Web hosting services are companies that provide the technology and infrastructure needed to make websites accessible over the internet. In simple terms, web hosting allows individuals, businesses, and organizations to create a website and make it available to anyone with an internet connection. Without a web host, a website would not be visible to anyone outside of the local network it’s stored on. You may have questions about this if you’ve designed a website and are not sure what to do once you’ve bought a domain name in terms of getting your site to “go live”. Sozo Technologies exists to help small businesses and organizations of all sizes, including individuals, solve their technology needs simply. So, in the interest of helping you learn more about web hosting, here is some web hosting terminology to become familiar with:
Types of web hosting:
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is a type of web hosting service where multiple websites are hosted on the same server and share its resources, such as disk space, bandwidth, and processing power. Each website on a shared hosting plan is assigned a certain amount of resources, and they all use the same operating system and server software.
With shared hosting, website owners share the cost of server maintenance and operation, making it one of the most affordable options for those who are just starting out or have a limited budget. Shared hosting plans typically offer easy-to-use control panels and pre-installed applications, making it easy for beginners to set up and manage their websites.
However, shared hosting also has some limitations. Since multiple websites share the same server resources, if one website experiences a sudden increase in traffic or resource usage, it can affect the performance of other websites hosted on the same server. Additionally, shared hosting plans typically offer limited customization options and may not be suitable for websites with high traffic or resource-intensive applications.
Overall, shared hosting is a good option for those who are just starting out or have a small to medium-sized website with moderate traffic. It’s an affordable and easy-to-use hosting option that can provide sufficient resources for most basic website needs.
VPS hosting
VPS hosting stands for Virtual Private Server hosting. It is a type of web hosting service where a physical server is partitioned into multiple virtual servers, each running its own operating system and hosting environment. Each VPS operates independently, as if it were a dedicated server, but it shares the physical resources of the underlying server with other VPS instances.
VPS hosting offers more resources, flexibility, and control than shared hosting. Each VPS instance is allocated a specific amount of resources, such as CPU, RAM, and storage space, which are dedicated to that instance alone. This ensures that the performance of one website hosted on a VPS doesn’t affect the performance of other websites hosted on the same physical server.
VPS hosting also offers more customization options, allowing website owners to install and configure the software they need for their website. This can be especially useful for websites that require specific software or configurations that are not available in shared hosting environments. It’s a scalable and cost-effective hosting solution that can accommodate the growing needs of a website as it expands.
Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting is a type of web hosting service where a website is hosted on a dedicated server that is exclusively reserved for that website. Unlike shared hosting or VPS hosting, where multiple websites share the same physical server, dedicated hosting offers the entire physical server to a single website.
Dedicated hosting provides the highest level of performance, security, and customization options for websites with high traffic or resource-intensive applications. Since a website has exclusive access to the server’s resources, there is no sharing of resources with other websites that could potentially impact its performance. This allows websites to handle large amounts of traffic and complex applications without any performance issues.
Dedicated hosting also offers high-level security measures to protect a website’s data and applications. Website owners have full control over the server environment, including the operating system, software, and security configurations, allowing them to customize the server to meet their specific security needs.
However, dedicated hosting also comes with a higher price tag than other hosting options, and it requires a higher level of technical expertise to manage the server environment. Additionally, dedicated hosting may be overkill for smaller websites with lower traffic volumes and resource needs. It’s ideal for large e-commerce sites, enterprise-level businesses, or websites with resource-intensive applications, such as video streaming or gaming.
Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting is a type of web hosting service that utilizes a network of virtual servers to host a website, instead of a single physical server. In cloud hosting, multiple servers work together to provide resources to a website, which are delivered as a service over the internet.
Cloud hosting offers many advantages over traditional hosting methods. It provides high scalability, allowing website owners to quickly and easily add or remove resources as needed to handle fluctuations in traffic and resource demands. This means that cloud hosting can adapt to the changing needs of a website, without requiring any changes to the underlying infrastructure.
Cloud hosting also provides high availability and reliability, since websites are hosted on multiple servers that are spread across different physical locations. If one server goes down, the website can automatically switch to another server, ensuring that the website remains online and accessible.
Another advantage of cloud hosting is that it typically offers pay-as-you-go pricing models, allowing website owners to pay only for the resources they use, instead of having to invest in and maintain their own physical server infrastructure. Cloud hosting really can fit needs of any size, from small personal blogs to large e-commerce sites.
Server location:
The location of the server where a website is hosted can have an impact on its performance and user experience. This is because the physical distance between the server and the user can affect the website’s load time and latency. When a user requests a web page, the request is sent to the server where the website is hosted, and the server sends back the necessary data to display the page in the user’s browser. The physical distance between the server and the user can affect the speed at which this data is transferred, which can impact the website’s load time and responsiveness.
For example, if a website is hosted on a server located in the United States, and a user in Europe requests to access the website, the data has to travel across the Atlantic Ocean, which can result in longer load times and higher latency. To improve the performance and user experience of a website, it’s important to choose a server location that is close to the website’s target audience. This can help reduce the physical distance that the data has to travel, resulting in faster load times and lower latency. As well, some search engines, such as Google, take into account the server location when determining the search ranking of a website. If a website targets a specific geographic region, it’s important to choose a server location within that region to improve its search engine visibility.
Bandwidth and storage:
Your web hosting plan will come with a certain amount of bandwidth (data transfer) and storage (space on the server). If your website receives a lot of traffic, you will need more bandwidth and storage to accommodate it.
Server uptime:
This is the amount of time your website is available and accessible on the internet. Look for a web host that guarantees a high uptime, which is usually around 99.9%.
Control panel:
A control panel is a web-based interface that allows you to manage various aspects of your web hosting account, including creating email accounts, managing databases, and setting up FTP accounts.
Technical support:
Make sure the web host provides 24/7 technical support in case of any issues.
Security:
Look for a web host that provides security features such as regular backups, firewalls, and SSL certificates to protect your website from hacking and other security threats. Backups involve making copies of a website’s data, including files, databases, and configurations, and storing them in a secure location. These are incredibly important to your website’s continuity as well as your own peace of mind. Firewalls are an important security tool in web hosting as they protect websites and web servers from unauthorized access, malicious attacks, and other security threats. An SSL certificate is essential for your website, too, as it helps establish trust and credibility with website visitors. The presence of an SSL certificate is indicated by a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar and the “https” protocol, which reassures visitors that their information is safe and that the website is legitimate. It encrypts the data exchanged between a website and its visitors, which makes it difficult for hackers to steal or intercept sensitive information, such as login credentials, credit card information, and personal data.
What you should know…
Choosing a good web host is important because it can affect the speed, performance, and security of your website, as well as your ability to manage and maintain it. It’s important to research and compare different web hosting providers, considering your website needs and budget to select the most appropriate option for you. The terms mentioned above should empower you to be able to ask the right questions and research a web host to the best of your ability. Sozo Technologies would love to partner with you and the needs of your website when it comes to web hosting, so please reach out to our outstanding and knowledgeable customer support team today to get your website up and going.
