Web hosting in a nutshell

Web hosting is like a bulletin board. There are bulletin boards (the servers) that you can put flyers (Web pages) on. That’s it. That’s really how simple Web hosting is.

Servers are configured so that whenever a person wants to access your website, they are directed to the specific server that your website is on (your Web host) and from there they are directed to the files that make up your website.

Web hosting servers can be provided by companies who specialize in hosting, or individuals can even set them up themselves.

And Web servers, like bulletin boards, can hold more than one flyer from one person. They can hold a lot of Web pages from a lot of different people all on the same server. Servers can also contain just one website (dedicate servers). There are a wide variety of hosting options out there but all hosting plan involve the same elements.

Web hosting explained

Web hosting is often seen as a rather mysterious process. Sure, you can create your own website, but how does it actually get out on the Internet? It’s all in the hosting.

When you typically put a website on the Internet, it isn’t being viewed from your computer. Those pages that you see are actually on someone else’s computer, probably far away from you, and maybe even in another country.

You – and everyone else – can see those pages because the computer that they are on is set up as a server. Servers are simply computers configured to display Web pages to viewers throughout the world.

A server serves Web pages to users. Whenever a user requests the address of your website, their Internet browser translates the name (www.e-wisdom.com) into a series of numbers, which it then uses to locate the server that your website is on.

Once that server is found, it is sent a request to view the Webpages. If it is a viewable site, then the server happily responds to the browser and sends it the information about the page. Voila! Your page has just been viewed.

Professional Web hosting for businesses

Each business will handle Web hosting differently. If it’s a small business, the business may utilize hosting services from a professional Web hosting company.

If the company is very large, however, then they may set up their own Web server so that they can have greater control over it and what goes on with it.

Businesses generally own and maintain their own server(s) so that the can easily make backups, protect confidential data, and be able to quickly make changes to the server that they want to make, instead of relying on a Web hosting company to make them.

Professional Web hosting doesn’t have to come from big-name companies in order to be affordable and reliable. Oftentimes, you can find a cheap and reliable Web host in a smaller company or an individual, and you may even receive much higher quality of service in the process.

The key to whether or not they are professionals is how they treat you and your information. They should treat you like a prized customer, because you are one. Web hosting is big business and companies should want to have you as a customer.

They should answer your questions, provide you with a lot of information about themselves, and not shirk their duty if and when problems arise. They should provide backups of your data, or at the very least with information on how you can backup your data.

Finally, they should protect your data, both physically and virtually, by securing their servers from being stolen, and enacting security software to keep them from being broken into.

eCommerce Web hosting explained

eCommerce (electronic commerce) is a common term for business that is conducted over the Internet. With eCommerce Web hosting, a Web server is needed that can withstand a large amount of traffic and also process a large amount of data.

Information about products, customer information, and traffic through the website is stored in databases, which are kept on the computer and require database software, such as SQL.

Traffic to the Web server can also be intense, especially for heavily visited websites, so a computer with a lot of RAM and a fast processor is essential.

Backups are required, since vital customer information such as addresses and credit card numbers are stored.

And last, but not least, above average security it required, so that that sensitive customer information will not be compromised.

Web hosting from home

Hosting a website in your home or office is a lot different than professional Web hosting. Below is a basic checklist of what you’ll need to get started.

• A static Internet Protocol (IP) address that is used to direct people to your website.
• A computer with a server operating system installed and configured properly.
• A power supply for the computer that is un-interruptible and will provide emergency power for the computer should your main power fail.
• A safe and secure room to store the computer in that is properly cooled and ventilated.

In short, you will need a lot of equipment and resources that may cost a lot more in both time and money than going with a professional Web hosting company.

Choosing a Web host

The best Web hosting provider is not always the cheap Web hosting provider. Web hosting providers are like car dealerships; you should examine them carefully before purchasing something from them.

You should talk to users who are with that company and see what they have to say. Check to see what kind of sites are hosted at the provider, and ask them what their quality of service has been like.

Compare Web hosts to see what features are available and what rates they offer. Make sure you know what catches there are, like if you are going to have advertising on your website in exchange for not being charged to host it.

Don’t just look at the price and features offered. Look at miscellaneous factors as well. In short, do your homework before buying.

About foreign Web hosts

Most of the time you don’t need to worry if your Web host is located outside of the United States or not. There are situations, however, in which this could be a concern.

If you store sensitive data on your website that is not allowed by law to be exported to other countries, you could be in violation of federal law. If you need technical support, you have to keep the time zone difference in mind. If the country’s laws change and the material on your server is deemed to be unlawful, then it could be taken down, even though you reside in the USA. And if someone breaks into the facility where the server housing your data is located and steals equipment, you won’t have the same legal recourses as you would in the USA.

In short, be aware of what data you have, and be sure that if something drastic occurs, you can still access a backup of it.

How to conduct a comparison

The following merits should be included when you compare Web hosts:

• Reliability/uptime – how often do the servers go down for maintenance or because of problems?
• Price – how much does it cost to have a website hosted? Are there extra charges for more features?
• Backups – does the company perform backups of your data? If not, do they at least tell you how to back it up yourself?
• Customer service – are they available via phone and email? Do they have a physical address? Are they available for questions 24/7?

Uses these guidelines to compare Web hosts, and you’ll be well on your way to finding the best Web host out there for your specific needs.

Domain names and their importance

A domain name is the name of a website that you type into a browser, such as www.e-wisdom.com.

This alpha-numeric name is translated into a series of numbers called an IP (Internet protocol) address, such as 123.456.789.012, which tells your computer’s Internet browser where to find the requested website.

The domain name is important because without it, people would have to remember the IP address for each site they wanted to visit.

Registration of a domain

Domain names must be registered in order for the domain (and website) to be accessible by people around the world. Website names, such as www.ewisdom.com, are not what is used by computers to locate a website.

The name that you type in when you visit a website is translated into a series of numbers that is the real location of the website. The computer then uses that series of numbers to locate the server that the website is on and display it to you.

In order for someone to broadcast a website to the world, both the series of number that identifies the site has to be chosen, and a name has to be assigned to those numbers, so that when people type in the name of the site, they are directed to the correct one.

Registering a domain is a relatively straightforward process and can be done at a number of different domain registrars online. For a yearly fee, you can register the domain and own the rights to that domain. You must continue paying the yearly fee to retain the rights to that domain. Prices vary from registrar to registrar.