In simple terms, Website Hosting or Web Hosting is a service through which you can put up your website on the internet. In other words, It is the service that will host your website. They are stored on devices known as servers.
To start your own site, you will have to register a website domain name on the service provided by the host. The fee paid for this depends on the host. This is the address of your site and is what people will have to type to access it. These hosts can store huge amounts of data on their servers and can handle a wave of traffic that the site will get.
Not all hosting is the same as there are different ways in which this can be done. Here are some of the common types of website hosting that can be seen.
Shared Web Hosting
In this type, your web page is part of a server that hosts other web pages as well. There is an economic benefit that you can have because of the sharing. The cost of maintaining the server will be shared among the different users which is sure to reduce your cost. These servers are very robust and capable of great performance which means that you are getting value for your money.
Despite how capable it is, the host will be influenced by other pages on it. So for example, if one site is getting more traffic, that may affect the operation of your site. Shared Hosting is the right type of hosting for you when you are starting out as you cannot afford to spend too much.
Web Hosting On The Cloud
Cloud Hosting is a more recent trend that has arisen as a result of cloud storage becoming more popular. An attractive aspect of this type of hosting is that large quantities of data can be stored. It also allows more servers to be used by the host. This is especially useful for you are having a lot of traffic being directed towards your site.
It is important since your website crashing due to an increase in traffic is the last thing that you want. Since there is no definite range of how many servers you will be needing, the rate of usage will be set as per your performance.
Dedicated Web Server
Dedicated hosting is a type of server hosting that is solely meant for you. The entire control of the server is with you. So unlike in shared servers, you do not have to worry about how the other sites are doing and can focus on you alone. It goes without saying that a server such as this is going to cost you a lot.
But if you are at a point where you feel that it is necessary to have a dedicated server, then, by all means, you should go for it. Taking care of the server will prove to be quite a task. It is better to hire someone to look after it and ensure that it is in the best shape possible.
WordPress Hosting
With the increasing popularity of blogs, WordPress Hosting is becoming easier by the day to start your own blog as a website. Let me explain this. Take a blog service provider such as WordPress. You can start a blog for free but this will have .wordpress.com after the name of the blog. They have a found a solution for this.
Now, they offer a service where you can purchase a domain name from WordPress so that it is .com now. The fee that you have to pay is quite minimal. You have the added advantage of having a host that is very easy to navigate. They also let you do your own web design It is a great option to have when you are in the beginning stages. It is also a very secure service. Even if you are a business, you could start a website on WordPress to be a blog for your company.
Virtual Private Server
VPS Hosting that is also known as Virtual Private Server acts as a bridge between a shared hosting service and a dedicated hosting service. There is only one server that is used but it feels like there are many thanks to it being a virtual private server. They are more expensive than a shared hosting service but the benefit of having them makes it a worthy investment for you. In this server, a user can have more control than they usually do.
Reseller Hosting
On Reseller Hosting, you can rent out the server space that is given to you. This is because the user is given the permission to do so. Getting the opportunity to this is a little expensive so you should do it only if you can afford it. But once you do it, you can make a little profit out of it. This can help you cover your other costs as well.
Collocation Hosting
On Collocation Hosting, you will be using the perks of a data centre provided by the host but the hardware needed will be provided by you. So the functioning of the hardware is on you. They just give you space where you can store the server. If something goes wrong, It becomes your responsibility to fix it. If you are going to choose this type of hosting, make sure that you have the expertise to handle it.
