A definition of web hosting
As its name hints, web hosting is a solution, which entails hosting web content. There are various forms and types of hosting, based on the aims and on the objectives. However, they all pertain to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the Internet. A web host is actually a server that is connected to the Internet and has its own Internet Protocol address, which allows users to have access to it via the Web. The server's architecture and its resources are dependent on the form of web hosting service it's going to be used for.
What are the various forms of hosting?
Based on the function, the hosting service may be:
File Hosting - this form of web hosting allows the users to stash their files on a particular server. With the common file web hosting solution, the files that are hosted may only be accessed by the person that's utilizing the service. This web hosting service traditionally applies to backups of personal computers , documents, personal files and even other web hosting servers. This service may also contain given restrictions in relation to the disk storage and the root privileges. There may also be traffic quota limits, but that is dependent on the actual hosting service provider.
Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez hosting service is quite similar to the previous hosting service form. Nonetheless, unlike the file storage hosting service, the warez web hosting solution is utilized for transmitting licensed materials without being given the OK to do so by the licence owner. In brief - it entails the unauthorized transmission of files and docs. There are a lot of methods for this to be fulfilled, but the two principal approaches are - through plain HTTP downloading and through peer-to-peer connections. The first way entails either some web page, or, most typically, simply a directory on a server that's been made available for everyone to access it and thereby download proprietary docs for free. The second way entails a P2P connection, using the so-called Torrent web servers, through which people exchange files between each other. There aren't many web hosting suppliers that allow that form of hosting on their web hosting servers, mostly because of all the judicial troubles that it presupposes. Usually such websites are hosted on private dedicated web servers that are registered by 3rd party corporations either in the Middle East or in Asia.
Email Hosting - this solution is applicable with both shared website hosting and dedicated hosting servers, depending on the client's intention. If you would like to establish your own personal SMTP server, then you will need either a virtual web server or a dedicated web hosting server that provides the level of access needed to perform such an operation. For standard mail web hosting purposes, however, you can avail of a normal shared web site hosting account, to which you can point the mail exchanger records of your domain name. This is not a solution that's widely popular, because the website hosting and the email hosting services are being served by 2 separate servers, often belonging to different companies.
Website Hosting - the most widespread and vastly utilized hosting service now. It's utilized for hosting web site files, whose sort is dependent on the Operating System the hosting server is utilizing - Linux or Windows. Different kinds of files necessitate specific hosting server Operating Systems, or else they won't be displayed correctly on the Web. This type of web hosting may impose data space and bandwidth limits, root-level access and central processing unit usage limits.
Based on the mission and on the usage, the customer should select the sort of web server that he requires for his work, and, of course, the website hosting vendor that's going to supply it. There are various kinds of web servers, based on the configuration and the website hosting solutions that they offer. These are:
Shared Hosting Server - a shared hosting server provides a smaller quantity of system resources, which, of course, is reflected on the cost of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small and medium sized web portals, which do not demand immense amounts of disk space and bandwidth.
Semi-Dedicated Servers - they operate on the very same principle as the shared web servers. However, there are much less customers sharing the same web server. Therefore, each of them will have a larger quota of the web hosting server's resources like RAM, data storage, traffic and CPU. Ideal for hosting bulky online portals that do not demand server root access.
VPS - the VPS hosting servers are perfect for medium scale websites, which do require root access to the server's config files. Traditionally, there are a number of private virtual server hosting accounts hosted on the same machine. However, each of them is isolated from the other ones and runs its own OS.
Dedicated Server - a completely dedicated web hosting server configured and accessed by you and only you. It guarantees an immense quantity of resources. It also gives complete root-level access, which makes it an excellent solution for any kind of web site that requires a site hosting solution.
The only question that remains is:
Which web space hosting supplier should I pick?
As already stated, there are not many web hosting providers providing warez hosting solutions due to legal complications. Such web hosting providers are being shut down almost every month. That is why, if you desire to establish such a service, you should do it on your very own personal computer. The shared web space hosting solution is the most widespread type of hosting service. Hence, each and every web hosting corporation offers it. Not all of them, however, offer services such as VPS web servers, semi-dedicated web hosting servers and dedicated web hosting servers. Most of the small sized webspace hosting distributors do not have the means needed for maintaining those services. Therefore it's invariably best to choose a larger company that can furnish its clients with all the services that they want. You can effortlessly recognize such hosts by the types of services that they are making available and by the way that they introduce them to the clientele. For example, some companies permit you to start with a small scale web hosting package and afterwards shift to a bigger one, if you find it compulsory to do so. This is very suitable, since you do not have to move web portals between web hosting servers and there is no danger of experiencing service disturbances because of all the complications that may appear. Companies such as Exclusive Hosting are offering all kinds of services and possess the required web server resources and personnel to ensure that their customers will not suffer any predicaments when changing services, which is what a top hosting corporation is actually all about.