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Web Hosting
Web hosting is a service that provides Internet users with online systems for storing information, images, video, or any content accessible via the web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for use by their clients.
Types of Hosting
Hosting can be split up into four general types: shared, reseller, dedicated, and colocated.
- Shared hosting: one's Web site is placed on the same server as several hundred other sites. A problem with another site on the server can bring all of the sites down. Shared hosting also brings with it some restrictions regarding what exactly can be done, although these restrictions are nowhere near as restrictive as for free hosting.
- Reseller hosting: designed for those who want to become Web hosts themselves. One gets a large amount of space that can be divided up among as many sites as the user wants to put on his account. A reseller account is placed on the same server with other reseller accounts, just like with shared hosting.
- Dedicated hosting: With dedicated hosting, one gets a server of his own. They have no restrictions, except for those designed to maintain the integrity of the Web host's network (for instance, banning sites with adult content due to the increase risk of attack by hackers and grey legal issues for the ISP). Unless a separate management plan is purchased from the host, the user is also generally on his own. This can be an expensive proposition, as the purchase of the dedicated server itself is generally far more expensive compared to shared hosting.
- Colocated hosting: This involves a server the user purchases himself and installs at the host's data center. Besides unmonitored reboots, the user must pay extra for many services dedicated hosting provides by default. Colocated hosting is generally chosen by people with server administration experience and those with more significant needs than which can be satisfied by dedicated or shared hosting.
Obtaining Hosting
Web hosting is often provided as part of a general internet access plan; there are many free and paid providers offering these services. The most popular free services include Tripod (http://www.tripod.com/), Angelfire (http://www.angelfire.lycos.com) and Geocities (http://geocities.yahoo.com/), but the free services generally have restrictions on how the space can be used, including but not limited to: advertising, bandwidth restrictions, and programs that can be used to edit sites.
Businesses are generally restricted to using a paid Web host to host their site on. Paid Web hosts usually provide many more features, including 24/7 support and personalized assistance. Sites hosted on paid Web hosts also tend to load more quickly since each server hosts fewer sites, giving each site a larger proportion of resources.
Regardless of whether one is a business or has a personal site that needs to be hosted, it has to be created first. HTML experience is usually required to create a site, but those without design experience can hire a Web designer to do the heavy lifting. Once the site is online there's not much else that's required: the host generally handles the stuff behind the scenes.
External links
- Web Hosting Talk (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/) - Web hosting related discussion
- HostHideout (http://www.hosthideout.com/) - Web Hosting forum ran by the former moderator of WHT
- Web Hosting Stuff (http://www.webhostingstuff.com/) - World's Largest Directory Of Web Hosting Services