A description of web space hosting
As its name hints, web hosting is a solution, which entails hosting online content. There are different forms and types of hosting, based on the mission and on the usage. However, they all entail hosting files, which, once hosted, are made available through the Web. A host is in fact a server that is linked to the Web and has its own Internet Protocol address, which permits users to get access to it via the Internet. The hosting server's architecture and its system resources depend on the type of web hosting service it's going to be utilized for.
What are the different types of hosting?
Depending on the mission, the business hosting solution may be:
File Storage Web Hosting - this type of hosting enables the customers to store their files on a particular web hosting server. With the classic file hosting solution, the files that are stored may only be accessed by the customer that's availing of the service. This hosting service normally is associated with backups of computers , documents, private files and even other hosting servers. This service may also involve given limits when it comes to the storage space and the root-level access. There may also be bandwidth limitations, but that is dependent on the given web host.
Warez Hosting - the so-called warez web hosting service is resembling the previous web hosting service type. Nevertheless, unlike the file storage web hosting solution, the warez web hosting solution is utilized for circulating copyrighted materials without being okayed by the copyright proprietor. To put it briefly - it involves the illicit circulation of files and docs. There are a lot of ways for this to be attained, but the 2 principal approaches are - via simple HTTP downloading and via P2P connections. The first way entails either a particular site, or, most often, simply a directory on a server that's been made available for everyone to access it and thus download licensed files for free. The second method entails a peer-to-peer connection, making use of the so-called Torrent web servers, via which people transmit files between each other. There are very few web site hosting providers that allow that type of hosting on their web hosting servers, mainly owing to all the judicial entanglements that it presupposes. Usually such web pages are hosted on private dedicated servers that are registered by 3rd party enterprises either in the Middle East or in Asia.
Email Hosting - this solution is relevant with both shared webspace hosting and dedicated web servers, depending on the client's desire. If you want to build your very own private SMTP electronic mail server, then you will need either a Virtual Private Server or a dedicated hosting server that provides the access level required to perform such a task. For common electronic mail web hosting purposes, though, you can utilize a standard shared webspace hosting account, to which you can point the mail exchanger records of your domain. This is not a solution that's widely famous, since the web hosting and the email hosting services are being served by two separate web servers, usually belonging to different hosts.
Web Page Hosting - the most famous and vastly used hosting service now. It's utilized for hosting website files, whose sort depends on the OS the web server is using - Linux or Windows. Different sorts of files require specific web hosting server Operating Systems, or else they won't be displayed correctly on the World Wide Web. This sort of hosting may impose data space and traffic restrictions, root access and CPU usage limitations.
Based on the purpose and on the usage, the user should select the kind of web server that he needs for his project, and, of course, the webspace hosting supplier that's going to supply it. There are several types of servers, depending on the configuration and the webspace hosting solutions that they offer. These are:
Shared Hosting Server - a shared web site hosting server supplies a smaller quantity of system resources, which, of course, is manifested in the cost of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small and medium websites, which do not need vast quantities of data storage and bandwidth.
Semi-Dedicated Servers Hosting - they are based on the same principle as the shared web hosting servers. However, there are much less clients hosted on the same server. Hence, each of them will get a larger quota of the server's resources like RAM, disk space, bandwidth and CPU. Ideal for hosting enormous web portals that do not need complete server root access.
Virtual Private Server - the virtual private web hosting servers are ideal for middle scale online portals, which do demand root-level access to the web hosting server's config files. Generally, there are several Virtual Private Server hosting accounts sharing the same machine. Nonetheless, each of them is insulated from the rest and has its own Operating System.
Dedicated Server - a completely dedicated physical machine set up and accessed by you and only you. It guarantees a tremendous amount of resources. It also includes root privileges, which makes it an excellent solution for any type of web site that demands a site hosting service.
The sole question that remains is:
Which webspace hosting distributor should I select?
As mentioned, there are very few web hosting providers providing warez hosting services due to judicial complications. Such providers are being closed down almost every month. Therefore, if you want to provide such a service, you should do it on your own PC. The shared website hosting solution is the most famous kind of hosting service. That is why, every website hosting company offers it. Not all of them, however, provide services such as virtual private web servers, semi-dedicated servers and dedicated hosting servers. Most of the small sized site hosting suppliers do not have the resources demanded for offering those solutions. Because of that it's invariably best to opt for a bigger web host that can provide its customers with all the services that they request. You can easily ID such web hosting companies by the sorts of solutions that they are supplying and by the way that they present them to the clients. For example, some web hosting companies allow you to start with a smaller web site hosting account and subsequently move to a more advanced one, if you deem it necessary to do so. This is quite convenient, since you do not have to transfer websites between web servers and there is no chance of suffering network outages due to all the predicaments that may crop up. Hosting companies such as AIDA Host are offering all types of services and have the necessary web server resources and personnel to assure that their clients will not come across any troubles when changing services, which is what a top hosting company is actually all about.