Web Hosting

Hosting

 Hosting, web site hosting, web hosting and webhosting are all the same activity that described the act of housing, serving and maintaining files, databases, and information on one or more websites.  Dedicated companies, called registrars, can “host” your files on their computers, and provides the website owner with appropriate software, installation services, technical support, and website tools for a monthly fee. In a few instances, this hosting can be had for free, however, some of the accompanying software is not included in the free hosting, and in other cases there advertisements placed on the free website host page.

Most Popular Types of Hosting

1. 1.       Free Website Hosting. Most free website hosting are limited in the services that oare offered. For example, the installation of databases required for e-commerce shopping carts, and blogs like word press will not be allowed. Of a greater concern is the advertising banner at the top of the page that tells website visitors that the page has been hosted for free. This depicts a “cheap” look. However, this “cheap” look is deliberate on behalf of the Website Hosting Company and is intended to persuade the website owner to purchase hosting to gain full access to available software.
2. 2.       Shared Website Hosting. The large data centers that store the website files in hosting companies are called servers. For small websites and websites that do not generate much traffic, it is not uncommon for many websites to be placed on one server. This can range from a few websites to thousands of websites. In the event that a website begins to time out on accessing from the internet, then the hosting company must be called and a request must be made to relocate the site to another server.
3. 3.       Dedicated Hosting: For very large websites, like Amazon, with much traffic, then a dedicated server is recommended. This prevents slow internet access and enables shopping and browsing to be achieved with ease. However, a dedicated server will cost additional funds per month as compared to shared hosting.
4. 4.       Re-Seller Hosting. For a fee, some hosting companies will sell the rights to for other individuals / companies to market their hosting service. There are the options to let the hosting company manage all customer services and technical support, or the individual/ company can manage their own customer services and/or technical support.
5. 5.       Home Server. For the tech savvy individual, there is the option of hosting their own website on their computer at home. This “server” can be any home grade PC, and it’s not uncommon for older refurbished or second hand computers to be used as home servers. Before attempting to install a home server, read the terms and conditions of your broadband internet connection. Some companies specifically do not offer this type of use on their broadband, and will block connections to and from this home hosting server. 

Obtaining hosting services can be simple and difficult at the same time. While there are many companies that offer web hosting services, not all will have the applicable software that is required for website applications.

For example, .htaccess files will need to be uploaded to the server for some e-commerce shopping carts to be fully functional and secure. Not all hosting companies allow third part .htaccess files. When this issue arises at a later time, the only solution is to switch hosting to a new hosting company.