It’s come to our attention that web hosting can be a bit confusing. Don’t worry. We understand. To that end, we decided to put together a guide to help make the subject easier to understand. Every website that you go to is “hosted” somewhere. This means that the information is on another computer called a computer server (commonly known as a server) somewhere for you and other viewers to access on your computer using the internet.
What is a Server?
When you go online, the entire internet is not just sitting in wires. Those wires are connected to a server somewhere. For example, when you go to Google, you are accessing information on servers at one of Google’s offices. Smaller websites, such as a blog you may read, do not own their own servers from which viewers can access their information. Usually these smaller websites pay a web hosting company, such as HostDime, to rent memory space on a server. As stated earlier, the server is where the information for your website is held or “hosted.” It is a fast computer. It is also constantly connected to the internet via a fast connection.
Accessing Information on a Server
When you make a website, you make a domain name. Your domain name is your website’s address: for example, “google.com,” “yahoo.com,” and “hostdime.com.” When you type a website’s domain name into your web browser (ex. Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc.), a technology called the Domain Name System (DNS) translates the domain name into an Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique identification numbers that are needed because computers understand numbers, not words. Every device that goes online has an IP address, so even your personal computer and smart phone have one.
Here is an example of how the process works using hostdime.com — you open your web browser and enter the web address “hostdime.com” in the location bar (the text bar at the top of your web browser) and the HostDime website is brought up. You don’t see it, but behind the scenes DNS is translating “hostdime.com” into “72.29.79.120” which is the IP address for HostDime’s website. You could also use the IP address to search for a website. If you copy and paste the IP address into the location bar on your browser, it will bring you to the exact same website for HostDime. We use domain names instead of IP addresses because they are much easier for us to remember because words are more logical to us as humans then a set of numbers. Imagine if you had to remember the IP address of every web page you go to everyday! That would be a tough task for anyone.
What does a Web Hosting Company Provide?
A web hosting company provides at least one domain name and that number increases depending on the service for which you ask. It also provides a data center, such as the one that we own, that is secured where your one or more servers will be hosted with those of other customers. The hosting of these servers also includes the power and connection to the internet that is needed for the servers to run. The rest of the service depends on the type of hosting you want.
Types of Web Hosting
- Shared: Rents space on server where multiple customers share one server and the same RAM and CPU
- Virtual Private Server (VPS): Rents space on a server. The resources of one server are divided virtually. One server is still being shared, but the resources are not because each customer has an allocated amount of the resources. So if you have a VPS then you know exactly how much RAM and CPU you are allocated; however, in shared, one person could technically use up all of the resources. This usually does not happen because the hosting company usually would not allow this to happen.
- Dedicated: Rents one or multiple servers where you are the only one using that server so you have more control over it. It is also more secure because you do not have to worry about another customer’s website being compromised leading to yours being compromised as well.
- Cloud: Rents space on multiple servers that are connected and acting as one so that if one drops off then your website can stay online, and you can add more much easier and quicker if there is a spike in traffic on your website. This can be done with dedicated servers, VPS, or a mix of the two. However, it is easier to add on more servers if at least some of them are VPS.
- Colocated: Rent space in the data center for your servers. You bring in your own servers for the web hosting company to just host for you (and provide everything but the hardware). This offers the most control because the hardware is exactly what you want.
- Reseller: A client rents a dedicated server or space on a cloud, shared, or VPS and then rents that to someone else for a higher price, essentially becoming a middle man between the person creating the website and the web hosting company running the data center.
- Unmanaged: The cost and responsibility of managing your servers is up to you. Usually, even with unmanaged hosting, the hosting company will fix any problems that arise with your servers or any maintenance needed, but you will have to pay extra for that service for every time that there is an issue with your server.
What Does HostDime Offer?
Currently, HostDime offers different plans for all of these types of web hosting services. Unmanaged VPS is offered through a sister company called HDVPS. The different plans give you a choice in the amount of memory, bandwidth, and other services that you want.
So, with that being said, web hosting may be a tough pill to swallow at first, but once you get the hang of it — the jargon, the terms, and what it takes to make it all work — you may find it to be to your liking. Find out how to become a web hosting reseller by staying in the know! Now, what are you waiting for? Go wow your colleagues with all of your new knowledge!
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