What is Website Hosting & How Does It Work

web host -ing [web host]- NOUN - web hostings (plural noun) - webhosting (noun)- webhostings (plural noun) The activity or business of providing storage space and access for websites

An Internet Service that allows posting of websites or web pages

Updated: June 28, 2024
By: RSH Web Editorial Staff

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Website Hosting

Hosting is the process of renting space to house or to host a website so that anyone on the Internet can view it. The content of a website, files, images, videos, mp3's and databases has to be stored on a Web Server to be viewable by the public. When a website Hosting Provider allocates space for a website to store its files. They are hosting a website. They will make these items available for viewing on the Internet 24-7, 365 days a year.

The different features and amount of space allocated to a website depends on the type of Hosting.

The main types of hosting are Shared Hosting, VPS or Virtual Private Servers and Dedicated Server. They are differentiated by the kind of technology used for hosting. The level of management provided and the additional services and resources that are offered.

Hosting is one of the first and sometimes the most important decision that you will face when trying to set up your website. The choices and range of Hosting packages can seem overwhelming.

How Website Hosting Works

When you create a website, you need two things: a domain name and a hosting company.
Your website is just a collection of different files. When you create a website you need a place to store all of these files. That place is your hosting company’s server. Think of web hosting as a digital storage space where your website files reside. A web host provides server space to store your website’s files, images and code. These servers connect to the internet, allowing people to access your website by entering your domain name into a browser.

Hosting

What is a Web Server?

A web server is a computer and or hard drive specifically designed to store websites and delivers web pages to viewers upon request. Every web server has a unique address, called an Internet Protocol (IP) address. This tells other computers connected to the Internet where to find the web server that houses your website.

If you’re planning on creating an online presence, reliable web hosting is essential. There are literally hundreds of website hosting companies providing thousands of varieties of web hosting services . What you chose will depend on how you plan to use your website and how much you have budgeted for hosting.

Many novice website owners opt to use the cheapest option or what they find to be the most advertised. Under the mistaken belief that all hosting options are essentially the same. This can be a costly hosting mistake.

Domain Names

Every Website needs its own unique domain name. You can register your own domain name separately, but most hosting providers offer domain names registration as part of their hosting packages. Depending on which Provider you use, there could be additional fees associated with registering a domain name. Having it included in your hosting package will save you money. With RSH Web Services domains are always free, and free for life.

Free Website Hosting

If you are considering a free hosting solution, think first about the size of your website and how many visitors you expect. Many free web hosts have daily or monthly limits on the amount of traffic your website can use. If you have a lot of images or videos that are over the “agreed” amount of space the Host is within its rights to disable your website or bill you according to or without your knowledge. And they frequently impose a maximum size on the files you upload. Many "Free Hosting" will run advertising on your website to cover the costs. Most of all people are put off by commercial ads, banners and pop-ups. Websites with adverts are generally considered low quality and even spammy. Before you sign up, check everything.

Shared Hosting

The most common of all Hosting services. This is a good choice for smaller companies or individuals to host their own websites at affordable rates. Especially when your needs and budget are limited. Share website hosting is best suited for websites or blogs that do not require advanced configurations or high bandwidth. Most shared hosting services is not suited for websites with high traffic, high volume sites may want to look at virtual private servers or dedicated hosting solutions instead.

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Virtual Private Servers

VPS is a form of multi-website hosting. Each VPS has its own virtualized server resources. Runs its own operating system, and reserves its own portion of the Servers resources. Virtual private servers (VPS) hosting is similar to shared hosting, but your files are stored in a dedicated space with dedicated resources. The cost is typically higher as well, but they typically have more memory, processing power, and storage than a share website environment.

Dedicated Servers

A dedicated server is a actual physical machine or "Server" that you have complete control over how you use the physical Server's resources. This is an isolated physical server environment that can be configure and manage as required. Dedicated servers are needed for mission-critical applications that require computer intensive workloads where application demands can be high and may require all resources available. Dedicated servers cuts the security and performance risks associated with shared hosting, but will increase costs substantially.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is a newer option that uses resource sharing and scale to reduce the risk of noticeable service disruptions. It can be more affordable compared to virtual private or dedicated servers, but make sure you understand how your plan’s pricing works before committing to one. Because this type of hosting does not rely on a single server to store and deliver content, it can be easily scaled to meet the demands of a website or application by spinning up more servers across the network when usage increases.
Cloud hosting comes with risks. Cloud service providers store your data and files on remote servers. A concern all organizations share is that they may not have complete control over all their data, and on how their data is secured and protected from unauthorized access.
For more information on the risks of cloud hosting at ISACA

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Why Pay for Web Hosting?

Uptime, Security, and Reliability. This is extremely important for any website. A site that is hard to reach or frequently down, a mismatched or expired SSL certificate will lose customers. This can hit revenue hard and ruin a reputation you worked hard to build. If someone finds your site and tries to access it only to find that it’s unavailable, they won't hesitate to go to a different website. Slow access is also very frustrating for any visitors and for you when working on or uploading content. With Web Hosting, as with everything, you get what you pay for.

Choosing the Right Hosting Provider

Choosing the right hosting provider is a critical decision that directly impacts the performance, security, and reliability of your website. Begin by assessing your website's specific needs, including expected traffic volume, storage requirements, and technical expertise. Evaluate the provider's reputation for uptime reliability, as downtime can disrupt visitor access and impact your online presence. Responsive customer support is crucial, ensuring assistance is available when you need it most. Security features such as SSL certificates, firewalls, and malware protection should be included or available as add-ons to safeguard your website against cyber threats. Compare pricing structures and scalability options across providers to find the best value for your budget; scalable hosting allows you to easily upgrade resources as your website grows.

Lastly reading reviews from online "Hosting Review Websites" can be misleading as almost all these review websites are paid affiliate sites - NOT true unbiased reviews.
By carefully weighing these factors, you can confidently select a hosting provider that aligns with your website's needs and supports its long-term growth and success online.

Website Renewals

Before signing up for any hosting contract be sure to check the price for renewals. It seems a norm in the industry to offer low sign up prices but charge much higher amounts on renewals. This in the end can cost you twice as much, so beware. This is something that RSH Web Services has never done, our low prices are fixed and we have never increased our customers pricing. Or attempted to talk you into Services just to increase the hosting fee.

Can I Host my Website on my Own Personal Computer?

Yes, but before you do you need to know there are limitations you will have to take into consideration. You should know how to set up a WWW Server on your computer. This is software that allows Internet users to access the web files on your computer. Your Internet service provider may not support the running of websites on your home computer. You will need to investigate your bandwidth quota. Your computer has to stay on at all times. 24-7, 365 days a year. Each time you turn it off or reboot, your website will become unavailable. Your website will load slowly as home internet connections are not designed for serving web pages to the public.

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WordPress Hosting

WordPress is a powerful blogging and online website creation tool. It is said WordPress powers almost 40% of websites on the Internet today. With WordPress being free and the simple requirements for hosting a WordPress website. It should be included with any website hosting account with no additional charge. This has become such a popular website builder we have made a dedicated WordPress Tutorials section

Email Accounts

Dedicated email accounts associated with your domain name are key to establishing a professional look for your business. With your unique domain name (e.g. your-custom-domain.com) you can create matching email accounts (e.g. yourname@yourname.com). Which will increase recognition of your company name and brand with every email sent. You will also have the option of using your choice of email software. This can be a very useful option depending on the size, number of employees you have and any special requirements that a generic email service may not provide. (gmail)

Hosting Control Panel

Having a good hosting account control panel to manage various aspects of your websites should be one of your top priorities. You should expect the Control Panel to be able to perform everyday maintenance tasks without having to wait for technical support to make simple changes. cPanel provides an easy-to-use dashboard to manage email addresses, account passwords. With more than 80 different features, it is one of the most popular in the hosting industry that we have a dedicated section just for cPanel

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FTP Access

The use of FTP lets you upload and download (for backups) files from your local computer to your website. If you build your website using your own website builder or coding by hand. You can then transfer the files from your computer to the web server through FTP. WinSCP is one of the most popular and free FTP clients in use today. cPanel also has a built-in file manager which will allow you to edit your pages right with in your Browser.

Database Management

Database management in website hosting is crucial for dynamic and data-driven websites. It involves the storage, organization, and retrieval of data through a structured system. Most websites that rely on content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal utilize databases to store information such as user profiles, blog posts, product listings, and more. The most common database management systems used in web hosting include MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, each offering specific advantages based on scalability, performance, and compatibility with different applications. These databases are accessed and managed through tools provided by the hosting provider, typically via a control panel like cPanel or Plesk. Administering databases involves tasks such as creating and managing tables, optimizing queries for faster performance, and ensuring data integrity through regular backups. Effective database management ensures that websites can deliver content dynamically, handle user interactions seamlessly, and scale efficiently as traffic and data volumes grow. For website owners and administrators, understanding database management is essential for maintaining a stable and responsive online presence.

Security Features

Security features in Website Hosting are paramount to safeguarding websites against various online threats and ensuring the integrity of data. One of the fundamental security measures is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, which encrypt data exchanged between visitors' browsers and the website server, preventing interception by malicious actors. Hosting providers often offer SSL certificates as part of their packages or as optional add-ons, promoting trust and protecting sensitive information such as login credentials and payment details. Additionally, robust firewalls are deployed at the server level to monitor and filter incoming and outgoing traffic, blocking unauthorized access attempts and potential threats. Regular security audits and vulnerability scans are essential practices to identify and rectify weaknesses in the hosting environment promptly. Many hosting providers also offer malware scanning and removal tools to detect and eliminate malicious software that could compromise website security and performance. For added protection, backups are crucial; reliable hosting services include automated or manual backup options, allowing users to restore their websites to a previous state in case of data loss or security breaches. By integrating these comprehensive security measures, website hosting providers empower users to focus on their online goals with confidence, knowing their websites are well-protected against evolving cyber threats.

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Benefits of RSH Web Hosting Services

With our enhanced web hosting services which have up to 70% faster performance. This improvement translates directly into a better experience for website owners and their visitors.
You will now notice when working on your website you will see faster navigation, reducing waiting times which can translate into more productive work.
For your customers browsing your content or making purchases, they can browse faster, leading to greater user satisfaction.

Summary

Website hosting is the fundamental service that enables individuals and businesses to make their information or products accessible on the Internet. It involves storing website files on Servers housed in data centers, which are connected to the internet and optimized for reliability and performance.

Understanding how website hosting works empowers users to make informed decisions when choosing a hosting provider based on factors like uptime reliability, security features, customer support availability, and pricing structures. By selecting the right hosting plan and provider, website owners can ensure their websites are secure, and capable of scaling alongside their growth. Ultimately, website hosting is not just about storing files online but also about creating a robust digital infrastructure that supports and enhances online visibility, user experience, and business objectives in the dynamic landscape of the internet.

A good web hosting company will take pride in servicing you.
So that all you have to do is focus on building the best website possible.

Author Bio:

A esteemed contributor in the area of technology and business. With a distinguished career marked by leadership roles within...

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What is Website Hosting & How Does It Work

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