If you're searching for "what is web hosting", you're probably trying to figure out how to start building your website. Web hosting is a must when it comes to getting your website online. We wrote this article to help you understand what web hosting is, why you need it, and how hosting providers like us can help you get started.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is an online service that allows you to publish your website files to the Internet. So anyone with internet access has access to your website. In practice, this usually refers to the service you get from a web hosting provider like one.com.
While you could theoretically host an actual server for your website at home, relying on a web hosting provider offers many advantages.
How does web hosting work?
In short, companies like us hire services and technology to host your web pages on the Internet. Once you have chosen your domain name and signed up for a hosting plan, your website is accessible on the Internet.
When you use web hosting, it is your host's responsibility to ensure that your server is up and running. Not only that, the job of the host is to prevent any security breaches and store all your files, assets, and databases on the server.
If you choose one.com to host your website, we offer many other services to enhance and protect your website.
What types of web hosting are there?
Most web hosts offer different types of hosting and each will have a different cost. It all depends on your website needs. We've put together the list below to help you understand what type of accommodation is right for you.
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is when a web hosting provider hosts several different websites on the same server. This is the most affordable form of hosting because you share the server so you share the cost. If you are looking to start a blog or start a business, shared hosting is a good choice.
In the past, sharing a server could lead to problems where a spike in traffic or resource usage from one site would slow down its "neighboring" sites. However, nowadays web hosting subscriptions come with a large amount of resources that guarantee good performance.
WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting simply means hosting that has been optimized for WordPress at the server level to ensure smooth browsing. How is WordPress different from regular hosting? While the details vary by provider, most WordPress hosting plans offer the following general features:
- Simple one-click installation skips dozens of manual steps to set up a new WordPress site. At one.com, WordPress automatically installs in less than a minute.
- Optimized server configuration to load WordPress sites faster. This may include performance cache optimizations and other tweaks.
- Security measures to protect against common WordPress vulnerabilities. Since WordPress powers over 30% of the web, it is frequently attacked. You may also come across "Managed WordPress", which usually refers to a predefined secure environment that restricts the use of unsupported or vulnerable plugins.
VPS hosting service
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. Like shared hosting, websites running on VPS share a physical server with other websites. However, each VPS tenant has its own partition with dedicated resources guaranteed. Usually more memory, storage and processing capacity, for a price to match.
VPS hosting is recommended for very experienced users with server management skills. VPS clients have root access to their partition and can configure their server software, for example Ubuntu, CentOS or Windows Server. This offers a high degree of customization for running web applications designed for these systems.
You may come across "Business Hosting" or "Premium Hosting", which are generic terms some hosts associate with VPS hosting by their in-house experts. they manage. However, support levels, subscription details, and pricing vary widely, so be sure to research these services carefully before signing up.
Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting means you have the entire server to yourself. It gives you the same access as a VPS, but you don't have to share the server with other websites or applications. Essentially, you are renting a physical web server hosted on your service provider's premises. You also have professional support and expertise at your fingertips when needed.
This premium web hosting is only guaranteed for very demanding business websites. Small and medium businesses don't need to spend thousands of dollars per month to rent a dedicated web host for their business.
Cloud hosting
Nowadays, cloud storage service has become a bad term. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you take a close look at what you get if you sign up for "Cloud Hosting".
Originally, "cloud hosting" referred to a VPS setup that could scale across multiple servers; This way, if your web application has a spike in traffic, the system will be able to provision more resources and keep things running smoothly. As a result, cloud storage will have a more variable pricing model and flexible specifications.
However, as the popularity of cloud computing has grown, a number of companies have begun to collaborate using the term for their regular VPS or shared hosting. Other providers like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure offer cloud computing services, which often include cloud storage along with a host of other advanced tools for cloud-based operations. While possible, hosting a typical website with one of these "hyperscalers" running millions of servers can pose a highly technical hurdle.
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