Now, finally you have decided to own a website. A website has to undergo some processes before being available on internet for the people. They are web designing, web developing and the last but most important is web hosting. Without web hosting you will never be able to see your website on the World Wide Web. Now you want to know what is web hosting. Here is the guide.
Web hosting is the hosting of your website on web server. To be simple, web hosting is to store your website or web page on web server. Web server is a computer with special software and is connected to high speed internet all the time. Your website is saved on web server with a domain name, that is, the name of your website. When an internet user types your domain name in address bar, the World Wide Web approaches the web server, access your website and then display it on the user’s computer screen.
Web hosting is associated with a number of technical specifications along with just web hosting. While taking web hosting services from any web host service provider, you need to keep these specifications into consideration.
These are:
• 99% Network uptime
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Unlimited disk space
• Number of email accounts service
• Traffic analysis
• Online control panel
• Domain name registration
After selecting the package or plan based on the specifications your website requires, the next big thing to decide is that what kind of web hosting you require. There are many types of web hosting and some of them are explained below:
Free Hosting: There are many companies providing free web hosting, you don’t have to pay anything for hosting. This is best to avail if your website is for personal or family use. If your website is a business website or it is meant to be used by greater traffic then it is not recommended at all. This type of web hosting offers no security, customer support and software application and with a very low speed of internet. Moreover, you can not use your own name as domain name, instead they will provide you sub-domain name under their domain name.
Shared Hosting: As it is understood by its name that it has to be shared. When you opt for a shared web hosting, you are sharing your web server with a number of other websites. Since it is shared by many, it is available at a very low cost. This is the most preferred type of web hosting. You get your personal domain name, fast internet and technical support. You can also choose software applications from a number of applications provided by the server. Because it is shared by many other websites, restricted security and restricted traffic volume is available. This type of web hosting is best for small businesses and limited traffic websites.
Dedicated Hosting: Dedicated web hosting provides a web server dedicated to your website only. It is not shared by any other website. This type of web hosting is best for the large websites and for the websites with high traffic. As it is not shared with any other website, you can use all resources of web server and software applications. It is the most expensive web hosting. It provides strong email support, software support and database support. Also, you can use multiple domain names on one web server.
Co-located Hosting: It allows you to purchase your own web server and locate it at the place of a web hosting service provider so that it gets proper facilities and environment. The web server is entirely yours, so you have to bear all the expenses related to it. Also, you have to be skilled enough so that you can configure and manage it for the use. It provides with best security, support, internet speed, bandwidth and other applications.
Based on the specification and other features provided by these web hosting categories, you can decide which one your website needs.