An interpretation of hosting
As its name signifies, web hosting is a service, which involves hosting online content. There are different varieties and types of web hosting, based on the purpose and on the objectives. Nonetheless, they all pertain to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the Internet. A host is in fact a hosting server that is connected to the Internet and has its own IP address, which enables users to access it through the World Wide Web. The web server's configuration and its resources are dependent on the type of hosting service it will be utilized for.
What are the various forms of hosting?
Depending on the function, the business website hosting service may be:
File Storage Hosting - this type of web hosting permits the customers to store their files on a specific web server. With the typical file storage web hosting solution, the files that are kept may only be accessed by the individual that's using the service. This hosting solution traditionally is associated with backups of personal computers , docs, private files and even other hosting servers. This solution may also involve certain limits in relation to the server storage space and the root-level access. There may also be bandwidth quota limits, but that is dependent on the actual provider.
Warez Hosting - the so-called warez hosting solution is resembling the previous web hosting service form. Even so, unlike the file storage hosting solution, the warez hosting service is utilized for spreading licensed content without being given the okay to do so by the licence bearer. To cut a long story short - it is connected with the illegal circulation of files and materials. There are a lot of methods for this to be done, but the two essential approaches are - via plain HTTP downloading and via P2P connections. The first approach involves either a certain site, or, most typically, simply a directory on a server that's been made available for everyone to access it and thereby download proprietary materials free of cost. The second approach involves a P2P connection, utilizing the so-called Torrent web servers, through which people share files between each other. There aren't many website hosting providers that permit that type of web hosting on their hosting servers, mainly owing to all the judicial complications that it entails. Commonly such sites are hosted on personal dedicated web hosting servers that are registered by third-party corporations either in the Middle East or in Asia.
Electronic Mail Web Hosting - this solution is applicable with both shared webspace hosting and dedicated hosting servers, depending on the customer's intention. If you desire to set up your own private SMTP server, then you will need either a Virtual Private Server or a dedicated server that provides the access level required to perform such an assignment. For customary mail hosting ends, though, you can utilize an average shared web hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain name. This is not a solution that's widely famous, because the web page hosting and the email hosting services are being served by two separate web servers, usually belonging to separate providers.
Web Site Hosting - the most popular and universally used hosting service as of now. It's used for hosting web site files, whose sort is dependent on the Operating System the hosting server is utilizing - Linux or Windows. Different types of files require concrete hosting server OSs, otherwise they won't be exhibited accurately on the Internet. This sort of web hosting may impose data space and traffic quota limits, root-level access and CPU usage limitations.
Based on the mission and on the objectives, the client should pick the sort of web server that he demands for his work, and, of course, the site hosting company that's going to furnish it. There are various types of hosting servers, based on the configuration and the web space hosting solutions that they provide. These are:
Shared Hosting Server - a shared web site hosting server supplies a smaller amount of resources, which, of course, reflects on the price of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small and middle sized web portals, which do not require enormous quantities of server storage space and bandwidth.
Semi-Dedicated Hosting - they perform on the same principle as the shared web servers. In spite of that, there are much less users hosted on the same web server. For that reason, each of them will enjoy a bigger share of the hosting server's resources like RAM, web storage, traffic and CPU. Perfect for hosting bulky web pages that do not require server root access.
VPS hosting - the VPS web hosting servers are ideal for middle size web pages, which do need root access to the web hosting server's configuration files. Traditionally, there are a bunch of VPS server web hosting accounts situated on the same physical server. Nevertheless, each of them is autonomous from the rest and has its own Operating System.
Dedicated Server - a fully dedicated web hosting server configured and accessed by you and solely you. It ensures a considerable amount of system resources. It also includes complete root access, which renders it an ideal environment for any type of web page that demands a site hosting service.
The sole question that's left is:
Which webspace hosting provider should I pick?
As stated above, there are just a few hosts offering warez web hosting services because of legal complications. Such providers are being closed down virtually every month. That is why, if you desire to provide such a service, you should do it on your very own PC. The shared hosting solution is the most widely spread kind of hosting service. That is why, each webspace hosting firm provides it. Not all of them, however, provide services such as private virtual web hosting servers, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated servers. Most of the smaller webspace hosting vendors do not have the means required for maintaining those solutions. For that reason it's invariably best to settle on a bigger web hosting company that can supply its clients with all the solutions that they seek. You can easily recognize such companies by the types of services that they are making available and by the way that they present them to the customers. For instance, some web hosting providers allow you to start with a smaller website hosting package and afterwards upgrade to a bigger one, if you deem it necessary to do so. This is extremely suitable, because you do not have to transmit web pages between web servers and there is no possibility of facing service interruptions because of all the complications that may take place. Web hosts such as Free Hostia provide all sorts of solutions and have the adequate web server resources and personnel to assure that their customers will not come across any hassles when swapping services, which is what a top hosting supplier is in fact all about.