What is Web Hosting and How does it Work?

6 min read

What is Web Hosting? In this article, you will learn what is web hosting and the type of hosting technology that exists. To make your website visible on the internet your website files and data must be physically stored in a computer connected to the internet all the time. These powerful computers are called web servers. A website host is a company that has several servers in a single location called data centers. These companies provide the software, security, and bandwidth that connect your website to the web.

A hosting company provides the technology and services needed to store your web site’s files and make them available on the internet. Its services consist of a Web server system that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to serve Web pages to your computer or mobile phone. In simple words, Hosting is the home of your website.

There are hundreds of web hosting companies offering different prices and services. The web hosting packages are categorized base on the amount of space you need for your website file and the bandwidth your site consumes. There are many things to consider when selecting a hosting solution. When considering a hosting company you got to choose what best fits your site. Most important you need to consider your budget, speed and security features of the server.

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What is Local Web Server

When you building a dynamic website all your content, images and file structure of the website should be stored somewhere in a server. It’s always a good idea to work on your local server before your site is ready to go live. A local development environment allows you to create any kind of web site using Apache, PHP, and the MySQL database. This type of utility also comes with PHPMyAdmin, an application that allows you to easily manage your databases.

Here are some of the Local server applications that you can try before you go live.

XAMPP – Apache + MariaDB + PHP + Perl for Win, Mac, Linux
WampServer – Apache +PHP +MySQL for Windows Only
MAMP – Apache +PHP + MySQL + Python +Ruby +Perl for Win, Mac, Linux
EasyPHP – PHP + Apache + MySQL + PHPAdmin + Python for Windows Only

All websites are not the same, so find the best hosting company that suits your work. You can always find good and affordable web hosting. Therefore, make sure you always check for hidden charges and completeness of features before you sign on a contract with them.

What is cPanel?

cPanel is a web dashboard used by most web hosting companies. It was designed to make it easier to manage your web hosting account using a simple graphical interface. This dashboard contains links to some of the most important tools you need while managing your website.

Common cPanel features and features:

File Manager – Is a container for your images and website files
Add-on Domain – Where you can manage the additional domain
Email – To create and manages all webmail accounts
MySQL – Create database and its user
phpMyAdmin – To Manage website databases

How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider

You can never get the right web hosting provider without knowing your website needs. Web Hosting services are available in a wide range of prices ranging from a few dollars a month to thousands of dollars. Consequently, there are some basic questions you need to ask yourself before you choose the right hosting provider.

Here are some of the questions you have to answer before choosing your plan.

What type of website are you building?
Do you need support for a specific language (e.g. PHP version)?
Does your website need special software?
How much bandwidth and storage space you need for your site?
How is the web hosting security reputation?

What can I expect to pay for web hosting?

What does web hosting typically cost? It depends on the type of services, bandwidth, and storage space you need. Here are some of the most common services and typical costs.

* Remember to read the fine print before you sign up with a hosting company.

Shared Server A shared hosting plan is the most inexpensive option offered by most hosting companies. It consists of multiple users sharing the same physical server. Costs of operating and maintenance are split amongst them. The common costs of this type of service usually range from $3 to $10 per month

Virtual Private Server (VPS) A VPS is still a shared server, but a certain amount of resources are set aside for you. The advantage of VPS is that no matter how much bandwidth other sites used, there is always bandwidth reserved for your site. The common costs of this type of service are between $20 to $50 a month

Dedicated server A dedicated server is a server set aside entirely for you. The great benefit of this type of server is that all of the RAM resources, bandwidth, and disk storage are dedicated completely for your website. For this type of service, you have to expect to pay over $100 per month

Addons & Extra Services

SSL Certificates In order to protect visitors’ privacy especially when collecting credit card information and processing online transactions, you’ll need an SSL certificate. Nowadays a key component in Google’s ranking algorithm.

Backups are one of the most important elements to mitigate the risks of a disaster. Web hosting providers offer value-added services such as regular backups to their customers.

Email Service Most hosting providers included a way to create your email with unlimited accounts. It’s always best to double-check, though, that they provide enough for what you need.