You have finally created a neat looking website and purchased your domain name. It is now time for the website to be published on the World Wide Web. In order to achieve this, you need the services of a web host. So what exactly is web hosting and what do you get when you purchase a web-hosting package?
Web pages essentially comprise of content in terms of text and images. Now, in order to make this content accessible to online users, all these files need to be stored on a web server. The function of these web servers is to store tens to thousands of web sites and these in turn are connected through a high-speed Internet. When the user attempts to access these web pages, the browser connects to the web server that stores those pages and downloads it to their computer. So a web-hosting provider is a company that owns these web servers and thereby hosts your websites to be made accessible to users worldwide.
The web server computers are all housed in special buildings or sections of buildings called a data center. Apart from offering high-speed Internet connection services, these locations are set up and specially customized to ensure the optimum operational conditions and security for the web servers. These could include HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning) control, fire shielding, virus protection, data backup services, power backup facilities as well as even autonomy in case of any unforeseen technical errors or disasters. Another term for the web servers in the data center is a web farm.
The customer needs a certain amount of space on these servers in order to store their data. The amount of data available to the user on a web server is simply referred as space and is usually measured in MB. The Internet connection needed so that your web site can be accessed online is referred as bandwidth and is also measured in MB or even GB. The space and bandwidth form the two main characteristics of a web-hosting package.
Now depending upon the nature and purpose of the website, the customer can choose between shared and dedicated hosting.
In shared hosting, many websites are hosted on a single server within a definite quota of space and bandwidth. On the other hand, in dedicated web hosting one single web server is rented to a single customer. It is important to determine one's website requirement, future website prospects as well as hosting budget before you decide on your web hosting package.
It would also be a good idea to familiarize oneself with the control panel and its interface and features. Most websites feature a tutorial of the control panel offered so that customers may get a feel of the control panel, the place where various aspects of the hosting account are controlled and managed.
The quality of customer support and technical support is yet another aspect that comes into play when looking for a web host. So remember to do your research well and read user reviews about the web host before you take the plunge into the web hosting market.
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