Webhosting

For many people starting websites, the term "web hosting" is a confusing phrase. Many do not know the types of web hosts out there or what exactly they consist of. Here we will look at the different types of hosting services and therefore it will allow you to find a best fit.

According to Websters, a web host is "a company that uses a web server to provide storage space for many web sites. A good hosting company allows you unlimited access to your web site files and has their server online (up and running) 99% of the time." Typically, most website owners use either free hosting or paid hosting. The difference means a lot more freedom, however many packages can become pricey. Therefore, it is necessary to break the web hosting world down, to see the numerous options.

1. Free Hosting: This type of hosting allows us to make a website for free. Although we are allowed free webspace, there are negative consequences that come with this. For instance, popup ads are a given and one isn't able to get a lot of space. However, it is great for those who just want to experiment with making websites. Essentially, there are no strings or credit cards attached.

2. Dedicated Hosting: With this type of hosting, a website owner gets their own server. This allows them to have as much freedom as they want, including a ton of bandwith, great server response and their own IP. This prevents them from having an issues with other sites. However, it gets quite expensive. This type of hosting is more for serious webmasters.

3. Shared Hosting: This means that a number of websites are on one server. Although this sounds like a great idea, it can cause many problems. If one site does anything illegal, your site (with the same IP) will also be affected. Another problem are server crashes and slow loading time. If you are a beginner, it is a great idea because it is affordable. However, there are a lot of issues that come along with sharing.

4. Image Hosting: With millions of images on the internet, there has to be a place for these images to be stored! This free hosting plan is for anyone with pictures. It allows them to upload these pictures to a server and not have to deal with bandwith coming from their own site.

5. Reseller Hosting: This is great for people who want to become a webhost themselves. A webmaster gets a large amount of space and can do whatever they want with it. Many turn this into a profit and divide it up among different sites on their account. Although they are all on the same server, there are a lot less of them.

6. Clustered Hosting: Due to the implications from shared hosting, this is a brilliant idea. It is basically a dediated server but with affordable prices (similar to shared hosting). The customers get a cluster of resources, from security to server response time.