A description of web site hosting
As its name suggests, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting web content. There are various forms and types of hosting, based on the goals and on the usage. Nevertheless, they all refer to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible through the Internet. A host is actually a web server that is connected to the Web and has its own Internet Protocol address, which enables people to gain access to it through the Internet. The web server's architecture and its resources are determined by the form of web hosting solution it will be used for.
What are the different types of web hosting?
Based on the mission, the business website hosting solution may be:
File Storage Web Hosting - this form of hosting allows the users to deposit their files on a given server. With the average file storage web hosting solution, the files that are stored may only be accessed by the user that's utilizing the service. This hosting service typically applies to backups of PCs , docs, private files and even other web servers. This solution may also contain given limitations with regard to the data storage space and the root access. There may also be web traffic quota limitations, but that depends on the given service provider.
Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez web hosting service is very similar to the previous web hosting service form. In spite of that, in contrast with the file hosting solution, the warez web hosting service is utilized for spreading proprietary work without the approval of the patent keeper. In short - it refers to the illicit dissemination of files and docs. There are a lot of ways for this to be attained, but the two main methods are - via plain HTTP downloading and through P2P connections. The first one involves either a specific website, or, most typically, simply a directory on a server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thereby download copyrighted content for free. The second method involves a P2P connection, utilizing the so-called Torrent web servers, via which people transfer files between each other. There are not many website hosting providers that allow that type of web hosting on their hosting servers, chiefly because of all the legal troubles that it involves. Commonly such web portals are hosted on personal dedicated web hosting servers that are registered by third-party firms either in the Middle East or in Asia.
E-mail Hosting - this service is utilized with both shared webspace hosting and dedicated web hosting servers, depending on the user's desire. If you desire to create your own personal SMTP electronic mail server, then you will require either a Virtual Private Server or a dedicated web hosting server that provides the access level required to carry out such a procedure. For typical electronic mail hosting ends, however, you can open a regular shared website hosting account, to which you can point the mail exchanger records of your domain. This is not a solution that's widely used, because the web page hosting and the electronic mail hosting services are being served by two separate web servers, usually belonging to different firms.
Web Page Hosting - the most famous and vastly utilized hosting service nowadays. It's utilized for hosting web site files, whose kind is determined by the OS the hosting server is making use of - Linux or Windows. Different types of files require different web hosting server Operating Systems, otherwise they won't be displayed accurately on the Web. This type of web hosting may have web storage space and web traffic limits, root-level access and central processing unit usage limitations.
Based on the goals and on the objectives, the client should pick the kind of hosting server that he needs for his work, and, of course, the webspace hosting corporation that's going to provide it. There are several types of servers, depending on the configuration and the webspace hosting services that they offer. These are:
Shared Website Hosting Server - a shared site hosting server supplies a smaller amount of system resources, which, of course, is manifested in the cost of the service. It can be used for hosting small sized and middle sized web pages, which do not require immense quotas of server space and web traffic.
Semi-Dedicated Hosting - they operate on the same principle as the shared web hosting servers. Nevertheless, there are much less users accommodated on the same web server. For that reason, each of them will obtain a larger share of the web server's resources like RAM, data storage space, web traffic and CPU. Perfect for hosting big web pages that do not require full server root access.
VPS - the private virtual web hosting servers are excellent for medium scale online portals, which do require root access to the hosting server's configuration files. Commonly, there are a number of VPS web hosting accounts located on the same server. However, each of them is isolated from the other ones and runs its own Operating System.
Dedicated Servers - a fully dedicated web hosting server set up and accessed by you and only you. It ensures a great amount of system resources. It also includes complete root access, which renders it a perfect solution for any sort of web page that demands a web site hosting service.
The only question that remains is:
Which website hosting vendor should I opt for?
As already mentioned, there are just a few web hosting companies providing warez web hosting solutions due to judicial entanglements. Such hosts are being shut down almost every month. That is why, if you would like to provide such a service, you should do it on your very own PC. The shared site hosting solution is the most widespread type of hosting service. Therefore, every webspace hosting provider offers it. Not all of them, however, offer solutions such as private virtual servers, semi-dedicated web hosting servers and dedicated hosting servers. Most of the small sized web hosting companies do not have the means demanded for offering those services. That's why it's invariably best to go with a larger company that can supply its clients with all the solutions that they want. You can easily recognize such web hosting companies by the sorts of services that they are making available and by the way that they introduce them to the clients. For instance, some hosts allow you to kick off with a smaller web site hosting plan and subsequently move to a more powerful one, if you find it necessary to do so. This is quite suitable, since you do not need to transmit web sites between servers and there is no chance of experiencing service interruptions because of all the predicaments that may crop up. Web hosting providers such as LIVING-NETWORK offer all sorts of solutions and possess the required hosting server resources and personnel to ensure that their customers will not run into any hassles when changing services, which is what a top hosting provider is in fact all about.