What is a Web Hosting?

Web Hosting is like renting space on the Internet or the web browser, its equivalent to allocating server space on the World Wide Web. Which secures your dedicated environment for your web domain. Web hosting provides a space to keep your website’s data on a server. When someone enters your domain name into their browser, this server promptly displays your site to them.

When your website is ready with full responsiveness and great functionality then it needs a place to live. Web hosting services provide that place where we purchase a hosting plan such as Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, and Cloud Hosting that includes providers Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, etc., WordPress Hosting, among these GoDaddy is one of the largest and well-known web hosting provider.

What is Web Hosting?

Web Hosting is the service that provides the resources to a website and the necessary technologies for a website that displays over the internet. When the user hits any request the request goes to the server. Their PC connects to the server where the website is stored, then the server sends the website’s data to the user’s computer which is displayed on the screen and allows them to view it in their web browsers. So, it’s like renting a space on a computer to store all the files and data of your website, so others can visit it online.

Working on Web Hosting

When setting up for the web hosting, it is required first to pick a unique website name and purchase it that will act as an address to your website. Once you have done this you need to choose the service provider that is needed for your site which will allocate the space on their servers. After configuring the server, you upload the website’s files and set up any necessary databases. To make your site accessible for users, you have to configure the Domain Name System (DNS) to point your domain to your hosting server’s IP address. Once the website is live and everything is set, people can visit your website by typing its name, apart from this you have to keep regular maintenance: including updates, security checks, and backups as this is crucial to ensure optimal performance and security for your website.

Following are the Workflow Steps:

1. Domain Registration
2. Choose a Hosting Provider
3. Server Configuration
4. Uploading Website Files
5. Database Setup
6. DNS (Domain Name System) Configuration
7. Website Accessibility
8. Ongoing Maintenance
9. Handle Traffic
10. Technical Support and Troubleshooting

1. Domain Registration

Before hosting your website you need a Domain Name like for example: www.geeksforgeeks.org this unique domain will act as an address for your website.

2. Choose a Hosting Provider

Now, once you have acquired your Domain Name you need to select a web hosting provider based on your website’s requirements such as storage, bandwidth, security features, and support, you select a company to host your site. These companies have servers, which are powerful computers specifically designed to store web files and serve them to visitors.

3. Server Configuration

Once you have chosen a hosting provider, that will allocate the space for your website on one of their servers like shared, VPS, dedicated, or cloud. The type of server is dependent upon your website requirement and the hosting package which you have chosen.

4. Uploading Website Files

Here, you have transferred your website’s files (HTML, CSS, images, etc.) from your local computer to the server of your hosting provider. This is typically done using FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or through a control panel like cPanel.

5. Database Setup

You can set up your database using tools like MYSQL, and PostgreSQL, if your website is using dynamic content like WordPress, or blogs, then you’ll need a database for storing the content. By setting up the database this will link it to your website.

6. DNS (Domain Name System) Configuration

This ensures that when someone types in your domain name, it directs them to your hosted website on the correct server. DNS (Domain Name System) translates your friendly domain name for example www.geeksforgeeks.org into an IP address.

7. Website accessibility

After the configurations you have done, including DNS, are set, and have propagated through the global network, your website becomes accessible to the world. Now anyone will type your website’s domain name and it will be accessible to them.

8. Ongoing Maintenance

Websites are not “set it and forget it” projects. They require regular updates to both their content and underlying software. This also includes monitoring for potential issues, ensuring security measures are updated, backing up site data, and optimizing for performance.

9. Handle Traffic

Depending on the traffic your website gets, you might need to scale your resources. This could mean purchasing more bandwidth, and storage, or even upgrading your hosting plan.

10. Technical Support and Troubleshooting

If there are any issues like website downtime, slow performance, or any type of fallback in your website, then you or your hosting provider will need to troubleshoot and resolve them immediately.

Types of Web Hosting

Web hosting are of various forms, each types of web hosting are used in different usecses. Understanding the different types of hosting is important for making the right choice for the performance and scalability of your website.

To learn more about the types of web hosting, refer to this article: Types of Web Hosting

Now let’s have a look at the types of web hosting

1. Shared Web Hosting

Shared Web Hosting is a type of web hosting where multiple websites are stored on a single server, and they share their resources like memory, storage, and processing power (CPU, RAM, and Disk space). On a shared server, every website might have its user directory, but they all share the same Apache (webserver), MySQL (database server), and other core software. Resources like RAM and CPU are shared dynamically based on demand.

For example: Think of it like a big computer running many programs at the same time. Each program works separately but uses the same computer resources. If one program starts doing a lot, it might slow down the others and it could impact the performance of the other instances as well.

2. VPS Hosting

VPS hosting, or Virtual Private Server hosting, is a hosting that is a hosting solution where a single physical server is partitioned into multiple virtualized environments. Unlike shared hosting, where multiple websites share the same server resources, each VPS (Virtual Private Server) operates independently, which is like a standalone server. This means each VPS has its dedicated slice of CPU, RAM, and disk space (memory, storage, and processing power).

You can think of it as an apartment building where each tenant has an isolated apartment with separate utilities and amenities. This setup ensures better performance, flexibility, and security because one user’s activities won’t directly affect another. VPS hosting is ideal for websites and applications that require more control and resources than shared hosting offers but don’t need the full power or expense of a dedicated server which is required. It bridges the gap between the affordability of shared hosting and the flexibility and power of dedicated hosting.

3. Cloud Hosting

Cloud Hosting is all about storing the data in multiple computers (data centers), and accessing that data through networking, typically the internet. It doesn’t rely on a single server, as it utilizes the resources of several servers, which effectively creates a virtual ‘cloud’ of server environments. Let’s go through the basic workings of cloud hosting, just imagine the interconnected servers forming a vast network.

Your website’s data isn’t tied to one specific server or you can say instead, it’s spread across several, with data replicated and stored safely. When there’s a demand or high demand, the cloud allocates resources from various available servers. This dynamic allocation ensures that if one server fails, another quickly takes over and gives an immediate response, leading to minimal downtime. The benefits of cloud hosting are scalability, reliability, performance, and incredibly secure infrastructure.

4. Reseller Hosting

In the vast ocean of web hosting services, reseller hosting has emerged as a unique and profitable niche in the world. It presents an opportunity for businesses and individuals to dive into the hosting world without the heavy investments typically associated with starting a hosting company from scratch. Reseller hosting is a great setup where an individual or business buys hosting resources like disk, space, and bandwidth from a larger hosting provider and then resells these resources to their clients under their brand name which was created by themselves.

A reseller first purchases a bulk amount of server resources from a primary hosting provider. This often includes a significant amount of disk space, bandwidth, databases, and other essential hosting features. Resellers control their panel, by using their nameservers, and appear as an independent hosting provider to their end clients. The Resellers can create custom packages for their clients as per the requirements. The benefits of reseller hosting are revenue stream, flexibility, and brand building.

5. Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a web hosting environment where an entire server is allocated to a single client. Unlike shared or VPS hosting where resources are divided among multiple users, with dedicated hosting, the client enjoys the full power of the server’s hardware and software resources. It has the most exciting benefits and features such as a dedicated server delivering peak performance, ensuring lightning-fast load times, and smooth user experiences. With dedicated hosting, clients have the flexibility to customize their server settings, install specialized software, and tweak configurations to fit their specific needs.

Dedicated servers often come with heightened security measures. The absence of other users ensures that threats like bad neighbor effects or shared vulnerabilities are nullified. Dedicated IP Address provides Such servers typically offer a unique IP address, essential for certain e-commerce and SEO purposes. It is opt for the high-traffic websites, business prioritizing security, etc.

Difference Between Web Hosting and a Domain Name

The need for making a distinction between web hosting and a domain name is necessary to get a proper understanding of both workflows, let’s say for people to visit and explore your store, you need both an address and a physical space. Similarly, for a website to function, it requires a recognizable address (domain name) and a space to store its files (web hosting). Without distinguishing between these two elements, there would be no systematic way to a particular website or to store a website’s information on the internet.

If you want to learn more about Domain Name, refer to this article: Introduction to Domain Name

Web Hosting	Domain Name
Web hosting is the space or infrastructure on a server where website files are stored and served to users when someone types in a web address.	A domain name is the unique web address that people use to find your site, for example, “geeksforgeeks.org”.
It’s like the physical space of a shop where items are kept.	It’s analogous to a store’s address, guiding visitors to its location.
It provides the necessary server space and resources for storing and serving website files.	It gives your website a recognizable name and directs users to its location on a server.
Types of web hosting are Shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, cloud hosting, and reseller hosting.	Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) as .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov, .info, Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) as .uk, .ca, .au, .de, Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLDs) as .aero, .coop.
Typically renewed on a monthly or yearly basis based on your hosting plan.	Registered and renewed annually.
Needs a domain name to be accessible.	Requires web hosting to link to active web files.
It offers various forms like shared, VPS, cloud, or dedicated hosting. Providers include Bluehost, HostGator, etc.	It is registered via various domain registrars like GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.

Conclusion

Web hosting is like the backbone of the online world. It’s what allows websites to be seen and work smoothly on the internet. Whether you’re starting a small blog or running a big online business, picking the right hosting is crucial. It’s similar to choosing a good location for a physical store. As the online world keeps growing, having a solid hosting foundation ensures your website stands out and runs efficiently. Good web hosting means a successful online presence.

FAQs on Web Hosting

1. What do you mean by web hosting?

Web hosting provides the necessary resources and technologies for websites to be displayed online. It’s like renting computer space to store your website’s data, making it accessible to others on the internet.

2. Why is web hosting used?

Web hosting makes websites accessible online, offering reliability, security features, and technical support. Quality hosting ensures fast load times, enhancing user experience and boosting search rankings.

3. Is it free to host a website?

Free website hosting is cost-effective and ideal for personal projects, but may include ads, have unreliable uptime, slow speeds, and limited support.