If you are researching “what is web hosting”, you may be trying to understand how to start building your website. When it comes to getting your website online, web hosting is essential. I have compiled this article to help you understand what web hosting is, why you need it, and how web hosting works to keep any website online.

What is web hosting?

Web hosting is an online service that allows you to publish your website or web application on the Internet. When you sign up for a web hosting service, you rent some space on a physical server where you can store all the files and data required for the normal operation of the website.

The server is a physical computer that runs continuously, so your website is always available to anyone who wants to view it. Your web host is responsible for keeping the server running normally, protecting it from malicious attacks, and transferring your content (such as text, images, files, etc.) from the server to your visitor’s browser.

When you decide to create a new website, you need to find a web hosting provider that provides you with this server space. Your web host stores all your files, assets, and databases on the server. Whenever someone types your domain name in the address bar of the browser, your host will transmit all the files needed to satisfy the request.

Therefore, you need to choose the hosting plan that best suits your needs. It works like a house leasing-you have to pay rent regularly to keep the server running continuously.

How web hosting works

A web host is a company that rents out its services and technology to host a website on the Internet. Once the hosting company has hosted your website, users can access it by entering your URL (domain name) in their web browser. When they do, their computer connects to the server where your website is located. The server, in turn, provides (sends the files you store in storage to present) the website to your web visitors in their web browsers.

How to choose the right web hosting package for your website

There are a few web hosting options available. To know which one would be appropriate for your business, ask yourself the accompanying inquiries: What sort of site do you intend to have an online-a blog, an eCommerce website, a news site, and so on as this will decide how much web traffic you expect and how vigorous the framework needed to have your site, ought to be.

  •  What are the objectives of your site? How quickly do you see yourself growing an internet-based business?
  •  What amount of hand-holding do you require?

Your answers will determine the amount you need of the accompanying

  • Storage space
  • Bandwidth
  • Control
  •  Cost

How to know which web hosting provider to partner with?

Examine their presentation or cases in the accompanying region:

  1. Uptime – Do they ensure something like a close to 100% uptime? Where are their workers found?
  2. Years in the industry – One way to determine their credibility.
  3. Customers – How many clients do they serve? In what areas do they have a presence?
  4. Online reviews and testimonials – These should give you a more verifiable thought of the organization’s standing.
  5. Support – Does the organization offer 24X7 support with prepared staff to help you?
  6. Related products – Select a web hosting organization that offers you other related web administration items like security, email and backup services. Getting everything in one spot could decrease the time planning with various providers.
  7. Security considerations
  8. Backup services
  9. Mobile Access

Types of Web Hosting

Most web host companies provide different types of hosting so that they can meet the needs of different customers-whether you want to set up a simple personal blog or have a large online business and desperately need a complex company website. Here are the most popular options are available:

1. Shared hosting

Shared hosting is a type of web hosting in which a single physical server hosts multiple sites. Many users utilize resources on a single server, thereby keeping costs low. Each user gets a part of the server where they can host their website files. The shared server can host hundreds of users. Every customer who uses a shared hosting platform server can access functions such as databases, monthly traffic, disk space, email accounts, FTP accounts, and other add-ons provided by the host. System resources are shared by customers on the server as needed, and everyone gets a certain percentage of all resources from RAM, CPU, and other elements (such as a single MySQL server, Apache server, and mail server).

Since the cost of maintaining the server is shared by all users, shared hosting provides the most cost-effective way to keep the site online. This hosting method is most suitable for small websites or blogs that do not require advanced configuration or high bandwidth. Since shared hosting is not enough for high-traffic sites, high-volume sites should switch to VPS or dedicated hosting solutions.

2. VPS hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting virtually simulates a dedicated server environment in a shared server. VPS hosting has become a popular choice because it usually costs less than dedicated hosting but offers better reliability, security, and performance than shared hosting. In addition, users can gain root access to the server, allowing them to freely install applications and change the environment without having to go through a hosting service provider like shared hosting.

VPS is generally a great choice for SaaS providers, game manufacturers, programmers, companies that have exceeded the size of shared hosting, and any company that needs a secure and affordable backup environment.

A VPS or virtual private server is a virtual operating system that resides in the parent server and uses virtualization technology to provide dedicated (dedicated) resources for other virtual servers. The simulated dedicated VPS hosting environment is created on a host (computer or other device connected to other computers or devices via a network), server or server cluster.

VPS replicates many attributes of physical servers and has similar processes and functions. Although it acts like a physical server, it is software that simulates dedicated hardware.

3. Cloud hosting

Cloud hosting is a type of web hosting that uses multiple different servers to balance the load and maximize uptime. Your website can use resources from a centralized resource pool instead of using a single server. This means that even if one server fails, the other server will start to keep everything up and running.

Visualize the cloud as a network of different computers connected. As more and more machines are connected to the network, more resources are added to the entire cloud.

With cloud hosting, you can get part of a so-called cloud cluster. Contrary to traditional web hosting, you can get a certain amount of space from a single server. The main advantages of cloud hosting include the main focus on uptime, isolation of resources, ease of expansion, and dedicated IP addresses.

4. WordPress hosting

In the purest sense, a WordPress web host is a hosting optimized to run WordPress. The additional features provided will vary depending on the type of WordPress hosting you are using. However, it is usually equipped with features such as one-click installation, so you can quickly install WordPress on your website, or automatically update the WordPress core.

Generally, the support staff of WordPress hosting are more proficient in WordPress-related technical issues than your standard hosting staff.

Remember, if you want to run WordPress, you don’t need WordPress hosting. You can run WordPress on almost any type of host because the requirements for running WordPress are very low.

The only technical support required to run WordPress includes MySQL 5.0.15 or higher and PHP 5.2.4 or higher. However, just because you can technically run WordPress on any host does not mean you should. WordPress hosting will help you make the most of your website and provide you with a higher level of overall performance.

5. Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting is a term used to describe a web hosting package that provides a dedicated server with dedicated resources for a single client. Dedicated hosting plans are perfect for WordPress sites with a large number of visitors. Many WordPress hosting service providers offer dedicated hosting plans as well as shared and VPS hosting plans.

For example, in a shared hosting plan, a customer shares a computer with many other customers. In the case of a VPS hosting plan, the client shares a machine with other clients on the same computer but does not share resources. However, in a dedicated hosting plan, the customer rents the entire server and all its resources. Web hosting companies offer different dedicated hosting plan packages. The prices of these plans are based on the customer’s choice of hardware and resource allocation.

Dedicated hosting plans are ideal for large organizations or websites with higher traffic. The client has full control of the server so that it can be configured to meet its own needs. Dedicated plans also have managed and unmanaged forms and the hosting centre can manage the server for the client in case of any problems. Dedicated hosting servers are usually more expensive. Pricing is also affected by the number of resources required, such as bandwidth, storage space, and RAM. The additional cost of a dedicated server also includes the software packages needed to run the server. Such software can include Windows licenses (if required), cPanel (if required), and other paid software. Free alternatives to most paid software packages are available, but due to software stability issues, they are usually not the first choice. The main exception to the preference of paid software versus free software is that Linux is more widely used on servers than Microsoft or other paid operating systems.

6. Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting is a web hosting business model in which a web hosting provider allows individuals or third-party organizations to sell some or all of their web hosting services. Reseller hosting enables organizations to act as web-hosting providers without having to build, operate, and manage a web hosting infrastructure.

Reseller hosting is mainly a business development model provided by web hosting services/providers. Through this model, one or more organizations rent out packaged, renamed, and sold cyberspace under their brand name. Depending on the main hosting service provider, each reseller host may be equipped with a completely white/private label control panel to manage their rental space and their specific customers.

Although the reseller host will handle billing and technical support, it always relies on the main host to provide additional web space and solutions to technical problems.

Conclusion

In general, if you want to publish a website and build an online presence, web hosting is a service you need. Having a website allows you to easily reach millions of users around the world, which gives you incredible advantages.

So, are you ready to start using your new website?