Whether one wants to set up a new website or transfer an existing website to a different location, finding the right web hosting service is an essential step. Companies providing data server space and internet connectivity are called web hosts. Most web hosts allow people to choose their own domain, manage their data online, and use a customized e-mail address.
Functions of a Web Host
A web host company acts as an intermediary between the client and the Internet. It has several computers called servers, which are always connected to the Web. The client is able to store data on these servers. When an external user inputs or clicks a link of a particular web address (domain), the request is transmitted through the internet and received by the server, which then tries to locate the website and load it on the browser for the user. A good web host should allow 1) uploading and 2) downloading any time.
In terms of uploading and downloading, the two basic components are the web server and the FTP server. The web server is a software that receives and accepts requests which use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and sends back HTML and images. Another component is the FTP server which the web master can use for transferring files. FTP is the protocol used to upload files to the server.
Some Types of Web Hosting Services
When a person does not want to spend for web hosting, the usual option is to find a provider that offers web hosting service for free. The downside is that the services are often limited in scope (e.g. there is a limit on storage space). Advertisements also often abound in the site. When a person wants to keep ads off, then it is better to choose paid hosting.
Another type is called shared web hosting. A person’s website shares the server with other sites and all the sites use the same resources including the CPU and the RAM. Typically, this type of hosting is not as limited as the free service. The third type is called reseller web hosting which allows the client to become the web host.
With dedicated hosting service, the client is provided a personal Web server and is given full control. When the client is using Linux, this is called root access; when he/she is using Windows, this is called administrator access. Contrasted to this is the managed hosting service wherein the client also gets a personal server but does not have full control over it.
Types of Hosting
A person can choose a web hosting service depending on what kind of site is going to be built. File hosting services (e.g. Rapidshare, Megaupload, 4shared, Mediafire) only provide storage for files but not web sites. Image hosting services (e.g. Photobucket) allow hosting of files in the jpg, gif and other image formats. Blog hosting services usually allow website hosting and sometimes offer file hosting and e-mail hosting. Other services host videos, one-click webpages, pastebin and shopping cart software.
Server Details
Web hosting companies usually have a set of requirements that a client needs to fulfil in order to gain access. These requirements include the server software, the scripting software and the operating system. The most popular database server is actually Linux and Linux-based hosting services have greater variety compared to the other alternatives. The LAMP platform (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Perl/Python) is commonly used among Linux servers. On the other hand, with the Windows platform, one can use Classic ASP or ASP.Net in addition to PHP/Perl/Python.
A Data-Saving Solution
For webmasters who want to make sure that the data is safe and sound, the automated remote FTP backup shell script can be used. This uses the AutoMySQLBackup script. It can back-up all MySQL databases on Linux-based servers, archive some directories (e.g. /etc/, /var/www/vhosts*/), establish connection to a remote FTP server and upload the backed-up data (daily or weekly). Many forsa in the Internet provide the complete instructions to the actual automated remote FTP backup shell script and detail its uses.
A person who is seriously contemplating establishing his/her own website or upgrading from free hosting should weigh the costs and the benefits of the possible decisions. While free hosting does not require fees, in the long run, paid hosting might be better because the client is allowed a higher degree of control and management. In the end, the factors that really determine the decision to upgrade to a paid web hosting service are the budget, the degree of control desired, the content of the website, and the type of market/audience one wants to reach.