A definition of web site hosting

As its name indicates, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting online content. There are different forms and kinds of hosting, depending on the goals and on the usage. However, they all involve hosting files, which, once hosted, are made available through the World Wide Web. A host is actually a web server that is connected to the Internet and has its own IP address, which allows users to access it via the Web. The hosting server's architecture and its limitations are determined by the form of hosting service it will be used for.

What are the various forms of web hosting?

Based on the goal, the professional web hosting service may be:

File Storage Hosting - this type of hosting permits the customers to lodge their files on a certain server. With the customary file hosting solution, the files that are hosted may only be accessed by the user that's using the service. This hosting service typically applies to backups of PCs , documents, personal files and even other web hosting servers. This solution may also include given limits with regard to the web storage space and the root-level access. There may also be traffic quota limits, but that depends on the particular web hosting provider.

Warez Hosting - the so-called warez hosting solution is quite similar to the previous web hosting service type. Still, unlike the file storage hosting service, the warez hosting service is utilized for propagating licensed work without the sanction of the license owner. In short - it involves the criminal propagation of files and documents. There are numerous approaches for this to be realized, but the two principal methods are - via simple HTTP downloading and via P2P connections. The first method entails either a certain website, or, most commonly, just a directory on a web hosting server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thus download copyrighted documents free of charge. The second method involves a peer-to-peer connection, making use of the so-called Torrent web servers, via which people transfer files between each other. There aren't many website hosting companies that permit such form of hosting on their web hosting servers, mostly owing to all the judicial problems that it entails. Generally such web portals are hosted on private dedicated web servers that are registered by third-party companies either in the Middle East or in Asia.

Electronic Mail Web Hosting - this service is utilized with both shared hosting and dedicated web hosting servers, based on the client's wish. If you want to set up your own private SMTP mail server, then you will need either a VPS or a dedicated server that offers the access level needed to execute such an operation. For routine electronic mail hosting ends, though, you can create a regular shared website hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain name. This is not a solution that's very famous, because the web hosting and the electronic mail hosting services are being served by 2 separate web servers, usually belonging to separate hosting providers.

Web Site Hosting - the most popular and commonly utilized hosting service as of today. It's utilized for hosting site files, whose kind is determined by the Operating System the web server is utilizing - Linux or Windows. Different types of files require concrete server OSs, or else they won't be shown accurately on the World Wide Web. This kind of hosting may include data storage and web traffic limitations, root-level access and central processing unit usage limits.

Based on the aims and on the objectives, the customer should select the kind of web hosting server that he needs for his work, and, of course, the site hosting vendor that's going to furnish it. There are several types of web servers, based on the specs and the webspace hosting services that they provide. These are:

Shared Hosting Server - a shared web space hosting server includes a smaller amount of resources, which, of course, reflects on the price of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small size and medium size sites, which do not need big quantities of disk storage and bandwidth.

Semi-Dedicated Hosting - they perform on the same principle as the shared web hosting servers. Even so, there are much less clients accommodated on the same web server. For that reason, each of them will obtain a greater quota of the hosting server's resources like RAM, data storage space, web traffic and CPU. Ideal for hosting immense online portals that do not need complete root access.

VPS hosting - the VPSs are perfect for medium websites, which do demand root-level access to the server's config files. Typically, there are a bunch of VPS server accounts located on the same physical machine. Still, each of them is independent from the others and has its own Operating System.

Dedicated Server Hosting - a fully dedicated physical machine configured and accessed by you and solely you. It guarantees a big amount of resources. It also gives root privileges, which makes it the optimal environment for any sort of web site that needs a website hosting service.

The only question that's left is:

Which website hosting firm should I select?

As already mentioned, there aren't many web hosting companies offering warez web hosting solutions because of judicial troubles. Such hosts are being shut down virtually every month. Therefore, if you wish to create such a service, you should do it on your own computer. The shared web site hosting solution is the most widespread kind of web hosting service. For that reason, each and every website hosting provider provides it. Not all of them, however, provide solutions such as VPSs, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated web hosting servers. Most of the small scale site hosting firms do not have the resources required for offering those services. Therefore it's invariably best to settle on a bigger company that can provide its clients with all the solutions that they necessitate. You can effortlessly recognize such companies by the sorts of solutions that they are providing and by the way that they introduce them to the clients. For example, certain hosting providers allow you to start with a low-end hosting plan and then shift to a bigger one, if you deem it obligatory to do so. This is quite convenient, since you do not have to transmit web sites between web hosting servers and there is no possibility of facing downtime because of all the predicaments that may arise. Web hosting companies like Exclusive Hosting offer all sorts of solutions and have the needed hosting server resources and personnel to ensure that their clients will not face any hassles when changing services, which is what a top hosting provider is in fact all about.