When you set up a new website , you will definitely need to host websites or Web Hosting, in order to host the files of your site and make it available to visitors.
But what exactly is hosting? How does it work? And what are its types? What factors should you focus on when choosing them? What are the most important concepts and terms associated with them?
This is just a sample of the questions that may come to your mind at the stage of choosing hosting for your site, and let me tell you that you must obtain an answer to every question that comes to your mind before you actually start buying hosting for your site.
Of course, you can go directly to our article about the best web hosts , and choose one of the hosts mentioned in the list – a reliable and carefully chosen list, by the way – but if you want my advice … you must understand what you are about to deal with in the future, and then read this article to the end And with intense focus.
In this article, I will put your hand on literally everything you need to know about web hosting, so that you come out of this article with a good knowledge of this entity called hosting, which will have a very effective role in the success of your site.
I will explain everything in a simple and easy way, with examples that will help you understand everything easily… Are you ready? let’s go…
What is Web Hosting?
First let’s agree; Web hosting, hosting, web hosting, web hosting, web hosting are all terms that refer to the same thing.
Web hosting companies are specialized companies that provide website hosting services. They provide hardware, software and technology that enable your website to appear on the web and make it available for browsing by visitors.
Web Hosting: Provides website owners with storage space on their servers. Your site’s files are stored in these storage spaces.
Note: All websites consist of files, such as images, music and video files, of course, along with the core software files that make up the website. All these files are stored on hosting servers.
Hosting: It is the one that manages your website’s connection to the Internet through Software (a program) that works with special technology, in order to make your website available on the Internet to everyone who wants to visit it.
Hosting: It provides you as a website owner with a security system for your site to protect it from hacking, as well as technical support services to solve problems and help when needed.
The devices used by hosting are called servers, which are computers specialized in saving website data and appearing on the web. They are computers with very high performance specifications, storage spaces, and operational capabilities.
If you have read our article about what is the Internet , you should know that the Internet is a group of computers connected together forming a network called the Web.
Every picture you see on the web, a video you play, or a written article like the one you read is stored on a computer, somewhere in the real world…but mostly these computers are not the personal devices we use, they are servers created Specifically for this purpose, and this is exactly what Hosting provides.
In order to understand the idea more clearly, you need to understand that any website is based on 3 main pillars:
The main pillars on which any website is built
1. Domain Name
It represents the address through which the Internet user can access your site, and it is unique and non-repetitive, and it is purchased from private online stores.
Most hosting companies have a store that sells the domain name, and many of them provide a free domain when you sign up for the first time.
Domain or domain name is simply the name that you type in the browser in order to reach a specific website, and it is one of the most important components of any website, and it is an essential element in the formation of the brand for individuals or companies.
All websites or online stores need a domain name so that visitors can access them.
An example domain name for the money7u website is: money7u.com
Also read: What is a URL ?
2. Website Files
They are files written in special programming languages, which distinguish your site from other sites, in terms of functionality, capabilities, color, shape, and space distribution.
These files are written by programming professionals , or generated by website building tools such as WordPress (in the case of WordPress, ready-made website designs are purchased).
Of course, when you start publishing content on the site, it will consist of another type of file, which are the files that represent the content of the site, including texts, images, and videos.
3. Web Hosting Provider
That is, the hosting company that we are talking about today, on which the site files are stored, and through which the site files are linked to the domain name. Through it, your site will be available for use by any user who writes the domain name in his browser.
Examples of these hosts are:
This is much like building a house in real life:
In order to build a house, you need an address (that is, the means by which anyone can reach your house), this address is linked to a piece of land, on which you will build your house, and finally you need walls, a roof, and furniture in order for your house to have a structure, shape, and structure.
Your home address symbolizes the domain name of your site, the plot of land symbolizes hosting, and the walls, ceiling and furniture all symbolize your site files.
Note: The meaning of Hosting: It is an English word derived from the word Host, and the word Host means host or host. And the word Hosting means hosting … that is, the place that hosts a person or something, and of course the word Web is often added before the word Hosting, in order to customize that this hosting is web hosting, because the word hosting is a general word also used for hosting places that host people.
Also read: Jannah Template Review For Blogs And News Sites
Important concepts related to the web host
1. Web Servers
In Arabic, they are called servers or servers, and they are simply computers of a special type used by hosting, for the purpose of storing website files and managing their Internet connection.
These servers compared to personal computers; It is larger in storage space, and more capable of processing data. They are intended to perform one function, which is to respond to users’ requests to load websites on the browser.
These servers must work periodically without interruption (a malfunction in any server leads to the disruption of the site or sites linked to it).
2. cPanel
While managing your webhost account, you will need a set of tools that help you manage the account and the files and information it contains, and here comes the cPanel control panel function.
It is the most famous private control panel that hosting companies give to their customers, in order to manage the site and its files.
It is worth noting that many hosts have recently started using their own control panels instead of using the cPanel control panel, in order to facilitate the management of sites by users.
3. FTP Account
It is a private entry data that the hosting company gives you, and it is similar to the cPanel login data, but it can be changed so that it is unique.
FTP data is used by special programs such as FileZilla , in order to access site files and make modifications to them.
Within your cPanel you can create as many FTP accounts as you like, and you can set specific access levels for each account.
Example: If you hire a web designer to build you a template for your site, here instead of giving him the login data for the cPanel account, and having the ability to access all the site files, you will only create an FTP account, and specify the level of access for him in accordance with the files that you want him to access. Just.
4. Data Center
The data center or data center is a hosting place that is fully equipped and equipped to run servers. Every hosting company has at least one data center, and most companies have more than one data center in different places around the world.
The data center is a fully equipped building to run servers, which has a continuous source of energy and cooling, and there is a team of specialists to manage it and deal with errors or problems if they exist.
It also provides a high-speed Internet connection, and contains all the necessary security and technical precautions in the event of an unexpected incident.
The closer the data center is to the visitors who visit your site, the better the speed of loading the site in the browser, so you must ensure that the hosting company has a data center suitable for the geography of your potential visitors.
It is worth noting that there are many large companies such as banks that have their own data centers, and they manage their servers themselves in order to provide a better protection and security system.
5. Disk Space
The storage space or Disk Space is the space provided by the hosting company for you to use to store your site files.
It is worth noting that the storage space varies between hosting companies and some, and also varies between different packages in the same hosting company.
Storage space is one of the very important factors in choosing a hosting company, so you should consider it when choosing your hosting company.
For example, if you intend to display high-quality images on your site, here you will need a large amount of storage space for your site.
6. Bandwidth
The Internet consists of a collection of networks and devices that are connected by a larger network of cables that transmit data between them.
The bandwidth or data transfer capacity in the web host is the amount of data that the server can send to its visitors over those cables in a specific period of time.
It is one of the limited resources in hosting, when your bandwidth ends, your site stops working, and you will not be able to receive visitors.
Bandwidth is also closely related to internet speed, so you have to take both the internet speed of your potential visitors and the bandwidth capacity into consideration when choosing your hosting.
It is worth noting that hosting companies differ in the size of the bandwidth that they give to users, and this differs in the same company also according to the package that the customer subscribes to.
For example, there is a great hosting such as bluehost that allows you relatively unlimited bandwidth (data transfer capacity). Therefore, we recommend that you choose this hosting and consider it the best.
Of course, add to the three previous concepts the following concepts:
- Domain Name
- Website Files
- Web Hosting Provider
It has already been explained above under the basic pillars of a website, so we won’t repeat it here again.
Read also: How To Convert A Wordpress Website Into A Mobile App By Yourself
Types of web hosting or Web Hosting
The types of hosting are often classified according to the resources and capabilities available in each of them.
Here is a list of the most popular and frequently used types of hosting on the market:
1. Shared Hosting
This type of hosting is the cheapest and most popular on the Internet. In which one server is shared by many clients, there may be tens or hundreds of users on one huge server.
When you subscribe to this type of hosting, this means sharing the resources and features of this server with other clients, which in turn means that your site’s resources such as Bandwidth can be affected by another site that receives more visitors.
It is suitable for all small business owners, and suitable for starting or testing a new business. One of the advantages of Shared Hosting is that it is completely under the management of the hosting company, and the hosting company is the one that sets its presets, and it is the cheapest.
Among its disadvantages is that the occurrence of a problem for one of the sites, such as viral penetration, for example, affects all subscribers to the same server.
2. Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting
This is the most prestigious level of hosting right after Shared Hosting. You will need it if the number of visitors to your site exceeds the shared hostage level.
Of course, this type is better in terms of performance and resources compared to the previous one. It is similar to shared hosting in that there is a subscription with other clients on the same server.
But the difference here is that there is a separation in the sources between the accounts and one another. No other site on the same server can use your site resources anyway.
As it appears from its name, it is a virtual private server inside a large shared server, and therefore it is located in the middle between shared hosting and private server.
3. Dedicated Hosting
This is the highest level of web hosting. By purchasing Dedicated Hosting, you have a dedicated server with all its resources dedicated only to your site. This, of course, has a positive impact on the performance of your site, its loading speed, and its ability to accommodate the largest number of visitors.
This type is suitable for large sites that receive a large number of visitors daily, or sites that contain media that need large storage spaces, such as high-quality images and videos.
Also, this type can be customized and adjusted according to the needs of your site.
It is worth noting that there are two types of private servers:
A) A private server managed by the hosting company, Managed Server: (meaning that the hosting company is responsible for setting up and setting up the server completely).
b) Self-Managed Servers: (meaning that the user is responsible for everything related to travel, and he can even change his operating system).
4. Cloud Hosting
This type of hosting represents a relatively new and modern technology in the web host world, as it is completely different from the previous ones and works in a different way.
In the previous types of Web Hosting, your site is linked to a single server, whether it is dedicated to you in the case of Dedicated Hosting, or you share it with others in VPS and Shared.
In Cloud Hosting, your site is linked to a group of servers, working together in a cluster of servers. This group of servers works together as one huge server, which includes the resources of all servers combined.
The wonderful thing here is that a failure in one of the servers does not mean a failure of the cluster as a whole. Therefore, your site will not be disrupted by any server in the group, because its data will be saved on many servers.
One of the advantages of this type is that you can only pay according to the resources your site needs.
5. Re-seller Hosting
This type is not suitable for everyone and is not available in all hosting companies. This type of hosting account is for resale. Some hosting companies provide Re-seller Hosting accounts through which the customer can resell hosting accounts, as if he owns his own hosting company.
With this special type of hosting account, the webhost will give you a special control panel through which you can create accounts yourself for your clients.
In short, you will buy part of a server, divide and adjust this part, and resell it to other clients as if you were your own private hosting company.
6. WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting is simply shared hosting like the first type of web hosting, but it is for sites that run on the WordPress content management system.
It comes ready with some presets and facilities that help the user to create a website through WordPress easier and faster.
It is worth noting that many hosting companies at the present time provide special packages for sites that use WordPress, but you have to understand that you can use WordPress with any type of hosting that has been dealt with, whether shared or even through a private server … it is all related to some facilities and presets.
Note: It should be noted that there is another classification of web hosts according to the operating system, as there are two types of operating systems in which Web Servers operate, namely:
- Linux: It is mostly specialized in the php programming language, and it is the most used in the world of the web.
- Windows: It is specialized in the ASP.net programming language
7. Colocation Hosting
Some large organizations need huge storage spaces, so most of them build their own data center.
Shared website hosting provides this service to those organizations that need a lot of space and do not want their data to be at risk.
Where this hosting offers the possibility of renting and managing the servers that you need, while the web host company handles all matters related to maintenance for a small fee.
Thus, it offers them the service of owning a data center at a low cost, and without the need to appoint a team of specialists to manage technical matters.
Factors to consider when choosing a hosting company
1. The reputation of the hosting company and the size of its user base: Of course, the more famous the company is in the market, and a large number of users use it, the more this is an indication of its quality… It will not succeed in the market unless it is a good company.
2. The size of the resources available in it: We have mentioned above two types of important resources in any Web Hosting company, namely the storage space and the size of the data transfer (bandwidth). Of course, the larger or more unlimited these resources, the better.
3. What comes for free with hosting: There are many hosting companies that provide free side services, and this is of course very useful to you as a user, because in other cases you can pay for these side services.
Among the services that usually come free with some hosting:
- Free domain.
- Free SSL certificate .
- Virus scanning service.
- Backup service for the site every day.
- Transfer the site from other hosting for free (in case you are using hosting and want to transfer to another hosting)
4. Technical support service: One of the most important indicators of the quality of a Web Hosting company is the support service. You, as a subscriber to a hosting company, may encounter problems, and here there must be a strong team in the hosting company to solve your problems for you.
Most hosting companies provide various support services, namely:
- Direct phone support.
- Support through instant chat.
- Support by making a ticket about the problem and waiting for a response.
5. Ensuring that your site continues to work without downtime: If the server on which your site is located goes down, this will make your site stop working.
And so you have to make sure that the participating Web host ensures that your site will work all the time without downtime … This, of course, depends to a large extent on the quality and efficiency of the servers.
6. Upgradability: In the world of Web Hosting, the rule says: Do not book hosting that is less than what is required or much higher than what is required, because if you book hosting that is less than what is required, your site will not work efficiently, and if you book hosting that is much higher than what is required, you will pay amounts that will not be benefit from it.
Of course, your site will develop over time, so you have to make sure that the hosting company has solutions that suit your site in its advanced stages. Of course, you do not want to transfer to a new hosting company every time your site grows to some degree.
Also read: The most important procedures for speeding up a WordPress site
Some common web host myths that you should debunk
1. The best possible hosting is the highest price
The most expensive options are not necessarily the most suitable for what you want, so when choosing your web host, do not make the price the only factor on which you evaluate quality.
Not all expensive hosting is necessarily of high quality, but you have to set some criteria for yourself, and choose the appropriate web host for you based on them.
These criteria may be storage space, server uptime, technical support, and other factors that touch the needs of your site and your business.
You also have to take into account the stage that your website is going through, so if you are still in the beginning, shared hosting will often be your best option until your site grows and begins to expand.
2. The best web hosts offer unlimited hosting
Since there is no unlimited storage or unlimited bandwidth, that alone shows that any company providing unlimited hosting is relative, not absolute.
However, these companies depend on the fact that the majority of sites do not exceed a specific number of visitors, and in the event that you violate these numbers, you will find that you have violated one of the conditions of fair use for that company.
And when you exceed those numbers, you have to upgrade to a package with higher capabilities.
3. You need to be an expert to run your own web host
Hosts of all kinds contain simple control panels that make you perform the most complex operations with ease, the most famous of which is the cPanel control panel.
The control panels also enable you to manage all matters related to your site, and even if you encounter a problem dealing with these panels, you can communicate with technical support that will help you solve all the problems you face.
4. All web host companies are the same and which one works for you
Web hosting is similar in many basic aspects, but this does not mean a complete match, given that the web host market is a very broad market, as it contains a great deal of competition between companies and some of them.
You will find some companies focusing on providing the cheapest possible web host, others focusing on providing the best technical support, and others focusing on the size of resources.
Therefore, there are many differences between them, and during the selection you must compare them carefully, and choose the most suitable for you and the content of the site that you want to create.
5. There are flawless hosts
Like any product or service on the Internet, there must be defects in everything. Whatever the efficiency of the advantages offered by the company, you must find negative reviews by users.
Therefore, you have to take into account the things that you cannot do without in the hosting you want, and select them accordingly.
You should also use the reviews and evaluations of professionals in order to determine whether these specifications are in the company that you will proceed to subscribe to or not, and know that any review that avoids mentioning the negatives of hosting will often be marketing and unbiased.
Conclusion
The step of choosing the right web host for you and your website; It is one of the steps that require a lot of research and investigation from you, in order to reach the best possible choice from the many options that currently exist.
Choosing a suitable web host from the start will save you a lot of fatigue in the future, so you should be careful and compare the options available to you in order to reach the best result that makes your site work in the best possible way.
I have tried to make this topic go beyond simply answering the question “ What is Web Hosting ” or what is hosting, so I put many aspects related to hosting for you, and explained its types to you, in order for this topic to be a reference for you in this regard.
I hope that you liked the article, and if there are questions that I did not answer in the article, please feel free to put them in a comment below, and I will happily answer them as soon as possible.
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