A definition of website hosting

As its name denotes, web hosting is a service, which involves hosting web content. There are various forms and types of hosting, depending on the aims and on the functions. Still, they all involve hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the World Wide Web. A web host is actually a web hosting service that is linked to the Internet and has its own personal IP address, which enables users to gain access to it via the World Wide Web. The hosting server's architecture and its resources are determined by the type of hosting service it's going to be used for.

What are the different types of hosting?

Depending on the mission, the professional web hosting service may be:

File Storage Web Hosting - this form of web hosting enables the clients to host their files on a specific server. With the typical file storage hosting service, the files that are stashed may only be accessed by the individual that's availing of the service. This hosting service typically involves backups of personal computers , docs, private files and even other servers. This service may also contain certain limitations with regard to the server space and the root-level access. There may also be bandwidth quota limits, but that is dependent on the actual host.

Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez hosting service is comparable with the previous web hosting service type. Even so, unlike the file web hosting solution, the warez hosting service is utilized for transmitting copyrighted work without being okayed by the patent owner. To put it briefly - it appertains to the prohibited propagation of files and documents. There are multiple methods for this to be fulfilled, but the two main approaches are - via simple HTTP downloading and through peer-to-peer connections. The first method involves either a given web site, or, most typically, just a directory on a web server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thereby download patented files free of charge. The second way involves a P2P connection, availing of the so-called Torrent servers, through which users transmit files between each other. There aren't many web page hosting providers that allow that form of hosting on their web hosting servers, mostly owing to all the legal entanglements that it entails. Generally such web portals are hosted on private dedicated servers that are registered by third-party enterprises either in the Middle East or in Asia.

E-mail Web Hosting - this service is relevant with both shared web space hosting and dedicated web servers, depending on the user's intention. If you wish to launch your very own private SMTP server, then you will need either a VPS or a dedicated hosting server that offers the level of access needed to accomplish such an assignment. For ordinary mail web hosting ends, though, you can avail of an ordinary shared site hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain name. This is not a service that's very used, since the web hosting and the email hosting services are being served by 2 separate web servers, often belonging to different providers.

Web Site Hosting - the most famous and extensively used hosting service nowadays. It's utilized for hosting website files, whose kind is determined by the Operating System the server is utilizing - Linux or Windows. Different types of files demand concrete web server OSs, otherwise they won't be displayed correctly on the Internet. This form of hosting may impose web storage space and bandwidth quota limitations, server root access and central processing unit usage limitations.

Depending on the purpose and on the functions, the customer should pick the kind of web hosting server that he demands for his work, and, of course, the webspace hosting vendor that's going to provide it. There are several sorts of servers, depending on the specs and the web hosting services that they provide. These are:

Shared Website Hosting Server - a shared web server includes a smaller amount of system resources, which, of course, is manifested in the price of the service. It can be used for hosting small scale and middle sized websites, which do not need enormous quantities of web storage and web traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Servers Hosting - they work on the same principle as the shared web site hosting servers. Yet, there are much less users hosted on the same server. Hence, each of them will have a bigger quota of the web hosting server's resources like RAM, web space, traffic and CPU. Ideal for hosting bulky web portals that do not need root access.

VPS hosting - the virtual private hosting servers are ideal for medium scale websites, which do require root-level access to the web hosting server's config files. Normally, there are several VPS server accounts sharing the same physical server. Still, each of them is autonomous from the others and runs its own OS.

Dedicated Hosting - a completely dedicated physical server set up and accessed by you and solely you. It ensures a gigantic quantity of resources. It also gives full server root access, which makes it an excellent environment for any type of web portal that needs a web hosting service.

The sole question that remains is:

Which hosting distributor should I settle on?

As already stated, there are just a few hosting companies offering warez web hosting services because of legal predicaments. Such providers are being shut down practically every month. Therefore, if you want to launch such a service, you should do it on your own personal computer. The shared web space hosting solution is the most widely spread kind of hosting service. Therefore, every web hosting company provides it. Not all of them, though, offer solutions such as VPS web servers, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated hosting servers. Most of the smaller website hosting firms do not have the means demanded for maintaining those services. That is the reason why it's invariably best to go with a bigger web hosting company that can supply its customers with all the solutions that they need. You can easily recognize such hosting companies by the kinds of services that they are providing and by the manner in which they present them to the clients. For instance, some hosts allow you to commence with a smaller hosting package and afterwards shift to a bigger one, if you deem it obligatory to do so. This is quite suitable, because you do not have to transfer web portals between web hosting servers and there is no risk of suffering service outages due to all the problems that may take place. Providers such as Smartway Hosting provide all sorts of services and possess the adequate web server resources and personnel to ensure that their clients will not chance upon any troubles when changing services, which is what a top hosting supplier is actually all about.