A web hosting service is an online service that enables you to publish your website or web application on the Internet.
When you sign up for a web hosting service, you are basically renting some space on a server where you can store all the files and data for your website to work properly.
When a hosting provider allocates space on a web server for a website to store its files, they are hosting a website.
Web hosting makes the files that comprise a website (code, images, etc.) available for viewing online. Every website you’ve ever visited is hosted on a server.
Web hosting is the process of renting or buying space to house a website on the World Wide Web.
Website content such as HTML, CSS, and images has to be housed on a server to be viewable online.
What exactly is a server?
A server is a computer that connects other web users to your site from anywhere in the world.
As the name implies, web hosting service providers have the servers, connectivity, and associated services to host websites.
By offering a variety of hosting plans, they cover the spectrum of hosting needs, from small blogs and large organizations.
If you’re planning on creating an online presence, reliable web hosting is essential. There are literally hundreds of web hosts available today providing thousands of varieties of web hosting services.
Plans range from free with limited options to expensive web hosting services specialized for business. The plan you choose will depend primarily on how you plan to use your website and how much you have budgeted for hosting.
Choosing the right hosting plan will mean having access to the right allocation of resources to keep your website loading quickly and reliably for your visitors.
Think about how many businesses these days operate primarily online; their sales and business leads come from their website.
If someone lands on a website and there’s a problem — it takes too long to load or doesn’t appear at all — potential customers won’t wait around.
They’ll bounce off that site in search of a one that works correctly and can deliver what they are looking for, seamlessly.
If you’re new to operating a website, web hosting and related lingo can be a puzzling topic.
Many a novice website owner has used the cheapest option or anything bundled with their domain name purchase under the mistaken belief that all hosting options are essentially the same.
Also Read: What is a domain name?
Types of Web Hosting
Most web hosts offer different types of hosting so that they can serve the needs of different clients — whether you want to build a simple personal blog or own a large online business and are in a dire need of an intricate company website.
Here are the most popular options available:
- Shared hosting
- VPS hosting
- Cloud hosting
- WordPress hosting
- Dedicated hosting
It’s the best to start small and when your site reaches higher traffic numbers, upgrade to a more advanced type of plan. In any case, we’re going to describe each one in more detail.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is similar to renting a workstation in a busy, noisy, open-plan office, or co-working space.
You have all the modern conveniences: a desk, internet connection, and some stationary and you share the space with other co-workers including the kitchen, printer, and restroom.
You can’t do any makeovers to space such as installing whiteboards etc. This is a popular option for launching small websites and not appropriate for large-scale commercial projects.
This type of hosting is the most common answer for most web hosting needs and it’s an excellent solution for most small businesses and personal blogs.
With this type of hosting, you’re sharing one server with other clients.
Websites hosted on the same server share all its resources, such as memory, computing power, disk space, and others.
Pros
Low cost, excellent for small online business websites
No need for specific technical knowledge
Pre-configured server options
User-friendly control panel
Maintenance and server administration is taken cared for you
Cons
Little or no control over server configuration
Traffic surges on other websites can slow down your website
Also Read: How to create a website
VPS Hosting
A virtual private server (VPS) is a nice step up from shared hosting. A medium-sized business will benefit from renting an office within a business park. With a VPS, users are isolated from each other.
You have neighbors, but you are less dependant on them, and you can carry out any makeovers (customizations) as you like and organize your workstation on your own.
When you’re using a Virtual Private Server — or VPS for short — you’re still sharing a server with other users.
However, your web host allocates an entirely separate partition for you on that server.
This means you get a dedicated server space and a reserved amount of resources and memory.
In fact, VPS hosting can be great for medium-sized businesses with a rapidly growing number of websites and traffic.
Pros
Dedicated server space
Traffic surges on other websites have no effect on your performance
Root access to the server
Easy scalability and high customizability
Cons
More expensive than other types of hosting
Technical and server management knowledge is a must
Also Read: 12 Benefits Of Having A Website
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is currently the most reliable solution on the market. With cloud hosting, your host provides you with a cluster of servers — your files and resources are replicated on each server.
When one of the cloud servers is busy or encounters a problem, your traffic is automatically routed to another server in the cluster. This results in little to no downtime, which is excellent if you own a very busy website.
Pros
Little to no downtime
Server failures have no effect on your website
Allocates resources on demand
Pay-as-you-pricing strategy — you only pay for what you use
More scalable than other web hosting types
Cons
Hard to estimate the actual costs
Root access is not always provided
WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting is a particular form of shared hosting, created for WordPress site owners.
Your server is configured specifically for WordPress and your site comes with pre-installed plugins for crucial tasks, such as caching and security.
Because of the highly optimized configuration, your site loads much faster and runs with fewer problems.
WordPress hosting plans frequently include additional WordPress-related features, such as pre-designed WordPress themes, drag-and-drop page builders, and specific developer tools.
Pros
Low cost and beginner-friendly
One-click WordPress installation
Good performance for WordPress sites
Customer support team trained in WordPress issues
Pre-installed WordPress plugins and themes
Also Read: 25 Ways to make money from your website (blog)
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting means that you have your own physical server that’s dedicated solely to your website.
Therefore, you’re given incredible flexibility over how you want to manage your website.
You can configure your server as you wish, choose the operating system and software you want to use, and set up the whole hosting environment according to your own needs.
In fact, renting a dedicated server is just as powerful as owning your own on-site server, but comes with the professional support of your web host.
Usually, this is more oriented towards large online businesses that deal with heavy traffic.
Pros
Full control over server configuration
High reliability and security options
Root access to your server
Cons
High cost, more oriented towards larger businesses
Technical and server management knowledge is a must
Conclusion
Overall, web hosting is a type of service you need if you want to publish a website and build an online presence.
In fact, having a website gives you incredible advantages by enabling you to easily reach millions of users worldwide.
Are you ready to get started on your new website? Contact Us to get our Hosting to host your website