What is Web-Hosting? In simple words
In this Digital Era, Web Hosting is a significant term. Every individual who has an active internet connection is probably using a Web Hosting somehow. Web Hosting is a necessity for most of us. If you ask me, I would say Web Hosting is one of the reasons you are reading this guide on the Internet.
In this guide, you’ll learn about the followings:
- What is Web-Hosting?
- How Web-Hosting Works?
- Different Types of Web-Hostings?
- Which Web-Hosting to Buy?
Let’s start with the basics, i.e.,
What is Web-Hosting?
In simple terms, Web Hosting is an online service. In this service, we are provided with space on some physical servers where we can either store our data/website or publish it on the Internet.
Hosting providers have different physical servers. Out of these multiple servers, one is given to us, which has an IP address. Using that IP, we can access that physical server using our devices. We can also store data on this server using that IP and some credentials like Username and Passwords.
This physical server is basically a computer placed somewhere on our planet, and it runs 24*7 without any interruption. This uninterrupted operation of computers allows us to access the data or website any time we want.
Web Hosting is majorly used by Website owners to publish their websites on the internet. It’s like physical storage that is accessible using an IP address. This space can be used to store files, assets, and sometimes databases. You can also host your emails on Web Hosting servers.
How Web Hosting Works?
Web Hosting doesn’t include a simple storage server. It has some other elements like:
- RAM
- Bandwidth
- Processes Request
These elements vary with different Web Hosting plans. Some Web Hosting plans are quite expensive. Usually, the expensive plans offer High-speed servers with lightning-fast RAM and huge bandwidth, whereas there are some cheap plans that aren’t so fast and don’t have large memory.
Usually, whenever an individual decides to start a website, he/she looks for Web Hostings. Besides this, it is essential to have a domain name before Web Hosting. So first, grab yourself a domain name and then start looking for Web Hosting.
You have to connect the Domain Name with your Web Host, i.e., you’ll redirect the domain name address to the Web Hosting Server’s IP address. So that who so ever visits the domain name gets the data stored on the Web Hosting server.
Mostly, Web Hosting providers will help you connect your domain name with your Hosting server; otherwise, you can follow some guide from the internet. It will hardly take a few minutes.
It is recommended to go for trail web hosting plans or 30-day money-back moneyback guarantee plans. This will give you an option to switch to another Web Hosting servers if the current one fails to offers the desired performance you are looking for.
If you are afraid that you don’t have any programming knowledge, then it will tough for you to manage your server then; Let me tell you that Web Hosting servers don’t need any programming knowledge, and if you still feel confused, then it is recommended to contact the Web Hosting providers, they’ll handle everything for you.
Different Web Hosting Plans
There are different Web Hosting plans available for different users based on their needs. Some of them are listed below:
- Cloud Hosting
- Dedicated Hosting
- Shared Hosting
- VPS Hosting
You might have seen some other hosting plans, but the above listed are the most common and useful hosting plans.
Cloud Hosting
This hosting plan is one of the most reliable solutions available for website owners. In terms of security, Cloud Hosting is the best available option. Besides this, Cloud Hosting provides the most uptime because if you are using this hosting, and anything goes wrong with one of your servers, the cloud will automatically redirect your visitors to another server.
Therefor cloud hosting has a self-repair mechanism, and this results in negligible downtime. But you need to consider the fact that Cloud Hosting costs a little more than average hosting plans.
| Pros | Cons |
| No Downtime | Expensive than Normal Hosting Plans |
| Pay as per usage | Server management and cloud server management skills are required |
| More Scalable | |
| No Traffic Loss in case of server failures |
VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting is the advanced version of Shared Hosting. In this plan, your portion of the server will be secure and private. If you are running a medium-size business, then it is recommended to go with this hosting plan. It will cost you little more than the shared web hosting plan. In return for your investment, VPS Hosting will give you root access and easy to manage server.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to manage | Expensive |
| Scalable | Server management skills are required |
| Traffic surge won’t affect the website performance | |
| Root access to a server |
Dedicated Hosting
A dedicated hosting plan will give you individual physical servers, and you’ll have complete control over the server. This server is entirely dedicated to your website. Besides this, you’ll have enough flexibility to customize the server as per your website.
A dedicated hosting plan comes with a professional level of support. The hosting providers will give you every possible help you need to make your website management smooth and hustle free. You must note that this hosting plan needs quite a lot of budget. It’s like renting a dedicated server with a complete facility and a professional team.
| Pros | Cons |
| Dedicated physical server | Expensive |
| Full control over server | Server management skills are required |
| Root access to the server | Complex servers |
| Dedicated dashboard and support team |
Shared Hosting
Shared Web Hosting is one of the most common and cheapest solutions available on the internet. Apart from this, Shared Hosting is easy to set-up, which makes it ideal for beginners.
Shared Hosting comes with a dedicated dashboard where the admin can manage their portion of the server in just a few clicks. Here a part of the server is mentioned because, in this plan, the provider won’t give you a completed server to store your website files. A single server is shared among different users; therefore, its performance is also split among users.
The problem with this hosting plan is its unreliability. A small hike in the traffic can crash your server, and it will directly lower your website’s performance.
| Pros | Cons |
| Low Cost | Low Performance |
| Easy to manage | Traffic Surge can crash the server |
| Pre-configured servers | Minimal Control over Server |
Which Hosting Plan to Buy?
If you are just starting with your first website, it is recommended to go with the Shared Hosting Plan. This plan will give you all the necessary features that you need at the beginning phase.
Besides this, if you are looking forward to opening an online company or an e-commerce portal, it is recommended to go with either a dedicated hosting plan or a cloud hosting plan. These two plans will give you top-notch performance, and this performance will directly boost your company’s or portal.
Apart from these plans, while picking up hosting, you must consider the followings:
- Downtime must be negligible.
- Bandwidth must be high.
- Storage must be large.
- RAM should at least 4GB.
- Control Panel must be there.
- The provider must give 24*7 technical support.
If someone recommends you a hosting plan, you must realize that his requirements might be different then yours. You must enroll in the trial web hosting plan and then decide whether that web hosting plan meets your needs or not.
The best way to pick a web hosting plan for your requirements is to contact the web hosting providers and ask for recommendations.
Final Notes
Through this guide, I hope all your doubts regarding Web Hosting are cleared now. If you still have something in your mind, let me know, we will discuss it further in the comments. Besides this, if you are looking for some suggestions, then feel free to drop down your query down.
