So you're about to embark on your first web project and
you're wondering where on earth to start? Well, one of
the first things you'll need is a web hosting package.
There are so many out there it can seem daunting to try
and choose one. In this article we'll teach you the basics
to help you make an informed decision.
What is Web Hosting?
For people to actually view your pages on the web, you
must have your files located on a "web server".
When they visit your site, what they are actually doing
is viewing those files. You can rent a little bit of space
on the web server, or if your site is large, rent an entire
server for your site. Each server is assigned an IP address.
This is a four number address that is separated by dots.
i.e. 127.0.0.1 Every domain name actually points to an
IP address and this is how visitors access your files
on the web server.
Once your site is hosted on a webserver, it can be viewed
by any computer in the world through a web browser. All
they need to do is type in your domain name to view your
web pages. Your site must be hosted on a web server before
it will be available to external visitors.
What is a Web Host
A Web Host is a company that owns and maintains webservers
with the purpose of hosting web sites. You rent space
from these companies and in return they will maintain
and service the server. Part of this entails keeping the
server software current, applying any security patches
and ensuring the site is always available, known as 'uptime'.
To achieve peak performance, these servers are normally
housed in specialist 'datacenters' with dedicated high
speed connections to ensure that website loading speeds
are as high as possible. A lot of web hosting companies
will rent space in a large datacenter to save costs.
Web Host companies come in all shapes and sizes, from
large multinational telecommunications companies to joe
bloggs down the street with a server in their office.
A number of web hosting companies will include a lot of
other services to make them a one-stop shop to get yourself
on the web. This could include domain name registration
which ensures your domain name will point to the correct
IP address as soon as the name is registered. If you register
your domain name with a different company you will need
to specify the IP address of your hosting server before
anyone is able to view your files.
Types of Web Hosting
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting means your site will be hosted on a web
server that is also hosting a number of other websites
at the same time. The server disk space and server resources,
i.e. RAM, data transfer is divided up between the various
clients. Although your site is located on a shared server,
your files are still secure and can not be viewed by anyone
else who also has their site on that web server.
As well as sharing the server resources, all the websites
also share the same IP. This can be important in some
cases as some websites can get banned by search engines
for improper behaviour such as SPAM or illegal activities.
When a website is banned, the search engine will block
the IP address which means all the other sites on the
web server may also be affected. It is therefore important
to ensure that the web hosting company careful monitors
the activities of the websites they host or state what
kind of sites are appropriate for that server.
Virtual Private Server Hosting
Virtual Private Servers (VPS) share some of the same
characteristics as shared hosting but it provides you
with a bit more control over your own destiny. Like shared
hosting, a web server is divided up and the server's resources
are split between the clients. What makes this different
is that each partition is given its own IP address and
generally, there are a very limited amount of users on
each server, ensuring that you get a good share of the
server's resources.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated Hosting means that the entire web server is
'dedicated' to one website, or one client. A client can
host a number of their own websites if they choose to
do so. The benefits of this are that you control the server,
and can be assured that no one else is doing anything
on their website that will affect your site. It also means
that all the systems resources are geared to your site
which will boost the speed and reliability of your site.
On the downside, having your own dedicated server incurs
a much bigger investment and you are responsible for ensuring
that the server is always running.
This can be a great option if you run a large site that
will cover these costs and you have the technical expertise
to manage the server.
Summary
I hope that after reading this you'll have a better idea
about what kind of web hosting plan best suits your particular
needs. Remember to look around. There are lots of very
good companies out there but there are also a lot of bad
one's. It pays to do some research about the company you
choose before purchasing your web hosting plan.
About the Author
Steve Ashton is a programmer and web developer. He runs
two popular websites, Web Hosting Guide and Domain Names
Center.
