An Introduction To Web Hosting – Just What It Is And Why You Need It

What Is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a sometimes confusing and misunderstood term in the online world. Many want to have a web site on the internet, but don't know what it takes to get one up and running. Even if you create the most gorgeous and well designed web site around, it won’t mean a thing if no one is able to get to it! This is where web hosting and web hosting technologies come in.

What happens is your web site, which is built from a bunch of computer files, is placed on a type of computer that has more power than your home pc. These high speed, high power computers are called servers and they will basically be your web site's home. The person who owns the server is called a "web host", as their computer is now hosting your web site!

What Is The Difference Between My PC And A Server?

Power. When it comes right down to it, a server has a lot more power than your personal computer at home. A server also has the capacity to store a lot more information than you will find on the normal desktop.

Looking at your home PC, you will normally find a hard drive, a processor and some form of power. Looking at a server, you will normally find numerous processors, which allow this machine to do more applications quicker and simultaneously. Several disk drives will also be present, as the same data will be written on more than one drive – just in case! Most servers will have a backup power source, as well, just in case one source goes down. That way, the server can keep working without disrupting any information and web sites which it is hosting.

For the best web hosting scenario, it is best to look to a server working with a connection even faster than cable or DSL. Any server at any given time will be bombarded with several, sometimes hundreds, of visitors. Regular internet connections, even those considered "fast", may not be enough to handle all the traffic.

What Kind Of Web Hosting Is Out There?

The most common type of web hosting available is called virtual web hosting. Since a server can hold thousands of web sites, it is rather silly to have a machine just for one. So, those persons who have servers rent space on it for the web sites of others, usually for a monthly or yearly fee. Statistically, about 95% of the web sites you visit will be using virtual web hosting.

If you plan to have and run numerous web sites yourself, there is something called a dedicated server. You will host all of your sites on one particular server and everything being hosted on that server will be yours. You won't technically own the server itself, but you will be doing something called managed hosting, where the web host owns the server and you get total use of it.

Last, you may choose to actually purchase a server outright. If you do, you will need to house it somewhere... and if you don't have the facilities it needs, you will pay a fee to house it in a datacenter.

This is web hosting in a nutshell. If you hope to have a web site placed on the internet, researching web hosting will be in your best interest. You will need to find the best service for the best price!