A definition of web site hosting
As its name hints, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting online content. There are different forms and kinds of hosting, based on the goals and on the usage. Even so, they all are associated with hosting files, which, once hosted, are made available through the Internet. A web host is actually a web hosting service that is linked to the Web and has its own IP address, which enables people to get access to it via the World Wide Web. The web hosting server's configuration and its limitations depend on the sort of hosting solution it's going to be used for.
What are the different forms of web hosting?
Based on the function, the professional web hosting service may be:
File Hosting - this form of hosting enables the users to keep their files on a specific web hosting server. With the common file storage hosting service, the files that are stored may only be accessed by the customer that's using the service. This hosting service usually is associated with backups of computers , documents, private files and even other web servers. This solution may also include certain limits when it comes to the server space and the root-level access. There may also be traffic restrictions, but that is dependent on the particular hosting provider.
Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez hosting service is comparable with the previous hosting service form. Yet, in contrast with the file web hosting service, the warez hosting service is utilized for spreading patented work without the approval of the copyright possessor. In short - it pertains to the forbidden circulation of files and docs. There are numerous methods for this to be fulfilled, but the two main ways are - via plain Hypertext Transfer Protocol downloading and via peer-to-peer connections. The first approach involves either a specific web portal, or, most often, simply a directory on a server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thus download licensed content for free. The second method involves a peer-to-peer connection, using the so-called Torrent servers, through which users transfer files between each other. There aren't many website hosting firms that permit that type of web hosting on their web servers, mainly due to all the judicial complications that it involves. Usually such web portals are hosted on private dedicated hosting servers that are registered by third-party firms either in the Middle East or in Asia.
Electronic Mail Hosting - this service is utilized with both shared web site hosting and dedicated hosting servers, based on the customer's wish. If you desire to launch your own private SMTP mail server, then you will need either a private virtual web hosting server or a dedicated web hosting server that offers the access level needed to accomplish such a task. For ordinary electronic mail hosting ends, however, you can use a normal shared site hosting account, to which you can point the mail exchanger records of your domain. This is not a service that's very famous, since the web page hosting and the e-mail hosting services are being served by 2 different servers, often belonging to different firms.
Web Site Hosting - the most widely spread and widely used hosting service as of today. It's used for hosting web site files, whose kind is dependent on the Operating System the hosting server is availing of - Linux or Windows. Different types of files need different web hosting server Operating Systems, or else they won't be shown accurately on the Internet. This form of web hosting may have server storage and bandwidth limitations, root-level access and central processing unit usage limitations.
Depending on the purpose and on the objectives, the customer should choose the sort of server that he requires for his work, and, of course, the hosting company that's going to furnish it. There are several kinds of hosting servers, based on the specifications and the website hosting solutions that they offer. These are:
Shared Website Hosting Server - a shared webspace hosting server provides a smaller amount of system resources, which, of course, is manifested in the price of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small scale and middle size web pages, which do not require immense quantities of storage space and traffic.
Semi-Dedicated Hosting - they perform on the same principle as the shared web space hosting servers. However, there are much less customers sharing the same web server. For that reason, each of them will enjoy a larger quota of the web hosting server's resources like RAM, web storage, web traffic and CPU. Excellent for hosting heavy sites that do not need root-level access.
VPS - the VPS servers are excellent for medium scale web pages, which do need root access to the hosting server's configuration files. Generally, there are a handful of Virtual Private Server web hosting accounts sharing the same server. Even so, each of them is independent from the other ones and runs its own OS.
Dedicated Server Hosting - a completely dedicated physical machine configured and accessed by you and solely you. It guarantees a big quantity of resources. It also offers complete server root access, which makes it an ideal platform for any sort of web site that necessitates a hosting solution.
The only question that remains is:
Which hosting supplier should I opt for?
As already stated, there are very few web hosts providing warez hosting services because of legal entanglements. Such web hosting providers are being closed down practically every month. That is why, if you want to start such a service, you should do it on your very own personal computer. The shared web site hosting service is the most widespread type of web hosting service. Hence, each site hosting provider offers it. Not all of them, however, provide solutions such as private virtual web hosting servers, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated web hosting servers. Most of the small scale web space hosting vendors do not have the resources needed for maintaining those solutions. That's why it's always best to settle on a larger hosting company that can provide its customers with all the services that they seek. You can easily identify such companies by the kinds of solutions that they are offering and by the manner in which they introduce them to the clients. For instance, certain web hosts permit you to commence with a low-end web hosting package and subsequently upgrade to a more powerful one, if you find it obligatory to do so. This is very convenient, since you do not need to transmit sites between web hosting servers and there is no chance of suffering service outages because of all the complications that may crop up. Web hosting providers such as IGS Hosting are offering all types of solutions and possess the necessary web server resources and personnel to ensure that their customers will not face any problems when changing services, which is what a top hosting provider is actually all about.