This is a topic that i have always had questions about when i was running a small webhosting business.
when i was in business facebook was just starting to gain traction in adding groups and really giving forums a run for their money so i would say a good 50% of my customers were actually running forums.
now this may be different depending on who you host your forum or website with but if you are with a decent website then in my personal opinion shared hosting should be more than enough for a forum to run smoothly.
i got asked about setting up a VPS or even a dedicated server for clients that maybe had 20-50 active posters on their website. now the customer is always right and they would have a great experience with the upgraded package but it was not needed.
unfortunately in todays market quite a few webhosts oversell their services but please consider starting off with a shared plan. spend that extra money on maybe giveaways to drive traffic towards your website.
I always buy shared hosting or cheap plans, a full your own plan is just a waste of money. Which as long as you go with a shared plan you can pay it easily with any minimum wage job.
Latest Tech, video game and anime news: https://gaminglatest.com/
I made the decision to start small with a basic shared hosting plan, and upgrade as required. That way I could focus my funds on development.
Thankfully I have a knowledgable and reasonable host, who I've purposely asked to make contact with me should my website start consuming more resources than what he is happy with on the plan I'm on.
Nerdface
I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
As mentioned in another thread, I'd go for a server. In fact, I'd go for one - even if my sites didn't get many people. However, though, the reality is that server-based hosting is simply too much (as in money) for me right now (I am on VPS for most stuff.).
Well, anyhow, I'm not really sure HOW many people are coming to my sites - but my drumming one gets more due to advertising.