Hosting: The comprehensive guide to serving your website

Hosting services are one of the vital factors that greatly affect the user experience when visiting any website. Website hosting is not just a technical step, but rather a fundamental foundation upon which the success of any digital project is based. This decision includes choosing the type of service and hosting provider, a decision that requires a deep understanding of the site's needs and goals. In this article, we'll explore the world of hosting, take a look at its importance, and provide clear pointers on how to choose the best hosting service to suit your digital project's needs.

In the past, entrepreneurs mostly used their own servers for their hosting.

Today, however, business users are increasingly faced with the choice of alternative models. The aim is to find the best cost-benefit balance. Even private website operators cannot forgo at least a basic understanding of web hosting if they want to choose the right provider and product.

Definition of a fundamental element of the Internet

What does hosting consist of? In short, it means providing web space to publish websites.

In this context, we can compare websites to text documents. To be able to access your documents when you need them, you can save them on your computer hard drive.

For websites it works similarly: to access the contents of the website at any time and anywhere in the world, it is necessary to store them, not on a local computer, but on a powerful server connected to the Internet 24/7 days a week.

In this way, the created website is available online at any time and the contents can be consulted by users all over the world. Such servers are usually provided by professional web hosting providers.

Who needs web hosting?

Anyone who wants to publish a website on the Internet must use any form of... Whether it's a blog, a company website with a content management system (CMS), a store, or an online magazine: it's part of the basic technology for publishing content on the network.

It doesn't matter if it's a private or professional online project. From an economic point of view, it can make sense for companies to manage their server through which to publish their website on the Internet.

For individuals, however, the cost of running their server is usually too high, so they rent web space from a provider. In general, companies can also choose web hosting from an external provider.

How does web hosting work?

It allows users to enter the domain name into the browser and view the corresponding website content. However, the website creator must first register the domain and then upload its content to a provider server.

The domain name system (DNS) links the domain name to a server. For this purpose, so-called name servers store which domain corresponds to a particular IP address. If a user searches for a particular URL, the domain name is converted into an IP address, which is then searched on the Internet. If successful, the user will see the website searched for.

To circumvent the risk of hardware failure, many hosting providers use multiple servers for a domain to ensure high availability.

The resolution of the request can then be performed correctly even when a server is offline. A Content Delivery Network (CDN) allows you to further increase performance: content is duplicated across multiple data centers and distributed around the world. So even if the users are a long way away from the web hosting provider, they can get fast loading times.

A typical web hosting offer also includes a database, a PHP installation, and an SSL certificate. Nowadays, any online presence needs these basic technologies. For this reason, they are naturally included in the hosting packages of many providers.

Species

Anyone who wants to publish a website can choose between different types of web hosting. Below is an overview of the most relevant hosting options in the business context:

Free/Ad-Funded Hosting: This cheaper option is listed here for completeness only; it has no cost, but users face severe limitations in terms of configuration freedom and performance.

Since, from an economic point of view, it makes no sense for companies to place third-party advertisements on their website, this option is not applicable in a professional context.

Shared: This is one of the most common options. Many web hosting accounts (websites) are hosted on a single server.

System hardware resources and bandwidth are shared. Administrators of one account do not have direct access to the data of other accounts.

This form of hosting is characterized by relatively low costs and is chosen by both professional users with lesser needs and private individuals.

A disadvantage of shared hosting concerns the aspects related to security; after all, the data is stored on a common server along with those of other companies. It also offers lower performance as resources are shared. Those who run a high-traffic site and want to ensure fast loading times should choose single-server hosting.

Virtual Dedicated Servers: Virtual Dedicated Servers offer greater security. Although companies share server hardware, their accounts are created separately as virtual systems. Users usually have more configuration options than shared hosting offers.

Cloud hosting: With this relatively new form of hosting, website content is uploaded to interconnected servers (clusters).

As a result, usage is better distributed, and the weaknesses of shared hosting, in terms of performance, can be partially offset, with costs remaining moderate. Cloud is often criticized for data protection. If its provider does not take appropriate security precautions, sensitive data can more easily fall into the wrong hands.

Dedicated servers: similar to the virtual dedicated server, in this case, the data of a company are stored separately from those of the other hosting provider's customers, or on a separate, completely independent physical server.

This option offers an important advantage: you can benefit from the full system bandwidth for your online presence. In addition, companies get full administrative access and can configure the server themselves.

Managed hosting server: in this case, the contents of the user's website are stored on its server, but the user does not have full control of the hardware, as in the case of the dedicated server.

The configuration options are more limited. In return, administration and maintenance will be the responsibility of the provider, relieving the company's IT resources.

Server Housing / Shared Web Hosting: With this type, the provider provides businesses with the space needed to install their servers.

Configuration, administration, and maintenance are entirely the responsibility of the company. This option is intended for companies that use their hardware but want to install servers in a professional environment. Colocation is one of the more expensive hosting variants.

What services does web hosting include in addition to providing storage space?

Depending on the type you choose, it consists of different elements. Each provider provides a web space and a web server, that is, linking domain names to the web space. Users can also add other services.

Especially in the shared hosting and managed hosting sector, e-mail services and 1-click installations of CMS such as WordPress, TYPO3, or Joomla are also offered in different packages or at an additional cost.

Frequent services offered by providers:

• Domain transfer
• Email services
• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Backup services
• Back end database
• High availability
• SSL certificates
• Statistical evaluations
• Technical assistance
• Monitoring
• Server location selection

In conclusion

In conclusion of this article, we realize that web hosting is not just a technical step, but a vital investment that greatly affects the direction of your digital project. Providing reliable and fast performance, as well as effective support services, can make the difference between the success and failure of a website. By deeply understanding your needs and choosing the right service, you can achieve efficient and sustainable hosting.

When making a hosting decision, transparency and reliability should be among the main criteria. The continuity of service and the hosting provider's ability to meet your future needs enhance the investment you may make. Ultimately, your hosting choice directly reflects the experience of your visitors and therefore plays a crucial role in your digital success. Accordingly, you should make this decision carefully, and search for the ideal partner who will effectively contribute to achieving your goals on the web.