Web hosting service refers to that facility that enables organizations as well as individuals to post a single website on the internet which also includes a web page. A web hosting provider refers to a business that offers services and technologies that require a single web page or website for being viewed on the internet. Further, sites are stored and hosted on personal computers which are known as servers.
While the internet users wish to view the website, all that needs to get done is to type the website address in the browser. The computer further gets connected to the server. The web page then gets delivered through the browser. Most of the hosting companies require the domain name for getting hosted. In cases when there is no domain name, the companies further help you to purchase one.
The files in addition to the folders also get stored on the hard disc of the laptop or desktop. These are further ready to be accessed whenever necessary. A web page is a single file that is in need of a computer for getting stored and usually is intended for being seen by the general public. For enabling this, one needs a criterion. The criteria are that the computer where all the information gets stored is of a higher specification than the desktop PC. It further needs to be connected through an incredibly powerful link.
The computers where the web pages get stored refer to as a web server. An extensive collection of different web pages applies to a website. Moreover, all the other web pages present in the world accumulate in the greater chain of World Wide Web (WWW). The exact job to make websites along with web pages is further available to various users. It is known as web hosting. Sometimes, some products you offer are known as webspace. It is because the space available on the internet is getting sold to host the website you own.
Are Data Centers and Web Hosting the same?
The term of ‘web hosting’ refers to a server which hosts the website along with a hosting company which rents server space. While we speak about the data centres, we further mean all the facilities which individuals use for housing the servers.
A single data centre refers to a room, an enormous building, a house or any power supplies. It also relates to environmental controls, security devices, connections of data communications and much more.
Why is web hosting needed?
It is possible in a professional manner to connect your own Mac or PC to the internet while having it serve web pages. However, it is not that practical. It is not sensible because internet connection being home-based is not that powerful for serving multiple users simultaneously. Further, it paves the way for the existence of web hosting services. These services maintain incredibly powerful web servers beneficial for the purpose of storing the web pages.
These web servers connect to the internet by necessary connections which enable different web users for accessing the web pages simultaneously. If you are one of them who runs the website, then you are also definitely in need of a web hosting service. The reason being, until and unless you can avail unlimited funds; you are unable to afford web servers in addition to the necessary connections.
Kinds of services related to web hosting:
There are varied types of services which are available for hosting your website. Hence, it is critical for you to understand the kind of services required by your site.
Following are the hosting options that are available:
Free Hosting
Free hosting is a type of web hosting service that is an incredibly favored choice while building the non-critical website. In cases of an environment that offer free hosting, connection speed gets extremely slow. As a result, the website can get down frequently. Advertising banners are then automatically added to the sites. While some companies need you to purchase a domain name to receive hosting services in free, some do quite the opposite to them. Others offer a sub domain for free. It is imperative to stay careful as you are often unable to transfer the free sub domains.
VPS Hosting
Virtual private server segregates a single server into separate virtual servers. Here you can avail each website getting hosted on an own particular dedicated server. In reality, what is happens is, server sharing with few other users. These users might avail root access to own private virtual space along with a hosting environment being better secured. Websites which are in need of greater amount of control at server level but however do not wish to invest on any dedicated server can opt for shared hosting.
Cons
- There is a highly limited ability for handling the high amount of traffic levels.
- Further, the performance of the site might get affected by different other sites present on the server.
Dedicated hosting
A dedicated server offers maximum control on the server of the web where the website stores. The result is, you are exclusively renting the entire server. Your website becomes the single site that gets stored on a server.
Pros
- Facilitates faster performance as there lays the presence of the entire resources of the server. It is not possible to make it work without sharing it with distinct website owners.
- It becomes a highly practical choice for the sites requiring various system resources. It further requires a high-security level.
Cons
- It also stays true that you are responsible for the cost the server operation comprises.
- Dedicated servers are extremely expensive. Moreover, it is usually for those who are in need of maximum control along with improvised server performance.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting refers to the unlimited ability to handle high traffic or the traffic spikes. An entire team of servers work collaboratively for hosting a broad group of distinct activities. It makes way for several computers to work together to handle a high amount of traffic levels.
Disadvantages
Many setups of cloud hosting do not offer the root access which is needed to change the server settings.
- Higher cost levied.
Differentiating key factors between packages provided by the companies performing web hosting:
- Web space available
It refers to the amount of web space provided by the internet hosting company to use for the website. It, however, has the potential ability to vary. It can go up to a range of 1000 or 2000 megabytes. For big sites, 100 MB is, however, more than sufficient. Some hosting companies offer more amount of space. It is because any common sites come in 100 megabytes or even less.
- Amount of email addresses available
It refers to the number of email addresses that a hosting company permits you to possess. However, for the budget accounts, this is somewhere in the range of 1 to 10 email addresses. Some of the packages which are on the higher end permit around 250 addresses.
- Bandwidth
Though it is an incredibly misunderstood measure; it is paramount when the website starts generating a significant amount of interest from the web users. Bandwidth gets measured on a monthly basis. Most of the websites usually need about half a gigabyte of the bandwidth each month. It refers to the fact that you have the ability to serve around 52,000 web pages each month.
- Bandwidth coverage
Bandwidth coverage is a situation when you tend to go over the allotted transmission capacity. Some companies tend to switch off the website in cases when it occurs. However, some automatically add the extra amount of bandwidth charges priced at a distinct rate than the standard costs.
Benefits the web hosting services offer:
- Cost efficiency
Hosting helps in boosting the budget’s efficiency by removal of the need which makes it necessary for huge capital. This further gets outlaid on the data centres and hardware along with the payroll which is essential for the upgrades and regular maintenance. It is a matter of conversion of capital expenditures to the operating expenses. The money that is put in the purchase, maintenance and the upgrade of hardware along with software instead gets allocated to the new projects of strategic importance for the IT department. In hosted environment, you pay while growing instead of the over-purchasing capacity present upfront. It saves a lot of dollars in the server hardware, upgrades and software along with hours required to make it work.
- Growth
When the company grows, the infrastructure should further become intense. As the hosting providers comprise of high hardware along with software resources, one can scale it quickly and smoothly. A good provider always turns ready for growth, whether being steady or in an incremental expansion. The cloud computing function comes with an elastic nature which helps in the ensuring of seamless growth.
- Latest technologies
As the hosting providers lay focus on the particular expert area, it can stay at the top of the industry’s latest advances. It allows you to take complete advantage of the different latest technologies without any further expenses to add. You can benefit from latest technologies in software and hardware which a group of experienced engineer efficiently manages. Additionally, hosting providers continuously download while installing software upgrades along with security patches. It is why the system is such that reaches as being up-to-date. A hosting provider further helps in providing help to achieve compliance along with regulatory requirements needed for the industry.
What can one expect from hosting provider?
Each and everything that is done by the hosting providers greatly revolves around the concept of IT hosting. The systems along with the processes, which one builds, are constructed in an exclusive manner for the delivery of IT hosting.
- Support
Support is a major factor that needs to be provided by a hosting provider. The fact that you entrust the hosting duties to a different entity is indeed a significant step to take. The right hosting services strive to make this transition process as smooth as possible.
- Security
The hosting companies further integrate necessary security measures that are beneficial in the protection of the data. The data gets protection from all physical as well as online threats.
- Customization
Each and every business has a different budget and needs. A single hosting provider helps in the development of a highly customized environment of hosting which has been specially made to cater to the needs of the company.
There is a huge need of web hosting services when it comes to maintaining websites along with personal blogs. The resolution to managing it is a web hosting solution which needs to be completely reliable. Web hosting services allow the individuals along with commercial organizations for making the websites much more accessible to its users and also invite unlimited traffic.
As a result, it provides better connectivity in addition to the presence of a broad range of advanced technologies. These deliver excellent benefits to the owners as well as the website users.
In other words, it proves the point that these practical solutions usually provide sufficient space for the internet site by the storing of web applications and files. The storage is made in the computer systems being high powered. In other words, it refers to a virtual space which has been used by maximum site owners for storing the websites. For those of you who wish to view the websites of the clients, are required to type in the needed address in the browsers.
Offering necessary convenience with the help of small packages
Maximum of website owners has been availing benefits with the aid of increased leads and sales. Through the fulfilling of most of the requirements of clients, they tend to offer necessary convenience available with varied service packages. As distinct website owners tend to have diverse web needs along with facilities, the web hosting servers are created and designed in such a manner. For those individuals who are interested, they can be selecting from different web hosting solutions.
Depending on the kind of hosting, one can quickly determine the purchase according to the individual, distinct web space and the networking needs available. For those not having necessary funds but however wishes to avail a hosting environment which is secured, need to refer to the VPS solutions.
Although, it is true that the dedicated servers of hosting become a high priced choice, larger firms usually prefer to gain maximum control. The power levied over the web browser comprises of effective and efficient hosting solutions. The cloud hosting further facilitates the handling of unlimited traffic by the business sites. It allows multiple computers for working in association. Hence, this particular solution of cloud hosting can be extremely effective as a result of engaging different devices for the websites.
What do you mean by a domain name?
A domain is essentially the name of the website. A field becomes an essential criterion for running a website. Though it cannot be touched or seen, it is an array of characters which offers the site a thorough identity. Example: Google.com, Yahoo.com, Linux.org and so on. A domain needs to get registered with the help of a domain registrar.
Difference between web hosting and domain:
It is common to get easily confused between web hosting and domain name. Hence, it is imperative to remain crystal clear regarding the differences between the two. In other words, a domain name is exactly like your home address. On the other hand, web hosting refers to the space available at your house.
Successful buying of hosting plans
To set up the perfect solution is incredibly easy. After successfully purchasing hosting plans, it is vital for the clients to follow few simple steps that are beneficial for setting up the account. Following are the few steps.
- At first, you need to click on the tab ‘Manage’ which is situated just beside the hosting account.
- After you enter the domain name beneficial to be used for the website, you are further required to follow another step.
- You need to click on the tab ‘Upload Your Site’ and then select the transfer options.
- For those of you who do not have the domain name points to the DNS servers, need to make necessary efforts for skipping such procedures.
For starting a web project, it is important to have a provider of web host because they offer space where web files get stored. Though the shared server tends to deliver improved performance along with server control, this refers to a common place for multiple domains. Here the areas share server resources like CPU and RAM. Another familiar example of the servers of web host is the VPS network.
Through the addition of unlimited legit traffic along with the increase of lead and sales generation, an enormous amount of value gets further attached to such kind of services in today’s era. Further, clients can also avail technical assistance along with domain name registration.
Customers can also get other necessary printing tools of the website having such providers of web hosting. For beginners who wish to get best benefits which are offered by the hosting solutions, these few aspects are something that one should check.
How should a domain name be registered
At first, you need to think of an ideal real name that is necessary for the website.
It is vital for the domain name to be incredibly unique. You need to prepare several variations.
Further, make a particular search on any one website of the registrar.
In situations when the selected name for the domain is not accepted, then you can order it instantly.
You need to pay prescribed registration fees. This fee ranges from $10-$35, depending on the TLD.
It completes the registration process.
Now it is important to point a domain name. This pointing needs to get done for the web hosting.
How does the registration of domain name work?
The guidelines for the domain registration are usually not set on the pre-registrar basis. Rather, ICANN determines it, which stands for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The governing body refers to the regular of best practices for the registrars, clients and web hosts interacting with them. According to the standards of the regulator, all the customers who register for domain name need to prepare themselves thoroughly
This preparation is necessary to get over for furnishing contact information for the organization, business, themselves along with the employer in certain cases. For the customers who seek to register for a particular domain option name, a considerable portion of registration process gets dedicated. It gets assigned to determine whether the client is a resident of the country or not. Only if he is, then he gets the permission for purchasing one of the domains of the country.
Though there are many available suffixes of the domain name; many comprise of specific requirements for registration. If you fail to meet these specific guidelines at the time of actual payment and registration process, it results in the ‘release’ back of domain name in the pool comprising of domain names.
The customer then needs to pick up a field at the top level for which it gets qualified or cancelled.
At the time of signup procedure, it is extremely crucial to obtain information in a direct manner from the web host. It is because this information is further required while filling in DNS along with MX record information. These are the two documents that determine which content of the web hosting server gets displayed while a user navigates right at the domain. Inaccurate pieces of information result in failures in page loading and errors.
Sub Domains
What are Top Level Domains?
The articles have cited various references to Top Level Domains. There are several extensions of these top level domains which are .uk, .in, .com, .edu and so on. While most of them are open for the registration of public, some pose strict regulations while registering. A few extensions of the TLDs are beneficial for describing the essential characteristics of a website.
For example, .biz is for businesses, .org is for any public organization while domain names about country codes are beneficial for locations. There are more than 1000 generic TLDs which get exposed to the public. It includes WEBSITE, XYZ, and COLLEGE and so on.
Difference between Domain and Sub-Domain:
It is important to get a thorough understanding of the difference of the domain as well as the sub domain. This knowledge helps a user to clean out the differences or similarities that exist between the two. One can better explain with the aid of examples. Yahoo is domain while mail.yahoo.com is the sub domain.
A field needs to be unique and needs to avail the registration with the assistance of area agent. On the other hand, users have the ability to add it on the top of the current existing domain till the web host is willing to provide the particular service.
Subdomains refer to as ‘third level’ fields. It is so because these are ‘subfolders’ present under the directory of the domain root. It is also used generally for organizing the content of the website in distinct and diverse categories as well as languages. However, it is important to note that the case is different for search engines. This situation arises because it treats the sub domain as being a different field and being independent of that of the primary one.
How can web host be chosen?
To choose the web host is the first and foremost step to consider while website project is on its move. It is important for you to find a place where one can host a website. This site gets offered by the provider of web hosting. The service incorporates spaces where the website files get stored, traffic to the site along with different other services. Such services include firewall protection, email services, technical help or assistance, FTP access, registration of domain name, building tools for website and many others.
Here is our recommendation of hosting providers:
Can one go with a web host for free?
A lot of webmasters have the quest for hosting providers which are free. It is necessarily the case for the very first website. One can easily expect it as you do not have any idea of comparing hosting services and hence you need to go through the prices. However, once the website has started, you further notice other different things necessary to be counted for which is apparent from the price.
For example, cheap hosts post ads on the web pages while providing you with less or no assistance on the technical front. Following are few important factors which need to be chosen while hosting online project.
Customer feedback
While you compare few hosting providers who meet the budget along with tech requirements, you need to check for the customer feedback. There is varied information which is available in the search engines like Google and Yahoo in addition to other hosting directories. Doing a thorough check regarding the hosting reviews is imperative.
Technical support
This factor is essential from the web host, especially with the due passage of time. There will be times when you face a wide array of technical difficulties which one needs to pay attention. There might be instances when these questions have to get answered instantly. This situation poses the urgency of a support assistance which should ply 24×7.
The technical issues then are answered within a period of about 1-2 hours at the most. Apart from checking the responses’ speed, you also need to check whether the support gets technically competent or not. It is advisable not to go for the phone support. It is because the phone support usually goes busy when needed.
The highly efficient companies make use of the ticketing systems. Here all the technical details are delivered which are required to have the question answered.
Web hosting services thus have solved a great deal of problems for the users. There have been the amalgamations of large, expensive computers which have been set up to run a website. Further, it ensures a fast connection to the internet. While you avail a plan of web hosting, you tend to borrow small bits of the computers.
This further lets you put files along with software which requires for running a website through a place where it can be accessed easily by anyone wishing to view it. The hosting companies further provide different tools for the purpose of managing the piece of information.
The Editors’ Recommendation: The Best Web Hosting Providers In 2024
Web Host |
Price |
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$3.92/mo | |
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$10/mo
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$4.00/mo | Read Review Visit Online |
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$3.95/mo | Read Review Visit Online |
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$4.46/mo | Read Review Visit Online |
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$2.75/mo | Read Review Visit Online |
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$3.15/mo | Read Review Visit Online |
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While you wish to decide on a hosting company, you need to do the choosing extremely carefully. You need to select the web hosting service that primarily matters. There is a wide array of options that one can choose. One needs to conduct thorough research before going forward with a particular company. Some research enables you to not only find the one that is affordable but also plenty of customer services. Apart from these, it lets you avail a wide array of features along with access to applications which are free.
While the price compares different companies, it is important to get the pricing available for separate packages. It enables you to compare distinct hosting packages which look identical or even being close to one. The choices that you make further affect the pricing. Hence it needs to be done carefully.
- Server stability
The thorough research of each company deals with the involvement of a third party website. It checks how the hosting companies get rated. It is vital to look at these ratings carefully. Percentage of downtime stands as one of the most crucial ones. Excessive downtime further makes it challenging and even for the ones who wish to view the websites. The acceptable downtime that a web hosting company needs to have should be only of about 40 minutes monthly.
It equates to a figure of about 1% downtime. Anything above 1-2 % indicates the troubled status of the company. It stands true both in the case of internal as well as external problems like hacking attempts.
- Customer service
It is another criterion of having an impressive customer service. For example, one needs to announce a scheduled maintenance of server to the customers. However, some companies choose not to alert them which have an impending effect on the businesses. It is crucial to understand the technical support availability as well as the hours.
- Applications
The hosting company needs to have a high quality of the critical server applications. Hence even if one does not regularly use it, it is imperative to have them available. For example, a business owner may set up a distinct account for the purpose of web hosting for having sales pages to run marketing campaigns. However, they realize at a later point in time that it is important to avail alternate ways for driving traffic to the sales pages.
Features that one needs to look on in the web hosting:
- Speed
It is vital that the websites load as soon as possible. It is an unfortunate site when visitors need to wait for long on your site, for the page to get loaded. Besides, Google now also includes the factor of speed as a primary criterion for the site’s quality. Hence, slow loading further kills other efforts related to SEO. Various factors essentially affect a website’s speed.
- Bandwidth
It is another measure which decides the exact amount of data flow from the websites to the visitors. A broad range of hosting accounts provides unlimited bandwidth. In cases when you are interested in building a larger site which in a way is going to handle plenty of visitors a day, then to pay for bandwidth becomes an issue. Moreover, it is vital for you to get a clear understanding of the hosting plans which can face penalties to go over the amount of allotted bandwidth.
- Scalability
When you start a website, you are however not aware of your specific needs. One can guess about the storage along with the bandwidth required. It serves as the reason why you should find out about the ease of uploading. The account of web hosting needs to handle both steady as well as slow growth. It also needs to control and manage sudden spikes taking place in traffic. This situation is where the scalability factor comes up.
- Technology
For those who need to run any of the typical applications like that of Word Press, Joomla, Zen Cart, Drupal, MediaWiki and so on, then you should not be having any problem with the several web hosts. However, when you might need something more exotic is when you can run into a problem. Hence, technology is an important factor which is a hosting provider needs to upgrade.
- Access
Almost all of the hosting companies offer a control panel to manage the hosting account. However, not all are that easy to access. The hosting company thus needs to have FTP access to the files. It provides an interface to the command line to the server.
- Support
While running a blog or a website, one can face different issues. These problems, however, can rise at any point of the day. It is why a robust and powerful support team is required. Technology might at times get a lot complicated and hence this is where the support team comes to the rescue. A group of experienced technicians comprise the support team who are experts in the knowledge available. These assistants readily help you solve the problem 24/7 through step by step problem-solving.
Just like everything else, there are different pros and cons of web hosting as well. Most of the companies offer various bandwidth and space but narrow down hosting provider that seems daunting. The advantages and disadvantages vary and depend on the particular site created. Following are the things that one needs to consider to ensure the equipment for a web hosting company.
- Free hosts
For those who do not comprise a domain but simply wish for a blog, free host uses like Blogger, Tumbler or Word Press are availbale. These hosts further limit the total content that one can create while having coding or design restrictions. One can create personal websites for the recommended for personal sites. Adhering to the terms and conditions of the company is important. Failure to adhere to them causes data loss or account suspension.
- Virtual space
It refers to the disc space that you get allowed to for images, web pages, and video. Most of the companies provide various packages which tailor in a way that suits the needs of the client’s website. The pros to having own hosting are a domain name, email forwards, POP3 email accounts and so on.
- Website content
In addition to all of the components as mentioned above, what is important is website content. Content helps in generating traffic to a website. The precise nature of content written attracts the readers, thus making a web page more attractive. Hence, content creation is extremely vital to the needs of a web hosting company.
Thus, one can cite that web hosting is a service that provides space for websites on the internet. It does everything related to the management of the servers, its security, software to its bandwidth, speed and so on. It works for storing the website files on computers connected to high-speed networks. Overall, it is the business or the activity that provides enough storage space along with access to the sites. With diverse functions and features, it is an important essential to the working of a company or a website.
Thank you for the article. Very informative and reliable. Keep up the good articles.
Hi Aishwar Babber,
It’s an amazing post regarding web hosting you have covered here and truly this is one of the most complete guides for beginners.
Hey Aishwar Babber,
Good explanation of protocols ,subdomain, domain and top level domain thanks
Hey Aishwar,
Web hosting is a huge industry, with close than a billion websites currently online and millions of people all over the world getting into this new world. The website hosting process can be intimidating and confusing at first, but once we get our head around it, we easily understand how it works.
Most hosting companies also offer domain registration services. Some people keep their domain name with the registrar company, separate from the hosting account.
But from my opinion we need to keep it all under our hosting account for the trouble-free management and maintenance. Eventually, thanks for sharing a complete guide for Web hosting and it will really very beneficial for many people to understand whole scenario in deep regarding Web Hosting.
With best wishes,
Amar kumar