A definition of site hosting

As its name denotes, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting web content. There are different varieties and types of hosting, based on the aims and on the functions. Nevertheless, they all are related to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the Internet. A host is actually a server that is linked to the Web and has its very own Internet Protocol address, which allows users to get access to it via the Web. The hosting server's architecture and its system resources are dependent on the form of web hosting solution it's going to be utilized for.

What are the different forms of hosting?

Based on the objective, the business website hosting service may be:

File Storage Hosting - this form of hosting allows the users to lodge their files on a specific hosting server. With the typical file hosting service, the files that are stashed may only be accessed by the individual that's availing of the service. This hosting solution mainly applies to backups of PCs , documents, personal files and even other web hosting servers. This solution may also impose given restrictions when it comes to the web space and the root privileges. There may also be web traffic restrictions, but that depends on the particular hosting provider.

Warez Hosting - the so-called warez hosting solution is quite similar to the previous hosting service form. In spite of that, unlike the file storage hosting solution, the warez hosting service is utilized for propagating proprietary content without the sanction of the licence proprietor. In short - it refers to the illicit distribution of files and materials. There are lots of methods for this to be realized, but the 2 chief ways are - through simple HTTP downloading and via P2P connections. The first one involves either a specific site, or, most commonly, simply a directory on a server that's been made available for everyone to access it and thus download patented docs free of charge. The second method involves a P2P connection, using the so-called Torrent servers, through which users share files between each other. There are very few web hosting distributors that allow that form of hosting on their hosting servers, mostly owing to all the judicial entanglements that it entails. Generally such sites are hosted on personal dedicated servers that are registered by 3rd party firms either in the Middle East or in Asia.

Email Web Hosting - this solution is utilized with both shared webspace hosting and dedicated hosting servers, based on the client's wish. If you want to build your very own private SMTP mail server, then you will require either a VPS or a dedicated hosting server that provides the level of access needed to accomplish such an operation. For standard email web hosting ends, however, you can create a simple shared hosting account, to which you can point the mail exchanger records of your domain. This is not a service that's very famous, since the site hosting and the email hosting services are being served by two separate servers, often owned by separate hosts.

Site Hosting - the most popular and extensively utilized hosting service now. It's utilized for hosting web site files, whose kind is determined by the Operating System the web server is making use of - Linux or Windows. Different kinds of files request different web hosting server Operating Systems, otherwise they won't be exhibited properly on the Internet. This form of hosting may impose disk space and bandwidth restrictions, server root access and CPU usage limitations.

Depending on the purpose and on the objectives, the client should select the sort of web server that he needs for his project, and, of course, the website hosting provider that's going to furnish it. There are various kinds of web hosting servers, based on the specifications and the website hosting services that they offer. These are:

Shared Hosting Server - a shared site hosting server includes a smaller quantity of system resources, which, of course, is reflected on the price of the service. It can be used for hosting small sized and medium size sites, which do not require enormous quotas of web space and traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Servers - they perform on the very same principle as the shared hosting servers. However, there are much less customers accommodated on the same web server. Therefore, each of them will get a greater quota of the web hosting server's resources like RAM, disk space, traffic and CPU. Ideal for hosting heavy web sites that do not need root-level access.

Virtual Servers - the virtual web servers are ideal for medium online portals, which do require root access to the web hosting server's configuration files. Normally, there are a handful of Virtual Private Server web hosting accounts situated on the same physical server. Even so, each of them is autonomous from the other ones and runs its own OS.

Dedicated Servers Hosting - a fully dedicated hosting server configured and accessed by you and solely you. It guarantees a big amount of resources. It also provides root privileges, which renders it an excellent environment for any type of website that needs a web hosting solution.

The only question that's left is:

Which hosting company should I settle on?

As stated above, there are very few hosting companies offering warez hosting services because of judicial complications. Such providers are being shut down virtually every month. That is why, if you desire to establish such a service, you should do it on your own personal computer. The shared hosting solution is the most widely spread type of hosting service. Hence, each and every web space hosting distributor provides it. Not all of them, however, provide services such as virtual servers, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated servers. Most of the smaller hosting providers do not have the means demanded for offering those solutions. Therefore it's invariably best to settle on a bigger web hosting company that can furnish its clients with all the services that they require. You can effortlessly recognize such hosts by the kinds of solutions that they are making available and by the way that they present them to the customers. For example, some web hosts allow you to commence with a small scale website hosting plan and subsequently upgrade to a more advanced one, if you find it compulsory to do so. This is extremely convenient, since you do not have to migrate sites between web hosting servers and there is no risk of experiencing outages due to all the problems that may take place. Companies such as AfterHost are offering all sorts of solutions and have the needed web server resources and personnel to guarantee that their clients will not experience any predicaments when changing services, which is what a top hosting firm is actually all about.