
What is Web Hosting ? Types of Hosting
Web Hosting
Simply, Web Hosting is the service providing space on the Internet for websites.
When you make a website and want other people to see it, you will need to publish (or upload) it with a web hosting service.
Web hosting services work by storing your website files in high-powered computers (web servers) connected to a very fast network. When someone types in your web address (such as www.webhostnepal.com), the Internet connects to the web server holding your website files and then transfers your website information back to their computer. From there they can surf and view the pages of your website.
Hosting (also known as Web site hosting, Web hosting, and Webhosting) is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more Web sites. More important than the computer space that is provided for Web site files is the fast connection to the Internet. Most hosting services offer connections on T-carrier system lines. Typically, an individual business hosting its own site would require a similar connection and it would be expensive. Using a hosting service lets many companies share the cost of a fast Internet connection for serving files.
Anything related to managing these servers and its software, security, support, bandwidth, speed and so much more, is what we are all about! Because we provide web hosting services to over a million websites, we have special data centers that are built from the ground up to serve the purpose of web hosting.
Domain Names
Before we jump into the different types of web hosting, it’s important to remember you have to have a domain name so your website can be found on the Internet. The domain name is essentially your company’s Internet address; the same way your company’s street address is used to find your offices, a domain name is used to find your website. Considering this, pick a domain name that’s memorable and relevant!
Types of Web Hosting
There are various types of web hosting services available to host your website. Before signing up for web hosting services, it is important to understand what kind of service your website needs, the kind of server you or your business needs, your budget, and what type of services the web host offers.
As technology has progressed different types of web hosting have appeared to meet the different needs of websites and customers. Here are 3 major Hosting types:
- Shared Hosting
- VPS Hosting
- Dedicated Hosting
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most common type of web hosting, and is also the easiest to start out on. Shared hosting is a service where one server is shared between many customers. In a shared hosting environment, your and other website owners shared one server. This includes sharing the physical server and the software applications within the server. Shared hosting services are affordable because the cost to operate the server is shared between you and these other owners.
VPS Hosting
A virtual private server (VPS), also called a virtual dedicated server (VDS), is a virtual server that appears to the user as a dedicated server but is actually installed on a computer serving multiple Web sites. A single computer can have several VPSs, each one with its own operating system (OS) that runs the hosting software for a particular user.
The hosting software for each VPS can include a Web server program, a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program, a mail server program and specialized applications for activities such as e-commerce and blogging. The VPS alternative is often chosen by small businesses that need a customized Web site but cannot afford a dedicated server. Another useful aspect of VPS technology is the ability of a single subscriber to maintain multiple virtual servers. For example a Web site owner might use one server for the production-level Web site and the other for a “dummy site” that can be used to test planned updates, modifications or new programs.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is a term used to describe web hosting packages that provide a dedicated server with dedicated resources to a single client. Dedicated hosting plans are ideal for websites with very large number of visitors. Many hosting service providers offer Dedicated Hosting plans along with shared and VPS hosting plans.
For example, in a shared hosting plan, a client is sharing a computer with many other clients. In the case of a VPS hosting plan the clients are sharing a machine but not the resources with other clients on the same computer. However, on dedicated hosting plans a client leases a whole server with all of its resources. Web hosting companies offer different packages of dedicated hosting plans. Prices of theses plans are based on the clients choice of hardware and resource allocation.
Dedicated hosting plans are ideal for large organizations or websites with much higher traffic. The clients get full control of the server which allows them to configure it to meet their own needs. The dedicated plans also come in managed and unmanaged forms where the hosting center can manage the server for the client in case of any problems. Dedicated Managed servers are generally more expensive. The pricing is also influenced by the amount of resources needed such as bandwidth, storage space, and amount of RAM, amongst other things. Additional expenses for dedicated servers also include the software packages needed to run the server. Such software can include licensing for Windows, if desired, cPanel, if desired, and other paid software. Free alternatives to most of the paid software packages are available but are not generally preferred due to issues with stability of the software. The main exception to the preference for paid vs free software is the widespread use of Linux over Microsoft or other paid OS on servers.