Web hosting is an online service that makes it possible for anyone to have a website or a web application on the internet. You can easily do this at any time by signing up for a hosting service. This gives you the right to store information on the internet that can be accessed at any time.
A server can simply be explained as a physical computer that works every time to ensure that your website is functioning and accessible to anyone interested.
Your web host is responsible for ensuring that nothing goes wrong with the server, also making sure that your website is fully secured and protected from malicious attacks.
Web Hosting: How Does it Work?
If you would like to own your website on the internet, the first thing you need to do is to look for a hosting company that can provide you with server space. Your web host is responsible for storing all your files, login details, and databases on the server. Your web host ensures that all necessary files that are available on your website are accessible to anyone that types in your domain name at any time.
You will need to pick a hosting package that will be perfect for your website and then pay for the subscription. It can simply be compared to paying your house rent, which means that you will be paying it once in a while if you want your website to be accessible at any time.
To ensure that you are safe, most of the hosting plans available right now will provide you with a 30-day money-back guarantee so that you can be sure that you are using the right plan for your website. When your site becomes more popular, you will probably need to increase your server space, which means that you will need to change your subscription to a higher level.
It will help a lot as you don’t necessarily have to be tech-savvy to carry out regular management of your website, most of the hosting companies ensure that the graphical user interface of their service is easy to use for anyone. You will find it very easy to navigate and implement any of the management tasks. You can easily upload your HTML and other files, and you will be able to install content management programs like WordPress and create backups for your website.
Although there are some hosting companies with complex platforms that might be quite intimidating for beginners who will like to get their website up and running quickly. However, most of these companies have comprehensive manuals and videos on their website that explains how to use their platform easily. You just need to take your time to go through the process, and you will be able to manage all the aspects of your hosting account.
In addition to providing server space, some hosting companies also offer other website management services like SSL certificates, developer tools for advanced users, page builders for your website, email hosting, automated website backups, WordPress management, and so much more.
Whenever you are ready to create your website, you can check out hosting companies like Bluehost. They have discounts on most of their plans, and you can be sure that you will be getting a 30-day money-back guarantee on all their plans.
Types of Web Hosting
Hosting companies have different types of hosting services that they provide for their customers to ensure that their website needs are met. The most popular ones are:
- Shared Hosting
- VPS Hosting
- Cloud Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- Dedicated Server Hosting
If you are planning to have a dynamic website, then you will need a big server space; it’s as simple as that. Although, it’s always reasonable to start small if you are building for the first time, by signing up for a Shared Hosting package and when you start getting more traffic, you can upgrade to an advanced hosting package.
Most hosting companies have more than one hosting plan for each hosting package. For example, companies like Hostinger will offer you three different plans on their shared hosting package. You can pick any of these plans that you think its best for your website.
Shared Hosting
Basically, the most popular type of web hosting, which is the best option for small businesses and blogs. Most of the time, when people talk about”web hosting,” they are always talking about shared hosting. Shared hosting means that you will be sharing a server with other customers of your hosting company. This means that you will share resources like memory, computing power, and disk space with other clients.
Pros:
Cheap
Suitable for beginners
Pre-configured server
The interface is user-friendly
The hosting company will be responsible for server management
Cons:
The client can not modify server configuration
Traffic surges from other clients can affect the speed of your website
VPS Hosting
When it comes to Virtual Private Server (VPS), you will be sharing a server with other clients, but the difference is that the hosting company will dedicate a separate partition for each client on the server. This means that you will be getting a separate computing memory, disk space, and other resources to make your website run smoothly. This makes the VPS plan to be the perfect option for medium-sized companies.
Pros:
You will be getting a dedicated server space (that you do not need to pay for)
Traffic surges from other clients cannot affect your website
Root access to the server
User-friendly
Highly modifiable
Cons:
Quite expensive compared to shared hosting
Quite complex for Beginners (you will need to have some technical know-how)
Cloud Hosting
Right now, cloud hosting is the most dependable type of hosting because it has no downtime. When it comes to cloud hosting, your hosting company will provide you with a number of servers. Your databases and files are stored on cloud servers separately.
This means that if one of the servers is having issues, your website will be moved to another server automatically to ensure that your traffic is not being interrupted.
Pros:
There is no downtime
Server issues will not affect your traffic
Provides files on demand
Better than Virtual Private Server in terms of scalability
Cons:
It doesn’t have a specific price
Root access is not always available
WordPress Hosting
Another form of shared hosting is WordPress hosting, which is designed for WordPress website owners and builders. Your website will come with default plugins, and you will be getting a server that is specifically for WordPress. Because of its top-notch level of configuration, your website will run smoothly, and you will hardly get issues. Other important features like pre-designed themes, one-click page builders, advanced tools for developers, and more.
Pros:
Quite cheap
Perfect for beginners
Easy to install
Highly optimized performance level
World-class customer support system for WordPress issues.
Pre-installed plugins and themes
Cons:
Only suitable for WordPress websites
Dedicated Hosting
When it comes to dedicated hosting, you will be getting your physical server that is solely for your website and your site only. This means you will be able to do anything you want with your server without getting interrupted. You can choose your own operating system, and the software that you feel is best for your website. Dedicated hosting is like having an on-site server with a great support system for your website.
Pros:
Complete server access
Highly reliable because you won’t be sharing your server with anyone
Root access to the server is available
High level of security
Cons:
Quite expensive
Knowledge of technical and server management is compulsory
Major Difference between Web Hosting and Domain Name
After you’ve signed up for a web hosting service for your website, you will need to buy a domain. These are two major requirements for creating a website. Web hosting ensures that you have a space for your website on the internet, while a domain is the address of your website. Anyone that wants to visit your website will need your domain name, which they will type into the address bar of their browser.
With most of the web hosting companies, you will have to buy a domain name separately. However, if you have purchased a domain name already, you can just move it to your current hosting company.
So, What Is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is basically the service that you need to get your website running on the internet. We all know that owning a website has been proven to be quite effective in reaching a lot of people worldwide. A good web hosting company ensures that your website runs smoothly at any time. Nobody wants to visit a website that will take hours to load, so it’s always essential to invest in a good web hosting service.