What Is Web Hosting? – Basic Ideas of Web Hosting

January 4th, 2012 Posted in web hosting
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Web hosting is the space where web pages or files are kept to make them accessible on the world wide web. After designing a website, the files of the site should be kept in a PC which is connected to the internet. This is called web hosting & the PC having this space is called the server PC.

Types of Web Hosting: Web hosting is mainly categorized based on the operating system of the server PC & performance.

Based on the OS of the server PC there are mainly two types of hosting -

1. Windows Hosting: The hosting where the server PC is run on windows. Windows hosting is a perfect choice if you want to use dotNET, ASP, access database & other Microsoft products. The main limitation of it is that it gives limited access to Telnet, SSH, CGI, Perl etc.

2. Linux Hosting: The hosting with linux run server is called linux hosting. It is more popular than windows hosting for it’s security, access to telnet, SSH, CGI, Perl etc, But if you want to work with ASP, or access database, linux hosting is not for you.

Based on performance, resource (disk space, RAM, CPU) usage & user’s access to the server, there are mainly three types of hosting -

1. Shared Hosting: This is the hosting where some accounts are hosted on the same pc. In this hosting, all accounts share the system resources like RAM, CPU, Disk Space etc together. Here you may have a specific amount of disc space & bandwidth, but there is no guaranty of systems resources. Sometimes you may get 60% of the system resources or sometimes below 30%, which actually depends, on the resource usages of other accounts on the same server at that time. In this hosting, users get the least control over the server. They can only read/write files on the server and can’t change any server settings.

2. VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting: VPS hosting is the hosting where several accounts are hosted on the same PC but work as independent PC. In a VPS, accounts have their own RAM, disk space, CPU etc so that the performance of one account is not affected by others. Even if the resources of an account are unused then it won’t be shared with others.

VPS gives users complete control over the server. In a VPS, users get full control so that they can change any settings on the server or can install any required software. Even they can reboot or shut down their server whenever they want.

3. Dedicated Server Hosting: In respect to the functionality, dedicated hosting is same as VPS hosting but in dedicated hosting only one account is hosted in one pc. So when someone buys a dedicated hosting, he actually rents a whole pc instead of part of it.

Dedicated hosting is the best choice for high traffic sites & sites with complex functionality like ecommerce sites or database driven big sites.

For hosting a website, it is possible to set up a server on your own pc & host sites there, but it’s a complex process & requires high performance PC with high speed & reliable internet connection. It also requires running that PC 24 hours a day to avoid downtime. This is why it’s recommended to buy hosting services from professional hosting providers.

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Different Types of Server Hosting

January 4th, 2012 Posted in server hosting
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There are many different types of internet server hosting services that would help you in maintaining and improving your website. However, there are only two basic classifications of servers. They are the free web and the commercial or paid hosting. The free hosting services offered by many companies have advantages and disadvantages of their own. The client need not make any investments whatsoever. But the utilities and services are very limited when compared with paid services and this means that the chances of improving your website are very low.

When you talk about paid hosting services, there are many which are highly useful for the build-up and the popularity of an internet website. However, the most popular, or in other words, the most preferred forms of paid services of them all are only a few. The names of such popular services are the shared web-hosting, reseller web-hosting, dedicated servers and managed servers. In shared web-hosting, the client will hire a server from a provider on a rental basis (Monthly rentals). This is slightly better than the free server hosting as it has many features like better bandwidth, larger space etc. However, it is not as good as many of the other paid services because it has lot of disadvantages like insecurity, inability to handle big traffic. But the option of a shared server hosting service is very good if you are opening a relatively new website and if it does not have large space and sensitive information. Moreover, shared web hosting does not require much of an investment.

A reseller web server is nothing but you buy and distribute a server. For example, you buy an account in any server provider (Say for $25 per month). You then divide this server into many smaller units and sell them separately to other people who are in need of servers. This is actually a business oriented approach where you can earn lot more than you spend on a monthly basis. This is recommended for all those who want to earn some healthy money through online if they feel that they are not good enough to handle and maintain a website of their own.

Dedicated web server is the server bought to run and maintain your website. This is in fact the best form of hired server service because all the powers of controlling the server are vested in your hands. Dedicated servers are best suited for clients who own a big website or for organizations that deal with lot of online customers.

There are many other server hosting services which require special mention. They are the Virtual Dedicated Server, managed Hosting service, Cloud, Colocation Web, Grid, Clustered, Homer server, FFmpeg hosting service etc. There are also other forms of web server hosting services provided by different providers which includes File Hosting, Blog, Shopping Cart Software, E-mail, Video, One-click and Image Hosting Services respectively.

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Free Vs Paid Hosting For Blogs

January 4th, 2012 Posted in free hosting
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As we all know, a blog is a variant of a website which is maintained by a single person who frequently enters information about an event or a happening. It can also be a blog with personal contents. On the whole, blogs are space for individuals to express their views and opinions. Thousands and thousands of blogs are being created each and every day. Many of these use a free hosting platform while the others used a paid server. You need to decide upon a host before you host a website. The 2nd most important thing you need to consider is what software or blogging platform you are going to use. Let us take a comprehensive look at both the free and paid versions of webhosting.

Free Hosting

Free web hosting for blogs generally uses a blogging platform like WordPress.com or Blogger.com. Both of these platforms boast of an easy sign-up process. After just filling out a few blanks you can get your own blog up and running. Getting the service of a free host suits a person who is a beginner. They can learn about blogs and all other aspects and then decide upon whether they can continue the services of a free hosting company or a paid one. The drawbacks far outweigh the benefits with free blogs. Some of the disadvantages are:

• The foremost factor is that you are not the actual owner of the blog or the contents; the free web hosting company is the owner of your page.

• Since you are publishing your contents you should abide by the rules put forth by the website hosting company.

• Given that the hosting is done free of cost, you have to put up with the advertisements that are either on the top or bottom of your page.

• These advertisements may not at all be appropriate for your website.

Paid Hosting

There are different packages when it comes to paid web hosting. Plans are generally charged on a monthly basis. Packages start from a minimum of $5/month. The price typically differs based on the term of the contract. If you have cataloged your domain name for 12 months, then signing up for a 12 month web hosting plan would be useful as it would be at a much affordable cost. One more issue that may serve as a cause for variation in price between different plans is the features in which you receive. The most basic web hosting plans are typically adequate when you are 1st starting out on the Internet. Some of the advantages of paid hosting are:

• The major pro of having a paid host is that you can decide upon the advertisements that you put up on your page.

• You have the ultimate control over the domain of the blog.

• Every aspect of your blog can be controlled with the help of web hosts control panel.

• You get to enjoy control of more features like the bandwidth, disk space, traffic, databases etc.,

Based on all the aforementioned aspects, you can decide whether you need to get the services of a free or a paid web hosting for your blog.

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