Table of contents
What does it mean?Self-hosted LMS Unmanaged hostingManaged hostingChoosing the right LMSTypes of LMS serversGPU servers for LMSFAQsGetting startedHosting optionsAdditional resources
Get the industry’s best web hosting◦ Fastest speeds
◦ Fully managed options
◦ 24/7 expert support
All hosting

What is Web Hosting → LMS

What is LMS hosting and do you really need it?

A woman and her friends at a coffee shop gaze at a phone used to shop using AI. A laptop is open on the table with a traditional ecommerce store selection.

If you’re setting up an LMS for the first time, one of the biggest decisions you’ll face is where to host it. Your choice affects everything from how fast your LMS runs, to how much control you have, and how much technical help you’ll need.

Let’s look at what LMS hosting actually means, explore your options, and help you decide what kind of setup is best for your organization.

Learn more about Education Web Hosting

Student experience hinges on hosting performance. Get secure, reliable servers with 24/7 support.

Explore education hosting

What does LMS hosting mean?

LMS hosting refers to where your Learning Management System lives online. Just like a website needs a server to make it accessible, your LMS needs hosting to store course content, manage users, and serve lessons over the internet.

There are three main ways to host an LMS:

  • Self-hosted (on-premise) – You run the LMS on servers your organization houses.
  • Unmanaged LMS hosting – You rent server hardware from a hosting company but manage the server and software yourself.
  • Managed LMS hosting – You rent a server and the hosting company handles most of the technical work and server security for you.

Each option offers different levels of control, responsibility, and cost. The best fit depends on your team’s technical skill, security needs, and how much time you can spend maintaining the system.

Self-hosted LMS (on-premise)

A self-hosted LMS is installed and maintained on servers that you physically own and operate. This is often called “on-premise” or “on-prem” hosting.

If your school, company, or agency has an in-house IT department, they may already manage servers for internal systems. In that case, it’s possible to install your LMS on those same machines or a dedicated internal server.

When to choose a self-hosted LMS

  • You need full control over every part of the system.
  • Your data must stay in-house for compliance or privacy reasons.
  • You want to deeply customize the LMS at the system level.

Things to consider

While self-hosting offers complete freedom, it also means you’re responsible for everything. That includes:

  • Server security and firewall setup
  • Software updates and patches
  • Backups and disaster recovery
  • Ongoing maintenance and uptime

If your team has the technical expertise, this can be a powerful option. But for most educators and admins without a full IT staff, other hosting types are easier to manage.

Unmanaged LMS hosting

Unmanaged, or “self-managed,” LMS hosting means you rent a server from a provider (like a VPS or dedicated server), but you’re in charge of everything inside that server. Think of it as getting a blank canvas: the host handles the hardware and network, and you handle the rest.

You install the LMS yourself (like Moodle, LearnPress, or another platform), configure the database, set up security, and maintain everything over time.

Why choose unmanaged hosting?

  • You want more flexibility than a managed service but don’t want to purchase, house, and maintain physical servers.
  • You’re comfortable managing a web server (or have someone on your team who is).
  • You need to meet specific configuration or compliance standards.

This option is popular with universities, training teams, or education startups that want to run open-source tools on their own terms.

What to be aware of

Unmanaged hosting is powerful but hands-on. You’ll need to:

  • Manually install the LMS and related software
  • Monitor performance and apply updates
  • Handle backups, troubleshooting, and support issues

If you’re not used to managing servers, this can become overwhelming—especially during peak usage or outages.

Managed LMS hosting

Managed hosting gives you the power of a dedicated or virtual server without the technical burden. The hosting provider takes care of setup, server maintenance, monitoring, backups, and security updates, so you can focus on building courses and managing students.

Who it’s best for

  • Schools or businesses without in-house IT
  • Teams launching their first LMS and want to avoid server headaches
  • Organizations that prioritize uptime and data security but don’t want to manage it manually

Benefits to expect

  • Server setup and configuration handled for you
  • Regular software and security updates
  • Automated backups and performance monitoring
  • Technical support from hosting experts

Managed hosting tends to cost a bit more, but it saves time, reduces risk, and gives your team a much smoother experience—especially as your platform grows.

Choosing the right LMS hosting for your needs

Here’s how to decide which option fits your situation best:

  • Go self-hosted if your organization already runs internal servers and has IT staff to manage them. This gives you full control and keeps everything in-house.
  • Choose unmanaged hosting if you want to run open-source tools and have someone who can handle server administration. This offers flexibility without buying hardware.
  • Pick managed hosting if you want the easiest path with the least technical work. This is often the best option for small teams, first-time LMS users, or growing programs.

Ask yourself:

  • Do you have technical staff to manage a server?
  • Are you bound by strict data security or compliance rules?
  • How quickly do you need to launch your LMS?
  • Would you rather focus on education, or server maintenance?

Types of hosted LMS servers

If you’re going with unmanaged or managed hosting, you’ll still need to choose the right type of server. Here are the four main server types you will come across:

  • Shared hosting – Your LMS shares a server with many other websites. It’s the cheapest option but usually too limited in speed, storage, and reliability for a professional LMS.
  • VPS (Virtual Private Server) – A VPS is a portion of a physical server set aside for one client. It’s similar to shared hosting in that multiple clients are using the same hardware, but it’s a huge leap forward because your slice of the server is isolated just for you.
  • Dedicated server – A whole server just for you. Perfect for large institutions or platforms with high traffic and strict performance needs.
  • Cloud hosting – Your LMS runs across a network of virtual machines. It’s highly scalable and flexible, often used in advanced managed hosting setups.

For most LMS use cases, a VPS or dedicated server will give you the right balance of performance, reliability, and affordability—especially if you’re managing hundreds or thousands of learners.

GPU servers for LMS

Most LMS platforms don’t need GPU power, but if your system includes AI-driven features, real-time simulations, or video-heavy content, a GPU server can offer major advantages.

A GPU server is helpful for:

  • Adaptive learning systems that use machine learning to personalize content
  • AR/VR training modules or 3D simulations
  • Large-scale video rendering or real-time collaboration tools
  • Facial recognition or identity verification for exam proctoring

GPU servers handle parallel processing much better than standard CPUs, making them ideal for advanced, interactive learning environments. If your LMS includes high-end features like this—or plans to in the future—it’s worth considering a hosted GPU server for better performance and scalability.

LMS hosting FAQs

LMS hosting refers to where your Learning Management System software and data are stored and accessed. This could be on your own servers (self-hosted), on a rented server that you manage (unmanaged hosting), or with a provider that handles everything for you (managed hosting).

LMS stands for Learning Management System. It’s a platform used to create, deliver, and manage online courses or training programs.

Not exactly. Google offers Google Classroom, which includes LMS-like tools for teachers and students, but it’s not a full-featured LMS with hosting options, analytics, or customizable features.

Yes. You can build your own LMS using platforms like Moodle, LearnPress, or LearnDash. You’ll need to host it yourself (on-premises or online) and manage the technical setup, unless you choose a managed hosting provider to do it for you.

Next steps for LMS hosting

Choosing the right LMS hosting setup is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when launching a new learning platform. It affects how smoothly your system runs, how secure your data is, and how much technical effort you’ll need to invest.

If you’re ready to get started but don’t want the stress of managing a server, managed LMS hosting is your best bet. It’s fast, reliable, and gives you peace of mind while you focus on what matters—educating your learners.

The next step is to choose a hosting solution that fits your needs, and that’s where Liquid Web comes in. We offer the industry’s fastest and most secure VPS and dedicated servers—for Windows or Linux, unmanaged or fully managed.

Click below to explore options or start a chat with one of our hosting experts now.

Ready to get started?

Get started with premium web hosting services for every platform and purpose—from WordPress to Magento, reseller to enterprise domains.

Explore Web Hosting

Aaron Tevlowitz is a Partner Team Manager at Liquid Web, where he helps build and maintain strong partner relationships. Aaron has been helping business leaders design hosting solutions and drive growth for their companies since 2022. Aaron enjoys spending time with his family, staying active, and all things sports related. 

Trust us to help you choose the ideal hosting solution

Loading form…