Variations of Web Hosting and its Benefits

Web hosting is all about making a web page available through the World Wide Web, with an internet connection, for anyone across the world to access. As it is become a necessary need in today’s world, these services are offered for free under many circumstances.
There are several types of website hosting, as each individual’s requirements will vary.

Free Web Hosting

There is the free web hosting, where the user gets to host the web page absolutely free of cost. These companies will be powered through advertisements. Most of the free hosting services will go to the personal web pages as they may not need too much data base support.
However, if you have a professional site, you should avoid free hosting entirely. The disadvantages of free services:

  • No domain names.
  • Banner ads on your site, pop ups or pop unders.
  • Limited software additions.
  • Limited ability to expand or move files.
  • No databases to run useful software including blogging tools.
  • Poor security.
  • No or limited technical support.

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Shared Hosting

Next we can look at the shared hosting, where a web site will be hosted on the same server as many other sites. It may number from a hundred to many thousands. The server resources will be common in this case. If you have a sudden spike in traffic, your site may be at risk for suspension due to increased resource usage. In contrast to this there is the clustered hosting, where several servers will host the same web page. Most shared hosting companies use a Linux platform, some offer a Windows option.
The advantages include:

  • Low cost per month, often discounts are available if paid annually.
  • A variety of add on programs and tools to optimize your site.
  • Your own domain and domain email,
  • Adequate customer support

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting provides greater flexibility than shared hosting, since the customer generally retains control over the hosting environment and choice of operating system. The provider, however, remains responsible for hardware and network administration. Most people who know what they need to know about web hosting, will go in for this option.

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This option suits large companies and high traffic web sites. The client can use multiple domains and host additional sites on one server. The amount and type of software solutions to install are virtually unlimited. The disadvantages are that you need to have a much higher skill set and that is the most expensive option.

Managed Hosting

Then there is the managed web hosting – a more advanced type of dedicated server hosting. In a managed hosting environment, the provider owns the data centers, the network, the server and other devices, and is responsible for deploying, maintaining and monitoring them.
The customer retains full control of their operating systems and applications. This balance of responsibilities allows for levels of security, scalability and uptime that far exceed basic dedicated hosting and other hosting options.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)

VPS is a shared hosting plan that acts like a dedicated one. Virtual private servers share one physical server but act like multiple, separate servers. Each VPS shares hardware resources but they are allocated a dedicated slice of the computing resources.

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The problem of having your hosting neighbors bring down your website is eliminated with this hosting, while the cost is lower than that of a dedicated server.

Collocation Hosting

The most expensive web hosting is the collocation type. The physical space will be provided by the hosting company, and the users will own the colo servers. Only certain facilities will be provided for the user with this hosting like the Internet, and storage. This option requires knowledge and skill. It is used for larger businesses with a dedicated IT department or small web host providers.

Carefully researche the possible web hosts before you make a decision. This way you will have a quality service at a competitive rate that will suit your needs.
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