When you look for “what is web hosting”, you’re probably looking for information on how to launch your website. In order to launch your website, web hosting is a requirement. In order to better understand web hosting, why you need it, and how hosting companies like ours may assist you in getting started, we have put together the following article.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is a service that allows businesses and individuals to publish their websites or web pages on the Internet. A web host, also known as a web hosting service provider, is a company that offers the technology and services required for a website or webpage to be seen on the Internet. Websites are hosted, or saved, on specialized computers known as servers. All Internet consumers need to do to visit your website is type your website address or domain into their browser. Their machine will then connect to your server, and your websites will be transmitted to them via the browser.
You must typically own your domain in order to host with a hosting company. The hosting firms will assist you in purchasing a domain name if you don’t already have one.
Types of Web Hosting
There are many varieties of hosting packages outside of just price and hardware. For instance, you may come across whole hosting providers designed to support particular platforms like WordPress. In order to better equip you to make an informed choice, let’s examine the seven most prevalent forms of web hosting you’re likely to encounter.
Shared Hosting
The most popular option for website owners is shared hosting. In this kind of plan, numerous users share a single server. This implies that a single machine (a shared server) will house a number of websites—possibly hundreds.
You will share resources with other users, but you won’t have access to any of their files or other data, including private information. The benefit of shared plans is that they frequently come at a low cost because hosting companies may split the expense of maintaining the servers among several users.
Even though shared hosting doesn’t always have the best reputation, the kind of service you receive will mostly depend on your hosting company. While some shared hosting packages have severe restrictions, others can support websites with reasonable traffic volumes.
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
When it comes to performance and customizability, virtual private servers (VPSs) beat shared plans. A VPS functions by having numerous virtually partitioned parts on a single physical server. Every container, or VPS, serves as a complete system exclusive to your website. As a result, you receive exclusive resources and, in some situations, access to the server’s setup.
Although you still share the same physical server, VPSs practically offer a higher level of user separation. But doing so can improve security and performance. Also, based on your hosting company, you might be able to completely customize your VPS so that it has the resources you require.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is where factors become more complicated. When people refer to the “cloud,” they usually mean distributed VPSs. Instead of storing a virtual server on a single computer, it is hosted over an entire network of them.
That network of devices is referred to as the “cloud.” The benefit of this strategy is that you can simply scale your server’s resources as needed over a network. Furthermore, because of the system’s built-in redundancy, downtime and data loss are rarely a concern with cloud hosting.
Dedicated Hosting
So far, we’ve only discussed hosting options in which users share servers. Servers are pricey, and you’ll have to pay a premium if you want a private server all to yourself.
You will have exclusive access to a single server with a dedicated server (or sometimes more than one). That is, you will have complete control over its configuration, while the web hosting service will just house it.
Managed Hosting
Managed hosting is a little different. It is not a form of plan, but rather a type of service. With managed hosting, your provider handles many of the day-to-day maintenance responsibilities that would otherwise fall on your shoulders. Backups, security monitoring, software updates, and other duties are among them.
It is critical to understand that managed hosting plans come in a variety of flavours. There are managed shared plans, managed VPSs, and even managed dedicated servers. In all of these circumstances, you pay a little extra so you don’t have to worry about the guts and bolts of hosting and can focus on building your blog, portfolio, or e-commerce website.
WordPress Hosting
It’s essential to comprehend the enormity of this particular Content Management System’s (CMS) popularity in order to comprehend the idea of WordPress hosting. Almost 30% of the internet is powered by the WordPress platform. Millions of websites, from huge corporations to personal blogs, use WordPress, including the DreamHost blog itself.
It shouldn’t be surprising that many web hosting companies offer plans specifically for WordPress customers in light of this. WordPress-specific plans typically include some kind of managed service. Free licenses for premium plugins, themes, or other tools are frequently included as well.
Reseller Hosting
You’ll undoubtedly have to manage with hosting if you manage a company that focuses on creating websites, such a development or design firm. Several customers might use assistance setting everything up and functioning because they don’t completely understand how hosting works.
For such kinds of issues, reseller hosting is an option. Simply put, you have permission to use an account that allows you to host clients’ websites. These customers pay you directly, and you’re in charge of looking after their accounts.
If you can pull it off, reseller hosting can really pay you. You can charge whatever you want for hosting with the majority of web hosts that provide reseller accounts. This implies that if you own a web development company, you may turn hosting into a steady stream of income.
What is the difference between WordPress hosting and web hosting?
The major difference between WordPress hosting and traditional web hosting is that the former is typically tailored to WordPress and may come with extra features like paid plugins that are not available with traditional web hosting.
Web hosting is a catch-all word for all kinds of hosting services. This covers dedicated and shared hosting, cloud hosting, and virtual private servers (VPS). WordPress hosting is a type of web hosting that provides servers and resources that are specifically designed for WordPress websites.
What is domain and subdomain in web hosting?
One of the most crucial steps in creating a website or other online presence is selecting a domain name.
Domain
A website’s domain name serves as its individual address. It typically consists of a domain name extension and a website name. A distinctive domain will improve your identity and make your website easier to find for your audience on the internet.
For example, Google’s website address is “google.com“.
While a user can input a human-friendly domain name and be directed to the websites they’re looking for, a website’s actual address is a complicated numerical IP address, such as 192.0.2.2. A DNS lookup is the process involved in this.
Sub-Domain
A subdomain is an extension to your primary domain name. Subdomains are used to organize and browse your website’s various sections. On your primary domain, you can have several subdomains or child domains.
As an example:Â store.yourwebsite.com
In this example, the subdomain is ‘store,’ the primary domain is ‘yourwebsite’ and the top-level domain is ‘.com’ (TLD). Your subdomain can be any text, but you should make sure it’s simple to enter and remember.
What is cPanel in web hosting?
One of the most widely used control panels among site designers and hosting businesses is cPanel. It is frequently used in conjunction with WHM (Web Host Manager); both tools cooperate closely while each performs a distinct function. The server’s administrative functions are controlled by Web Host Manager. WHM manages many websites and various accounts in addition to server specifications.
In addition, the cPanel dashboard offers capabilities for MySQL, analytics, data tracking, and SEO. It is understandable why web developers and hosting firms favour cPanel as one of their go-to control panels.
To be specific, cPanel hosting is the process of a hosting company managing a server with WHM and setting up cPanel accounts for their clients.
What is the best web hosting provider?
Hostinger is quickly becoming a household name in the WordPress hosting sector and one of the best web hosting providers. They provide low-cost hosting, live chat assistance 24 hours a day, and a solid platform for hosting your website. Hostinger includes a one-click WordPress installation, managed automatic updates, increased security, a free CDN, WordPress speed acceleration, and free site migration. They also provide geolocation hosting, with a choice of 7 data centers in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Hostinger has 29 million customers in 178 countries. In addition, they have a special 80% discount for WPBeginner readers, as well as free SSL and a free domain name.
What is the cheapest web hosting service?
Hostinger provides low-cost hosting options by limiting the CPU server resources accessible to clients based on their hosting plan. This is how most shared hosting businesses are able to provide low-cost web hosting services.
When your website reaches a certain size, you can upgrade to one of their VPS or cloud options. This allows clients to pay as they expand.