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Knowledge Base

How to View Disk Usage and Bandwidth Usage

Understanding your website's Disk Usage and Bandwidth Usage is crucial for maintaining optimal performance and avoiding unexpected disruptions. This guide provides a clear and concise walkthrough on how to view these vital metrics within your Bluehost account interface.



Viewing Overall Usage

Most of your hosting usage can be reviewed from the Hosting tab.

  1. Log in to your Bluehost Account Manager.
  2. Click the Hosting tab from the side navigation.
    Bluehost Dashboard highlighting 'Hosting' tab
  3. Scroll down to the Disk Usage section.
    disk usage section
    Here, you'll see a quick summary of
    • Disk Usage: This shows the total disk space your hosting plan is utilizing (total storage space your website files, emails, etc., are using).
    • File Count: This indicates the total number of files and folders stored in your hosting plan.

You can review additional usage statistics in the cPanel.

Viewing Detailed Disk Usage

  1. Under Quick Links, click on cPanel
    am-cpanel
    This will open your cPanel in a new tab.
  2. Within the cPanel interface, locate the Files section.
  3. Click on the Disk Usage icon.
    files-disk-usage
    This page provides a detailed breakdown of how your disk space is being used by different directories on your account, such as your website files and email storage.
    cpanel-disk-usage
    Viewing Current MySQL Database Usage
    1. While on the Disk Usage page, scroll down to find MySQL listed under Location and click on it.
      mysql-disk-usage
    2. You will be redirected to the MySQL Databases page.
    3. Under Current Databases, there will be a list of all the databases in your account, along with their size.
    4. Take note of which databases have the largest file sizes.

Viewing Detailed File Count

  1. Navigate to the Statistics section within your cPanel.
  2. Review the File Usage statistic.
    files-disk-usage
    This indicates the total number of files you have stored on the service compared to your allowed limit. This count includes all your website files, emails, images, videos, and more.

Understanding Inode Usage

An inode is a data structure containing information about each file and folder on your hosting account. The Inode Usage statistic, also typically found in the Statistics section of your cPanel, represents the total number of these "containers" you are using. This includes everything your server stores: emails, files, folders, etc. Monitoring your inode usage is important for account stability. Please see our guide on Inode Limits to learn more about checking and reducing the inode count.

Viewing Bandwidth Usage

  1. Navigate to the Metrics section within your cPanel.
  2. Click on the Bandwidth icon.
    bandwidth-cpanel-metrics
    This page displays your bandwidth usage for the current month, showing the amount of data transferred to and from your website by visitors, file downloads, and other processes.

Common Troubleshooting & FAQ

Q: My disk space usage seems very high. What can I do to reduce it?

A: High disk space usage can be due to large website files (especially images and videos), numerous backups, or many emails. Consider the following:

  • Optimize images: Reduce the file size of your images without significant quality loss.
  • Remove unnecessary files: Review your website files and delete any that are no longer needed.
  • Manage Backups: Ensure your backup schedule and retention policy are efficient.
  • Archive or delete old emails: If you have many emails, consider archiving older ones or deleting those you no longer need.

Q: My bandwidth usage is consistently high. What could be causing this?

A: High bandwidth usage is usually caused by website traffic (visitors viewing pages and downloading files), large file downloads, or excessive bot traffic. Consider these steps:

Q: What are inodes, and why should I care about inode usage?

A: Inodes are essentially the "containers" for all the files and folders on your hosting account. Each file, even a small image or email, uses one inode. If your inode usage reaches its limit, you might be unable to upload new files or receive emails, even if you have plenty of disk space. Regularly monitoring your inode usage is important for the smooth operation of your account. Refer to Inode Limits for more details about checking and reducing the inode count.

Q: The bandwidth usage in my Bluehost account doesn't match what my website analytics show. Why?

A: There can be discrepancies between your hosting account's bandwidth usage and website analytics due to several factors:

  • Analytics tracking: Analytics tools might not track all types of traffic (e.g., some bot traffic).
  • Caching: Caching can reduce the number of requests that reach your server, affecting the bandwidth recorded by Bluehost.
  • CDN Usage: If you use a CDN, some of your website's content is served from their servers, and this bandwidth usage might not be fully reflected in your origin hosting account.
  • Timing differences: Bluehost and analytics tools might have slightly different reporting periods.

Q: How often has my Bluehost account's disk space and bandwidth usage been updated?

A:  Disk space and bandwidth usage statistics are typically updated periodically every few hours or once a day. The exact update frequency may vary, so if you see a recent change on your website, it might take some time to reflect in your usage statistics.

Q: What happens if I exceed my disk space or bandwidth limits?

A: If you exceed your disk space limit, you might not be able to upload new files, and your website might experience issues. If you exceed your bandwidth limit, Bluehost might temporarily suspend your website. It's important to monitor your usage to avoid this situation.

Important: Refer to How to Reduce Disk Usage and Free Up Hosting Storage for more effective ways to reduce disk usage and free up hosting storage to optimize your website's performance. 

Summary

Regularly monitoring your website's disk space and bandwidth helps ensure its smooth operation and avoid potential issues. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily keep track of your resource usage within your Bluehost account.

If you need further assistance, feel free to contact us via Chat or Phone:

  • Chat Support - While on our website, you should see a CHAT bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. Click anywhere on the bubble to begin a chat session.
  • Phone Support -
    • US: 888-401-4678
    • International: +1 801-765-9400

You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.

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