Whenever we want to learn about anything today, we easily type in keywords in Google and we are presented with a lot of results. We get a list of websites that have the relevant information we need. We can then read up on that issue and get ideas.
Now, web hosting is the service that makes that easy access to information possible. Web hosting enables people or businesses to create their own page over the World Wide Web. They populate these pages with information they believe would be important to users. These pages are called websites or web pages. Although, you already knew that or you wouldn’t even here reading this!
A common question is why do I have to pay for web hosting? Well, it’s specialised service. It is difficult to keep your website available on Internet 24/7. Web hosting companies have to have computers with high speed Internet connection. These computers would need to be in a secured location with temperature controls. Onsite hardware repair guys is also needed that cost money. Therefore, they charge you money in turn.
Different Types of Web Hosting
Just like web design, there are different types of web hosting services that fit different people. In the web world, this translates to a simple to the most advanced server plans.
Shared Hosting
This is what beginners use or small traffic websites. Consider this as having training wheels. You do share resources with other domains so there may be setbacks in the form of server traffic and lags. As is anything that is shared, too, there is limited control on the applications you can include especially of it directly affect server speed and memory capacity.
Dedicated Hosting
Once your website gains traction and is starting to take off, you can opt for this type of hosting. Your website gets its own server. This allows you to be more freely creating applications, customization and the like. This also means faster performance. This is the common option for people who would like additional security for their websites or greater volume of access over time. This comes with additional costs of maintaining it since you are solely responsible for one server.
Cloud Hosting
With this type of hosting, the sources to power the website are spread out across a number of computers in a network and users can consume the volume they need without physical equipment to house the servers. This is also practical as you can only make use of the resource you need for your website demands and as your website grows bigger, the usage of resources can be tweaked.
Cloud Shared Hosting
Cloud shared hosting is designed for small businesses and individuals. With Cloud Shared Hosting, you are able to pay for only the resources that you are using or you want to use and nothing more. For that reason, small business and individuals do not have to encounter resource wastage or paying for what they do not need or use.
How Does Web Hosting Work?
Basically, you place all the information you want to share in a storage platform that can be accessed through the internet.
Choosing a Host. Think of this as choosing a store space to rent and you place all you can offer in it and make it accessible to the public. Similarly, web hosts rent out their servers to you so you can store your data and make it accessible through the internet. You can find a cheap web hosting company to make it more affordable.
Purchasing a Domain Name. Access point of the information you store on a webiste is called the domain name. This is likened to a physical address. Having a specific physical address enables the mailman to deliver letters and packages to the accurate people. After you have chosen a host and registered a domain name, all you need is to launch the website.
What is most promising today is cloud hosting. Because of its relative flexibility and reliability compared to other hosting services, it is emerging as one of the most preferred hosting type. It does not have the restrictions of the more traditional methods in terms of infrastructure and another endearing quality is the nature of consuming and paying for only what is needed at the moment.
Future of Web Hosting
There was a time when printed media were the only way that information can be passed on from a source to people. A person has to have the physical copy of where the information was written to be able to know its content. In this day and age, that is no longer a problem. Web hosting cost is lower, it’s more expandable. Future of web hosting is however in the cloud.