Remember that we request data from the server?

There are a few constraints to how much data can be retrieved at the same time or in a given period.

Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted at the same time. It’s usually expressed in kilobits per second or gigabits per second. 1 gigabit is 125 Megabytes. Yes, these are different units. 

If bandwidth is the speed, RAM is how much data it can handle at a time.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory, and it acts as a short-term memory, with your server “withholding” data to process it, using its bandwidth to transmit data.

To make this distinction clear:

The smaller your hosting’s bandwidth, the less data is going to be sent back and forth between your visitor and your server. So the process will be slower.

However, smaller RAM will make your website crash temporarily, because your server wasn’t able to handle all that data at the same time.

The more dynamic content your website presents to the user, the more RAM it will require.

See? We’re already learning how decisions related to both frontend and backend impact your website’s performance.