What is a semi-dedicated server?

A semi-dedicated server is, in effect, dedicated server, which is shared by just a few users. Semi-dedicated servers usually lack root access but nevertheless are quite powerful. They are a perfect option if you have outgrown the resources of your shared account but you don't want to deal with server administration tasks which are usually required to manage a VPS, for example.

What is the difference between a semi-dedicated server and vps?

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is just a small fraction of a dedicated server which has been configured to act as an independent server. Just like a dedicated server, you will have root access and will have to take care of all server management tasks. A semi-dedicated server also represents a portion of a dedicated server, but it usually does not come with root access and you do not need to deal with any server management.

What is the difference between semi-dedicated hosting and web hosting?

Semi-dedicated servers are much more powerful than regular web hosting accounts and are therefore more suited to accommodate a resource-hungry website or application. Both semi-dedicated servers and regular web hosting accounts don't offer root access, so you won't have to deal with server management, but you also won't be able to modify the hosting environment.

How do semi-dedicated servers work?

A semi-dedicated server works much like a shared account - there are a few semi-dedicated server accounts on a single physical machine and they all share the available resources. With semi-dedicated servers, you will not have root access so you won't be able to install additional software and you won't be able to modify the hosting environment. You will not have to deal with any sort of server management either.