When I was first introduced to web hosting services, my experience was
easy and painless. With the help
of a good friend, who already knew
hosting well, I was able to get started and begin playing with what it
had to offer in no time. However, when you are a total newbie the
processes and technology behind web hosting could be a bit confusing.
And you will end up spending hours reading information about the
technology, what services to pick, searching for the reliable company
and learning what else is behind the closed door.
After 10 years of experience in web hosting and the world of online in
general, I`ve decided to create this free guide with goal to help people
with their journey online and encountering web hosting world. This guide
was written to explain web hosting in detail using simple language.
Regardless of whom your host is and what your desires are, this guide
will show you how to get the most of the hosting account.
Summary: In this section I`ll look
at the whole system of web hosting and explain it using real world
examples. You`ll learn essential terms and we`ll clear some of the
beginner`s misconceptions.
What is web hosting?
Definition: Web hosting is the activity or service of providing storage
space to individuals or organizations, for the websites that are
accessible via World Wide Web.
Web hosting is a huge industry, with close than a billion websites
currently online and millions of people all over the world getting into
this new world. The website hosting process can be intimidating and
confusing at first, but once you get your head around it, you will
understand how it works.
To start with, let`s cover some new terminology. You might have heard
different terms used to describe the process, such as: web hosting,
website hosting, site hosting, blog hosting, self hosting etc. They all
mean the same thing. You have some server space where you store your
websites files and you have a complete control over it.
Note: Hosted website or blog. You
could hear these terms and might think that this is the same thing as
the website hosting. However, these terms
are different from what we call “web hosting”. In this case the hosting
and most of its related functionalities are done by the third party
company.
You usually get the tool/software to create your website but restricted
to the functionality offered by that company. Another downside of the
hosted solutions is that you can`t move your website anywhere else and
it could be difficult to expand. More about that later.