Web hosting is an elementary technology of the Internet. Without virtual hosting, there would be no websites today. In the past, webmasters used their own servers for hosting. Today, users are faced with the decision of whether to consider alternative models. Here you will learn what web hosting is and the most important factors when choosing a virtual host.
What does “web hosting” mean?
Web hosting is a paid service that provides you with the resources you need to run your website. Depending on the hosting plan, you get access to a set amount of resources like disk space and network bandwidth. And that on one or more servers of the web hosting provider.
A website needs resources to stay online. These resources include storage space for the website’s content and network bandwidth to allow visitors to access it smoothly. Storage space ensures that you have enough space to store all of your website’s files.
Web hosting, often just referred to as “hosting”, describes the storage of Internet pages on a provider’s external server. The host provides storage space or “webspace” for content. The server, a powerful computer, is constantly connected to the Internet. Webmasters can thus call up their stored content at any time. As a rule, the website is provided and stored via the web server of the internet service provider (ISP). The task of the virtual host is to establish a constant connection to the network and store associated data.
Typically, a web hosting provider has a large number of servers. These are distributed over one center or several remote data centers. Depending on the tariff you choose, the provider makes a certain amount of resources available to your website.
How much does web hosting cost?
Many website owners are wondering whether to invest in a paid web hosting provider or choose a free one. Free web hosting services are limited and come with certain terms and conditions. Most of the time, they are used by the web hosting provider to advertise their more powerful and paid hosting offers. With free web hosting, storage space is often limited. The number of visitors who can access your website monthly is also lower. Many of these services use your website as an advertising space. These things severely affect the functioning of a professional website. Free hosting is only recommended if you are working on a personal project with no financial orientation.
The simplest form of virtual hosting is file hosting services. The provider stores local data on its external computer using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is used to transfer files from the client’s server to the hosting provider and back again. It is also possible to exchange files between two servers (File Exchange Protocol). Many internet service providers offer these services free of charge. They finance the costs incurred for this form of web hosting through advertising banners. Hosting complex websites requires considerable additional effort. Larger companies rent dedicated computers and request additional services such as content management systems, monitoring, and data backups. The scope of services in the web hosting area varies greatly between the providers and their prices. You can purchase basic packages for one euro per month. This includes at least one domain, sufficient webspace, web applications, and SSL certification. Memory-intensive websites require a broader web hosting package. The starting price for these hosting packages is ten euros per month.
What Are the Different Types of Web Hosting?
There are several types of web hosting services. They differ in aspects such as disk space, server speed, network bandwidth, and other features. These are the most common forms of web hosting:
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where one server is shared by hundreds of websites. The resources of the server are thus divided (“shared”). Sharing will result in slower server speed and higher response time. Shared hosting makes sense for smaller websites. Businesses with large websites need something more powerful.
VPS hosting
A virtual private server (VPS) is a webspace with fixed resources set up within a physical server. Unlike shared hosting, each server is divided. These areas share different websites. This reduces the load on the individual servers and each website gets enough resources.
Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting is the most expensive form. With this web hosting, a website takes up an entire server, meaning the maximum amount of resources available for the website. This form of web hosting is worthwhile for extensive websites with a large audience.
Cloud hosting
With cloud hosting, individual websites are hosted on multiple virtual servers. Even if a server fails, these pages will continue to function. This is how cloud hosting guarantees maximum uptime.
Which type of web hosting is right?
Aside from disk space and bandwidth, there are three things you should look for in a web hosting provider: server speed, guaranteed uptime, and customer support. A good web hosting provider like GoDadday will ensure fast speeds and reliable uptime, as well as 24/7 customer support, not only that but it will give you extra services like VPN and your own GoDaddy Email Login. When choosing the right web hosting provider, you should keep both short-term viability and long-term scalability in mind. Some hosting providers are easier to upgrade and switch than others. Some even offer special upgrade options and website migration tools.
