Nowadays, businesses must have a website & it is very easy & affordable to create your website on CMS platforms such as WordPress, Joomla, etc. If you’re new to web hosting or running a web site, this article could answer some of your questions. This article is suitable for beginners & by the end of this article, you will familiar with web hosting basics.

What is Web hosting

• A website is a collection of web pages that contains text, content, images, videos, etc.
• Website hosting or web hosting means a website or web pages available to the public over the internet.
• Webpages require a computer to store them.

What is Web Server

• A web server is a computer on which web pages are stored.
• To store your web pages, you must buy some space.
• Servers are provided by web hosting companies.

What is Web Host

• A web host is a company that provides servers or space on a server to host webpages.
• Web hosts have their own servers or data centers.
• A data center could be a room or a very large building equipped with redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, air conditioning, fire suppression, and security devices.

Types of Web Hosting

There are various types of web hosting services available to host your website. Before choosing any web hosting service, you must understand what kind of service or server your website needs. Different kinds of hosting are mentioned below.

1. Shared Hosting

2. VPS Hosting

3. Dedicated Server

4. Cloud Hosting

Shared Hosting

• In shared hosting, multiple websites are placed on the same server & share space on a single server.
• Websites share server resources such as processor, RAM, disk space & bandwidth.
• This is a cost-effective service because server cost is shared among multiple users.
• Best for low traffic, personal, & small businesses websites.
• Site performance can be affected by other slow sites on the same server.
• It has a limited ability to handle high traffic.

Also Read: Do You Really Need Shared Hosting? Decide in 10 Minutes!

VPS or Virtual Private Server

• VPS divides a server into multiple virtual servers. Users have root access to their virtual servers.
• VPS offers you a virtual server with a dedicated IP address, RAM, disk space & bandwidth.
• It is also called a virtual dedicated server because it provides features the same as a dedicated server at a lower cost.
• It is very popular from small businesses to large size businesses.
• Some software does not work due to limited resources.

Also Read: VPS Hosting: Everything You Need to Know

Dedicated Server Hosting

• You have an entire server & only your websites are stored on the server. You have total control over the webserver.
• This hosting is the best option for websites that require more resources such as bandwidth, disk space, high-level security, and processor.
• Faster performance and processing speed is higher than other servers.
• Don’t worry about downtime because the traffic of other websites can’t affect your website.
• Most secure & reliable but more expensive.

Also Read: How Dedicated Server Can Help to Power Your Business

Cloud Hosting

• Multiple servers are connected to each other.
• Cloud is based on “Service on Demand”. No need to make a long time commitment.
• You can add more resources at any time when expecting higher traffic. Easy to upgrade.
• Pay as you go service. No need to buy hardware equipment.
• Access data any time from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Also Read: Cloud In Our Daily Life [SlideShare]

Linux Web Hosting

• Linux is the most popular operating system on which server runs.
• It is an open-source operating system.
• Supports scripting languages like Perl, Python, PHP & MySQL database.
• Linux hosting is not compatible with Microsoft technology.
• Very popular because it is cost-effective.

Also Read: Top 4 Linux Based Operating Systems

Windows Web Hosting

• Window hosting is more user friendly than Linux hosting.
• Windows OS supports scripting languages such as ASP, ASP.NET & MSSQL database.
• The website which designed to be hosted on a Linux server can be hosted on a windows server.
• More expensive than Linux hosting.

Both Windows & Linux offer equal security for your website. You must choose hosting service according to your web-site’s needs.

Web Hosting Features Terminology

Disk Space

• Disk space refers to the amount of space allocated to you on the server to store files, pages, emails, video, content and more.

Bandwidth

• The amount of data that can be transferred at a given moment to a server. The higher bandwidth, the larger amount of traffic your site can handle at one time.

Programming Languages

• Web hosting packages provided by web hosting provider includes programming languages such as HTML, PHP, ASP, Python, Perl scripts with MySQL, MSSQL databases.

Uptime

• The amount of time the server is uninterrupted and your website is running. Most web hosts offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. E-commerce websites must have great uptime.

Support

• Most hosting providers offer 24/7 support to customers via toll-free, phone, live chat or email.

Also Read: 35+ Common Web Hosting Terms and Definitions