Technology has become a key asset in contemporary countries assisting and playing a crucial part almost in every sector, from industries down to the ordinary individual or user.
To kickstart, run and keep up a business nowadays one is highly encouraged to switch to digital, as it is essential to enable level playing field competitiveness. From basic, dynamic, attractive websites or e-commerce sites to being actively present across the most popular social platforms, yields an advantageous leverage enhancing chances of revenue.
Funnelling down to websites in particular, we are aware that these are created by professionals in the field, or one can even dab and craft it via the various building applications on offer. Ideally the owner regularly updates and tweaks it with any novelties about products or services in the offing, checking for any messages left by visitors, updating photos and so on. Nevertheless, someone is `hosting` and providing the online service for you and any visitors to find the website there when it needs to be accessed. Say hello to Web Hosting.
Achieving the necessary know-how of web hosting services and variants will surely assist you in containing your overall website`s costs, while pinpointing a steadfast resolution for your web page. Thus, let us take you for a deep dive to discover how web hosting works, and how many different types are available.
How Does Web Hosting Work?
To put it concisely, somewhere at your provider`s premises a physical computer is the server hosting your website. This computer runs incessantly to make your web page available to visitors all the time.
In reality when opting for a web hosting service, one is buying a server or its storage for a particular website, which will make space to continually save and run your site`s data.
Once your domain name is searched either via Google`s search or directly from the browser`s address bar, the server will transfer all files linked to your website and make your site`s info available, or in other words load it, then it continues to respond in line with the visitor`s actions.
It is possible to host a website yourself, but that would entail extensive technical skills, such as configuring a web server from scratch, including equipment, infrastructure, hardware, and software plus regular maintenance.
Whereas, purchasing web hosting from professionals in the market will ensure that you obtain a holistic approach via their expertise, simplifying many complex aspects of hosting a website from physical installation to technical support, resulting in an optimal overall performance together with better security protocols.
Types of Web Hosting Services
There exist a myriad of web hosting services, thus choosing, and determining which one is best to suit your needs might be tricky.
Different web hosts offer different packages according to the client`s needs, from business website owners to personal blog creators to mention only two popular genres.
We recommend that you start with a basic hosting plan, then by time when your website hopefully garners more traffic you switch to an upgraded more advanced plan.
Let`s take a look at some of the most popular web hosting services:
Shared Hosting
Multiple users share the same server resources, including memory, performance power and storage space.
Pros
- Cost-effective, thus ideal for minor web pages
- Technical proficiency isn`t required
- Pre-organised server selections
- No need to manage server`s maintenance and admin
Cons
- Server configuration access is limited
- If traffic increases on other websites it could affect your website`s speed
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
Similar to Shared, the server is yes shared with other users, but each user will be allocated a separate virtual partition.
Pros
- Dedicated server space
- Increased traffic on other websites doesn`t affect your site`s performance
- Root access to the server
- High customisability
Cons
- Technical expertise is needed to manage it
- Although relatively affordable, some users may need to hire a developer to cater for the virtual server which will increase costs
Cloud Hosting
Several virtual servers are utilised to host websites, thus if any issues crop up also due to high traffic the other servers take over and maintain the website going.
Pros
- Downtime and hardware failure is reduced
- Load balancing is applied to manage high traffic while preventing any DDoS attempts (Distributed Denial-of-Service – malicious premeditated attack utilising a flood of internet traffic with the intent of disrupting the normal traffic of a targeted server)
- Adaptability, since your website isn`t limited to the resources of a single server
Cons
- Root access is not always provided
- More expensive than VPS and Shared hosting
WordPress Hosting
WordPress-optimised server to boost your site faster while minimising potential issues.
Pros
- Beginner-friendly and low cost
- Optimised for WordPress sites
- Customer support team proficient in WordPress issues
- Pre-installed themes and plugins
Cons
- Not ideal for non-WordPress websites
Dedicated Hosting
Provides a physical server for each website, thus one can customise the entire hosting environment to suit specific conditions. Ideal for large online trades that deal with heavy traffic.
Pros
- Absolute control over the server`s configuration
- Elevated reliability
- Root access to the server
Cons
- Oriented towards large businesses, high cost
- Server management and technical expertise is required
In Conclusion
When you are down to creating a website there is a lot to plan ahead and decision-making involved, including where to host it.
As we saw, web hosting is a service which enables your website to be available and accessible online, irrelevant of its nature or if it is intended for business purposes, brand awareness, showcasing, or any other types, you will always need a host.
Trust that our exhaustive guide covered the most salient facets of web hosting, while we are confident that by abiding to our suggestions with your needs in mind you`ll be on the right path and placed in a better position to deal with your chosen web hosts.
Keep in mind that expenses vary according to the provider, type of hosting and the desired features you want to apply, from affordable beginner-friendly options to more professional.