A definition of website hosting

As its name implies, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting web content. There are various forms and types of web hosting, based on the purpose and on the functions. However, they all pertain to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible through the Web. A host is in fact a server that is connected to the World Wide Web and has its own personal IP address, which enables users to gain access to it through the Web. The web server's architecture and its resources are determined by the kind of hosting solution it will be used for.

What are the different types of hosting?

Based on the usage, the business website hosting solution may be:

File Storage Hosting - this form of web hosting permits the customers to host their files on a specific web server. With the ordinary file hosting service, the files that are kept may only be accessed by the customer that's availing of the service. This web hosting solution usually appertains to backups of personal computers , docs, private files and even other hosting servers. This solution may also impose certain limitations with regard to the disk storage and the root-level access. There may also be traffic quota limitations, but that depends on the particular web host.

Warez Hosting - the so-called warez web hosting solution is very similar to the previous web hosting service type. However, unlike the file storage web hosting service, the warez hosting service is used for transmitting copyrighted work without being okayed by the copyright proprietor. In short - it pertains to the illegal distribution of files and materials. There are lots of ways for this to be performed, but the two chief methods are - via simple HTTP downloading and through peer-to-peer connections. The first one entails either a particular site, or, most typically, simply a directory on a web server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thereby download proprietary content for free. The second way entails a peer-to-peer connection, using the so-called Torrent web servers, via which users transfer files between each other. There are just a few web space hosting providers that allow such type of web hosting on their web hosting servers, mostly due to all the legal entanglements that it involves. Typically such web pages are hosted on personal dedicated web servers that are registered by third-party companies either in the Middle East or in Asia.

E-mail Web Hosting - this service is utilized with both shared site hosting and dedicated web servers, based on the user's desire. If you wish to establish your own private SMTP e-mail server, then you will need either a Virtual Private Server or a dedicated web server that provides the access level required to carry out such a task. For routine e-mail web hosting ends, though, you can create an ordinary shared hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain. This is not a service that's widely popular, since the website hosting and the email hosting services are being served by two different servers, often belonging to separate firms.

Website Hosting - the most widespread and extensively used hosting service at the moment. It's used for hosting website files, whose kind is determined by the Operating System the server is using - Linux or Windows. Different types of files demand concrete server Operating Systems, otherwise they won't be shown appropriately on the World Wide Web. This kind of hosting may contain server storage and bandwidth limitations, root access and central processing unit usage restrictions.

Based on the goals and on the objectives, the client should select the sort of web server that he requires for his work, and, of course, the web space hosting vendor that's going to supply it. There are several kinds of web hosting servers, based on the configuration and the website hosting services that they offer. These are:

Shared Website Hosting Server - a shared web page hosting server offers a smaller quantity of system resources, which, of course, is reflected on the cost of the service. It can be used for hosting small scale and middle sized web pages, which do not need big amounts of data storage space and web traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Servers Hosting - they operate on the same principle as the shared hosting servers. Even so, there are much less clients accommodated on the same hosting server. Therefore, each of them will get a greater share of the server's resources like RAM, disk storage, web traffic and CPU. Perfect for hosting bulky online portals that do not demand full root privileges.

Virtual Private Server - the private virtual web hosting servers are excellent for medium size online portals, which do require root access to the hosting server's config files. Generally, there are a number of VPS accounts placed on the same machine. Still, each of them is insulated from the other ones and runs its own OS.

Dedicated Servers - a fully dedicated machine set up and accessed by you and only you. It guarantees a big amount of system resources. It also includes complete root access, which renders it the optimal solution for any kind of site that demands a hosting service.

The sole question that remains is:

Which site hosting firm should I choose?

As mentioned, there aren't many web hosting companies offering warez hosting solutions due to legal complications. Such web hosting providers are being shut down practically every month. Because of that, if you desire to create such a service, you should do it on your very own personal computer. The shared webspace hosting service is the most widespread kind of hosting service. Hence, each and every website hosting provider provides it. Not all of them, though, offer solutions such as private virtual hosting servers, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated hosting servers. Most of the smaller web space hosting providers do not have the means demanded for offering those solutions. Hence it's invariably best to choose a larger host that can supply its customers with all the services that they request. You can effortlessly identify such web hosting companies by the types of solutions that they are offering and by the way that they introduce them to the clientele. For example, certain hosting companies permit you to begin with a small sized web space hosting package and subsequently move to a more advanced one, if you deem it obligatory to do so. This is extremely suitable, since you do not have to move websites between web servers and there is no chance of facing service disturbances because of all the predicaments that may arise. Web hosts such as Hosting for All are offering all sorts of solutions and have the adequate web hosting server resources and personnel to assure that their customers will not experience any problems when swapping services, which is what a top hosting supplier is actually all about.