile App Hosting
Technical terms may get complicated, but learning definitions of different terms and how they relate to each other can help you to understand how things work.
Two terms you may come across are application server and web server . It’s easy to wonder how they’re different.
Read on to learn about the difference between application and web servers, and how they relate to application hosting.
Web Server / Web Hosting
The infrastructure that serves up a website to users as they access a URL is a web server. What that means, on the technical side of things, is that the hypertext transfer protocol is treated (HTTP).
The web server does the job of processing the request and delivering the web page, or at least the static parts of the web page, when a client usually a browser or mobile app) queries the server (by visiting a URL or accessing the app).
Web Servers in Action
These are all the things that happen behind the scenes when you visit a website.
Ordinary Internet users don’t usually have to think much about web servers or about how they operate in order to browse the web, or even to run a website.
You are unlikely to have to think about web servers unless you’re launching a website and you need web hosting.
For most website owners, having their own web server is impractical. The electricity required to power all of a website’s files and delivering HTTP protocol to the hundreds or thousands of visitors that come to a site is beyond what an individual can handle with his or her own resources.
The physical hardware utilized by web servers is big and delicate. It would not easily fit in an average three-bedroom home, and most offices don’t have adequate facilities to manage a web server well.
Web servers also need to be stored in climate-controlled environments to avoid overheating.
They require regular maintenance from skilled professionals in order to work properly.
To keep the websites they power safe from hackers, they need to be equipped with the proper firewalls as well as other security measures.
Web hosting companies take care of all that and rent out space on their servers for a monthly or yearly charge.
Here is a brief overview of how web hosting works. Every website you visit online lives on a web server somewhere that does the work of delivering each web page you view in your browser.
However, most of the time, web servers run in the background and out of sight of the people running websites and the individuals viewing them.
If you need a good web hosting check out wp engine
Now that you know what a web server is, let’s talk about application servers.
Application Server / Application Hosting
Described in layman’s terms, an application server is the software server both web applications and desktop applications run on.
Application servers host what you refer to as business logic, which is the code that provides the functionality needed to develop and run dynamic content.
If you still find that difficult to understand, an application server is basically the software that allows programs and websites to deliver dynamic content.
It’s used for applications that include dynamic features (features that change based on specific parameters, such as where the visitor is geographically or whether an item is currently in stock).
However, application servers are not just for websites. They can be used for other types of platforms and applications, particularly at the enterprise level.
Mobile Application Servers
As mobile use is exploding, mobile application servers are now a growing subset of application servers. They work in a similar manner to other servers, but for mobile apps.
They essentially are the middle component between the backend system and mobile devices, making sure that the different components of an app or web page show up correctly on a mobile device.
Mobile application servers often have to circumvent the limitations of mobile devices to ensure that the mobile version of a program or website functions well.
For businesses using mobile technology, mobile application servers contain the software that provides access through multiple types of devices and process important elements in this access such as authentication, security features, and updating.
What’s the Difference Between an Application Server and a Web Server?
Application servers can support more than just http protocol.
Web servers essentially process HTTP requests in order to display websites. Application servers often have this ability as well, but go further and provide additional functionality.
They work with both websites and programs. And they can adapt a layer of information they deliver to specific users.
Additional functionality can be enabled via application servers.
Applications and websites that use application servers often require features beyond the static functionality web servers offer.
Web application servers can enable features like transactions, personalization, and messaging services.
These advanced features are increasingly expected and used for websites of all types.
Free Mobile App Hosting
There are sites out there that offer free mobile app hosting such as heroku. However there are some things you need to know about free mobile app hosting such as heroku.
Heroku provides 5MB of free database storage. Which isn’t A lot but is a good starter.
Heroku provides 1 dyno for free. A dyno is an instance of your application running and responding to requests.
If each instance of your application can handle each request in 100ms, then you can get 600 requests/minute with the free account.
The total combined size of your application code and its assets is 300 MB.
Your app has access to the local filesystem as well, which can serve as a temporary scratch space for that specific dyno and can store at least 1 GB of data.
There is a cap of 2TB per month on bandwidth.
Bottom Line
The majority of mobile apps are Cloud Applications that require an external server to build most of the app functionality.
The cost can range from $70 a month to $320 a month for an app hosting server. The more CPU, memory and storage space the server would require, the bigger the data being transmitted.
It’s a real puzzle to estimate the amount of server resources your particular app can need. Deploying several small servers like the E3 1240v3 for $70/month could also make more sense.
See how easily you begin filling up the server room and projecting the limits you will reach. Consider setting restrictions on how much data users are allowed to access. If the app is being used elsewhere to store data, restrict its use. It’s important to know that for any growing app, the server needs will probably change very frequently.
A web server is the infrastructure that serves up a website to users when they browse a URL. The web server does the job of processing and providing the web page for the request.
When you are launching a website, ordinary Internet users don’t usually have to worry about web servers.
Application servers on which all web applications and desktop apps run is an application server. It is used for applications that have dynamic features (features that change based on particular parameters).
Application servers can be used, particularly at the enterprise level, for other types of platforms and applications.
A increasing subset of application servers are now mobile application servers.
They work, except for mobile applications, in a similar way to other servers. Basically, they are the middle part between mobile devices and the backend system.
