An explanation of webspace hosting
As its name implies, web hosting is a solution, which involves hosting online content. There are various forms and types of hosting, based on the purpose and on the usage. Still, they all are related to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the Web. A host is in fact a server that is linked to the World Wide Web and has its own IP address, which enables people to gain access to it through the Web. The server's configuration and its resources depend on the form of web hosting solution it's going to be used for.
What are the various forms of hosting?
Depending on the mission, the hosting service may be:
File Storage Web Hosting - this form of hosting enables the customers to deposit their files on a given web server. With the routine file storage web hosting service, the files that are deposited may only be accessed by the user that's availing of the service. This web hosting service normally entails backups of personal computers , docs, personal files and even other web servers. This solution may also contain given limitations with regard to the web storage space and the root-level access. There may also be traffic quota limitations, but that is dependent on the actual hosting provider.
Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez hosting solution is very similar to the previous web hosting service type. In spite of that, unlike the file hosting service, the warez web hosting solution is used for distributing proprietary materials without being given the okay to do so by the license bearer. In short - it entails the illicit propagation of files and documents. There are numerous approaches for this to be achieved, but the 2 main methods are - via plain HTTP downloading and via peer-to-peer connections. The first one entails either a certain web site, or, most typically, simply a directory on a hosting server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thereby download patented documents free of cost. The second way entails a P2P connection, making use of the so-called Torrent servers, through which users swap files between each other. There are very few webspace hosting suppliers that allow such form of web hosting on their web servers, mostly because of all the judicial entanglements that it involves. Generally such websites are hosted on private dedicated web hosting servers that are registered by 3rd party corporations either in the Middle East or in Asia.
Mail Hosting - this service is applicable with both shared webspace hosting and dedicated web hosting servers, based on the user's wish. If you desire to set up your very own personal SMTP electronic mail server, then you will need either a virtual private hosting server or a dedicated hosting server that provides the level of access needed to execute such a procedure. For common email hosting purposes, though, you can set up an ordinary shared web page hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain. This is not a service that's very popular, since the web hosting and the electronic mail hosting services are being served by 2 different servers, usually owned by different web hosting providers.
Web Page Hosting - the most popular and extensively utilized hosting service at the moment. It's used for hosting site files, whose sort is dependent on the OS the web server is using - Linux or Windows. Different types of files need specific web server Operating Systems, or else they won't be displayed accurately on the Internet. This type of web hosting may have web space and traffic quota limits, server root access and central processing unit usage restrictions.
Depending on the aims and on the objectives, the customer should pick the sort of web server that he demands for his project, and, of course, the webspace hosting distributor that's going to furnish it. There are different sorts of web hosting servers, based on the specs and the webspace hosting solutions that they offer. These are:
Shared Website Hosting Server - a shared web page hosting server includes a smaller amount of system resources, which, of course, is manifested in the cost of the service. It can be used for hosting small and medium sized web portals, which do not need immense amounts of web storage and bandwidth.
Semi-Dedicated - they are based on the same principle as the shared web servers. Still, there are much less clients hosted on the same server. Therefore, each of them will enjoy a bigger share of the web server's resources like RAM, server storage, web traffic and CPU. Excellent for hosting heavy websites that do not need full server root privileges.
VPS hosting - the virtual web hosting servers are ideal for medium scale web pages, which do demand root access to the hosting server's config files. Traditionally, there are a number of VPS web hosting server accounts sharing the same physical server. Still, each of them is insulated from the rest and runs its own Operating System.
Dedicated Servers - a fully dedicated physical server configured and accessed by you and solely you. It guarantees a mammoth amount of system resources. It also gives full server root privileges, which renders it the optimal solution for any type of web page that needs a web site hosting service.
The only question that remains is:
Which web hosting company should I select?
As mentioned, there are very few web hosting companies offering warez web hosting solutions because of legal entanglements. Such web hosting providers are being closed down practically every month. That is why, if you want to establish such a service, you should do it on your own personal computer. The shared website hosting service is the most widely spread type of hosting service. Because of that, every site hosting firm offers it. Not all of them, though, provide solutions such as private virtual web hosting servers, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated web servers. Most of the smaller web hosting firms do not have the resources demanded for maintaining those services. That's why it's always best to opt for a larger web hosting company that can furnish its customers with all the services that they want. You can easily recognize such hosting companies by the sorts of solutions that they are making available and by the way that they present them to the clients. For example, certain web hosting providers permit you to commence with a small sized site hosting package and subsequently upgrade to a more powerful one, if you find it necessary to do so. This is extremely convenient, since you do not have to relocate web portals between web servers and there is no danger of suffering downtime due to all the complications that may arise. Hosting companies like AfterHost offer all sorts of solutions and have the adequate web server resources and personnel to guarantee that their clients will not suffer any predicaments when swapping services, which is what a top hosting provider is actually all about.