An interpretation of hosting

As its name implies, web hosting is a service, which involves hosting web content. There are different forms and types of hosting, depending on the aims and on the objectives. Even so, they all refer to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made available throughout the Web. A web host is actually a web server that is connected to the World Wide Web and has its own personal IP address, which enables users to get access to it via the Internet. The hosting server's configuration and its system resources are dependent on the type of web hosting solution it will be utilized for.

What are the different types of web hosting?

Based on the objective, the web hosting service may be:

File Storage Hosting - this form of web hosting enables the users to host their files on a particular web server. With the average file storage web hosting service, the files that are deposited may only be accessed by the individual that's using the service. This web hosting solution normally is related to backups of PCs , documents, private files and even other web hosting servers. This service may also contain given limitations in relation to the storage space and the root access. There may also be traffic limits, but that depends on the actual host.

Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez hosting solution is very similar to the previous hosting service type. However, unlike the file storage web hosting solution, the warez web hosting service is used for circulating patented work without being given the OK to do so by the license keeper. To cut a long story short - it involves the criminal dissemination of files and docs. There are numerous ways for this to be carried out, but the 2 main methods are - through simple HTTP downloading and via peer-to-peer connections. The first approach involves either a certain web page, or, most often, simply a directory on a server that's been made available for everyone to access it and thereby download licensed files free of charge. The second method involves a peer-to-peer connection, using the so-called Torrent web servers, through which users exchange files between each other. There are very few web hosting providers that permit that type of web hosting on their web hosting servers, chiefly owing to all the judicial troubles that it entails. Generally such sites are hosted on private dedicated servers that are registered by 3rd party companies either in the Middle East or in Asia.

E-mail Web Hosting - this solution is applicable with both shared web hosting and dedicated web hosting servers, based on the user's desire. If you want to set up your very own private SMTP server, then you will need either a private virtual web server or a dedicated hosting server that provides the access level needed to execute such a procedure. For regular electronic mail hosting ends, though, you can create a regular shared site hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain. This is not a service that's very popular, since the web site hosting and the mail hosting services are being served by two different web servers, usually owned by separate web hosting providers.

Website Hosting - the most widespread and immensely used hosting service today. It's used for hosting site files, whose sort is determined by the OS the web hosting server is using - Linux or Windows. Different kinds of files request specific web server Operating Systems, otherwise they won't be shown accurately on the Web. This kind of web hosting may involve disk storage space and traffic quota limitations, server root access and CPU usage limitations.

Based on the purpose and on the objectives, the user should choose the kind of web server that he needs for his project, and, of course, the web hosting supplier that's going to furnish it. There are several sorts of hosting servers, based on the specifications and the web space hosting services that they offer. These are:

Shared Website Hosting Server - a shared web site hosting server provides a smaller amount of system resources, which, of course, reflects on the cost of the service. It can be used for hosting small size and medium size web portals, which do not require big quotas of server storage space and traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Hosting - they work on the very same principle as the shared website hosting servers. Still, there are much fewer customers hosted on the same hosting server. Therefore, each of them will obtain a bigger quota of the server's resources like RAM, web storage space, traffic and CPU. Excellent for hosting popular websites that do not demand full root access.

Virtual Servers - the virtual private web servers are ideal for middle size web pages, which do demand root access to the web hosting server's config files. Traditionally, there are a number of VPS server hosting accounts situated on the same physical machine. In spite of that, each of them is insulated from the other ones and has its own Operating System.

Dedicated Servers - a fully dedicated physical machine set up and accessed by you and solely you. It ensures a great quantity of system resources. It also gives full root-level access, which makes it the optimal environment for any sort of web portal that requires a webspace hosting solution.

The only question that remains is:

Which web space hosting firm should I settle on?

As stated above, there are very few web hosts offering warez hosting solutions due to legal predicaments. Such web hosts are being shut down almost every month. For that reason, if you want to start such a service, you should do it on your own personal computer. The shared web space hosting service is the most famous kind of hosting service. So, every site hosting distributor provides it. Not all of them, however, provide services such as virtual private web hosting servers, semi-dedicated web servers and dedicated web servers. Most of the smaller webspace hosting providers do not have the resources needed for maintaining those solutions. That is the reason why it's always best to opt for a larger company that can provide its clients with all the services that they are searching for. You can effortlessly ID such companies by the sorts of services that they are supplying and by the way that they introduce them to the customers. For instance, certain companies allow you to kick off with a smaller web site hosting plan and then shift to a bigger one, if you find it necessary to do so. This is extremely suitable, since you do not need to transfer web portals between web servers and there is no chance of facing service interruptions because of all the problems that may take place. Hosting companies like Free Hostia are offering all sorts of services and possess the needed web server resources and staff to assure that their customers will not chance upon any predicaments when changing services, which is what a top hosting provider is in fact all about.