A description of hosting

As its name indicates, web hosting is a solution, which involves hosting online content. There are different forms and kinds of hosting, based on the goals and on the functions. Still, they all pertain to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the Web. A web host is in fact a server that is linked to the World Wide Web and has its own IP address, which allows users to gain access to it via the World Wide Web. The web server's architecture and its resources depend on the type of web hosting solution it will be used for.

What are the various types of web hosting?

Depending on the goal, the professional hosting solution may be:

File Web Hosting - this form of web hosting permits the customers to save their files on a specific web server. With the regular file hosting service, the files that are stored may only be accessed by the user that's using the service. This web hosting solution usually is connected with backups of PCs , documents, private files and even other hosting servers. This service may also include given restrictions when it comes to the server space and the root privileges. There may also be bandwidth quota limits, but that is dependent on the given web hosting service provider.

Warez Hosting - the so-called warez hosting solution is comparable with the previous hosting service type. Yet, in contrast with the file storage hosting solution, the warez web hosting solution is utilized for transmitting proprietary content without the blessing of the copyright proprietor. In brief - it appertains to the illegal transmission of files and materials. There are numerous methods for this to be performed, but the two essential approaches are - through simple HTTP downloading and through peer-to-peer connections. The first way entails either a certain site, or, most commonly, just a directory on a web server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thereby download patented documents for free. The second way involves a P2P connection, availing of the so-called Torrent servers, through which people exchange files between each other. There are very few web hosting providers that permit that type of web hosting on their web hosting servers, mostly because of all the legal troubles that it involves. Generally such web portals are hosted on personal dedicated servers that are registered by 3rd party firms either in the Middle East or in Asia.

E-mail Web Hosting - this service is applicable with both shared web site hosting and dedicated servers, based on the user's desire. If you would like to have your very own personal SMTP mail server, then you will require either a virtual private hosting server or a dedicated server that provides the access level needed to accomplish such a procedure. For standard e-mail web hosting ends, though, you can utilize a simple shared hosting account, to which you can point the mail exchanger records of your domain name. This is not a solution that's widely famous, since the web hosting and the e-mail hosting services are being served by two different servers, usually belonging to separate hosts.

Website Hosting - the most widespread and commonly utilized hosting service now. It's used for hosting website files, whose sort is determined by the Operating System the server is availing of - Linux or Windows. Different kinds of files request specific web server OSs, otherwise they won't be shown correctly on the Web. This kind of hosting may include disk storage space and bandwidth limitations, root-level access and central processing unit usage limits.

Depending on the goals and on the objectives, the user should select the type of web hosting server that he demands for his project, and, of course, the web site hosting corporation that's going to furnish it. There are various sorts of servers, based on the specs and the website hosting services that they offer. These are:

Shared Hosting Server - a shared website hosting server offers a smaller amount of resources, which, of course, is manifested in the cost of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small size and middle sized websites, which do not require huge amounts of web storage and bandwidth.

Semi-Dedicated Servers - they operate on the same principle as the shared website hosting servers. Yet, there are much less customers hosted on the same web hosting server. Because of that, each of them will obtain a greater quota of the web server's resources like RAM, data storage, bandwidth and CPU. Ideal for hosting popular web pages that do not demand full root access.

Virtual Servers - the VPSs are excellent for middle scale web portals, which do require root-level access to the server's config files. Typically, there are a bunch of Virtual Private Server hosting accounts sharing the same physical server. Still, each of them is insulated from the rest and has its own OS.

Dedicated Server - a fully dedicated physical machine set up and accessed by you and only you. It ensures a great amount of resources. It also includes root access, which makes it the optimal solution for any sort of web portal that necessitates a website hosting service.

The sole question that's left is:

Which web space hosting company should I pick?

As already mentioned, there are just a few web hosts providing warez web hosting solutions because of judicial entanglements. Such hosting companies are being closed down almost every month. That is why, if you desire to provide such a service, you should do it on your own personal computer. The shared hosting service is the most widely spread kind of web hosting service. So, each and every web site hosting supplier offers it. Not all of them, though, provide solutions such as virtual private web hosting servers, semi-dedicated web servers and dedicated web servers. Most of the smaller hosting vendors do not have the resources demanded for offering those solutions. Hence it's invariably best to go with a bigger web hosting company that can provide its customers with all the services that they seek. You can effortlessly recognize such companies by the sorts of services that they are providing and by the manner in which they introduce them to the clients. For instance, some hosting providers allow you to begin with a low-end website hosting account and then upgrade to a more powerful one, if you find it obligatory to do so. This is very suitable, since you do not have to migrate web sites between hosting servers and there is no chance of experiencing service interruptions because of all the problems that may crop up. Hosting companies like Free Hostia offer all types of solutions and possess the necessary hosting server resources and staff to guarantee that their clients will not face any hassles when swapping services, which is what a top hosting firm is actually all about.