If you have a website and want to get it online, you surely will need web hosting. Because, the job does not end with having a well-designed website. All you need is reliable web hosting. Your domain and web pages exist, but visitors will not be able to find you online. 

Web hosting is a broad concept. So, to help you understand better, we have curated a blog for you. This blog explains everything about the term “Web Hosting”. Keep reading below. 

What is Web Hosting? 

Web hosting is basically a service in which the web hosting provider offers a space on the web server to store website files, folders and databases. Every website you visit on the internet is hosted on a server. 

There are several types of web hosting services like Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting, Reseller Hosting, Cloud Hosting, and WordPress Hosting.

When you opt for a web hosting service, your website is actually accessible to users online. Anyone on the internet can search your domain name, and the server will fetch the necessary results. 

As most businesses do not have their own servers, they rent out server space from the web hosting company. A server is basically a physical computer that functions 24×7 so that your website is accessible to users without any hassles. These servers comprise the necessary hardware and software that your website needs to function. 

How Does Web Hosting Work?

The working of web hosting is simple. Your website is hosted on a server which is a physical computer that functions continuously to make your website accessible to visitors on the web. Once a user enters the domain name on the web browser, the web hosting provider’s server will fetch all the necessary files to load your website. 

The web hosting provider offers all the technologies to make your website run optimally. In addition, they also look after the complex server management tasks and offer premium technical support. 

The Difference Between Domain and Hosting:

Apart from signing up for the web hosting plan, you also need a domain name for your website. Web hosting is basically a service that offers you server space, so that you can store all the website files and data. And domain name is the unique address of your website. 

Whenever any user wants to browse your website, they will type the domain into the web browser and your server will act accordingly and display the website. There are numerous web hosting companies that offer a free domain name with their web hosting plan. A domain name builds the credibility of your website and puts you in the online marketplace.  

Types of Web Hosting Services 

There are several types of web hosting services. You can choose according to your requirements and budget. For now, you might be wondering how these hosting plans differ from one another. It is because each of the web hosting types has its own set of specifications and uniqueness. 

Let us know the different types of web hosting services below: 

Shared Hosting 

In shared hosting, multiple websites are stored on the same server. Even the server resources are shared among the other users on the server. It is one of the most affordable hosting options. If you are looking to host a new or low-traffic website, shared hosting is the perfect choice. 

With shared hosting plans, you get a control panel that makes it easy for you to manage all the aspects of your web hosting account. The technical aspects of your server are managed by the web hosting provider you choose. 

VPS Hosting 

VPS stands for Virtual Private Server hosting. It makes use of virtualization technologies to host websites. In VPS hosting, one physical server is split into multiple virtual private servers with each having its own set of dedicated resources like CPU, RAM, bandwidth and disk space. 

VPS hosting is best in terms of speed, security and performance. It’s an ideal option for hosting high-traffic websites/applications. 

Reseller Hosting 

Reseller hosting is a type of web hosting service where you, the reseller, rent out the server resources and space from the web hosting provider and resell it to other clients, in turn earning good profits. 

Web hosting providers that offer 100% white-labeled cheap reseller hosting services that let you sell the products under your own brand name. 

Dedicated Hosting

It is a type of hosting service where you get an entire server that is exclusive to your website/application. In dedicated hosting, you don’t share the server resources with other tenants on the server. It’s one of the most powerful hosting options and is ideal for resource-heavy websites/applications. 

Cloud Hosting 

Cloud hosting is totally different from traditional hosting. Here, instead of deploying a website/app on a single server, it is deployed on a cluster of virtual and physical servers connected. Cloud hosting is highly scalable, secure and resilience. 

WordPress Hosting 

If you have a WordPress site, then you will need WordPress hosting. WordPress hosting is a type of hosting service that is specifically optimized for WordPress sites. It is 

What to Look For in a Web Hosting Provider? 

Now as you have understood the different types of web hosting services, it’s time to select the web hosting provider. Here are some pointers you should look for before choosing the ideal web host. 

Uptime Guarantee: Your website and business are tip-top only if it is accessible to users 24×7. So, the first factor to look out for before choosing a web host is uptime. Check if the web hosting providers offer an uptime guarantee of 99.95% or above. Uptime guarantee means the availability of your website on the web. 

Even if your website is down for a few minutes, your business is already losing potential sales. This is why you need a high uptime guarantee to keep websites up and functional on the search engine at all times. 

Security: Website security is an important concern that is non-negotiable. Check if the hosting provider you choose offers an SSL certificate to keep the websites secured from threats and breaches. 

Customer Support: Good customer support depicts the success of any business. So make sure the web hosting provider you select offers customer support 24×7 via different channels like emails, live chat, or tickets. 

Make sure their team is well-trained to resolve any of your issues related to website hosting. 

Cost: 

How can you forget the cost? The hosting provider should not be out of your budget. Check for the pricing, if they are not too high and are within your budget. 

Some Common Terms in Web Hosting 

Website migrations– It is the process of migrating your website from the old hosting provider to a new web host. 

SSL Certificates- These certificates are for the security of your website. They encrypt the sensitive information passed by visitors when it flows through the internet. Also, your website is secure with HTTPS when you have an SSL certificate installed.

Website Builder– This tool lets you build a website without typing a single line of code. You just need to drag and drop the content and images, your website is all set to publish.

Web Hosting Control Panel– It is a website management tool with a web-based interface that lets you manage and monitor all the website hosting activities in a single location. 

How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Provider? 

After reading the above blog, you must have cleared all the web hosting concepts. So now you must be wondering which web hosting provider should I opt. 

If you want to settle on a reliable web hosting provider, do a proper research, check if the hosting provider offers all the above features mentioned above. 

Conclusion 

The first step to building a solid online presence is by making your website accessible on the web. And for this, you need to opt for web hosting. Choosing web hosting providers like that can help to have a smooth hosting journey and can take your business to the new heights of success. 

Choosing a web hosting service for your website has become very easy now. You just have to decide the limit of bandwidth and disk space required. But as soon as your business expands, your needs will grow too. There is a wide range of web hosting providers available in the market, providing excellent services.

You must find a web hosting service which is reputable. You will need one which can fulfill all your needs in terms of creativity and speed. You should ask yourself five questions which will help you determine how outgrown your web hosting is.

So let’s look at five factors you need to take into consideration to help you understand if your web hosting is in fact helping your business or holding it back.

1. What Is Your Site Load Times?

Load time is the rapidity at which your site loads. Different sites can be used to measure the speed of your website. Load time is crucial for every site due to several reasons. If the load speed of your site is fast, then it would provide others with a better experience, and they would visit the website again and again. Practically every person hates slow web pages.

Increasing the speed of your site can get costly and timely. But if you choose the best web hosting, you won’t face any issues. By selecting an upgraded Solid State Drive (SSD) hosting or a Virtual Private Server (VPS), you can intensely increase your load time.

2. What Rate Are You Paying for The Services?

If the server you choose is offering a common disk space and bandwidth in a couple of bucks, then others will also utilize it around you. Due to too much of crowd on the same server, the performance will go down. The lesser your web hosting charges, the extra possible it is that other individuals will also take benefit of the same service. The expected consequence is a disadvantageous effect on the resources obtainable to you. Now and then giving a little extra money is an actually enhanced choice. Also, you can consult a leading digital marketing agency to get the best rates and services.

3. What’s the IP Status?

The better the reputation of your IP there more expensive it will be. But the better status would keep you on top of security problems. If your hosting service is found sending spam and malware, then your IP may get blacklisted. This will eventually lead to a bad search ranking of your site.

There are many software’s that can help you observe your server’s IP standing to check whether it will get blacklisted or not. The leading causes of getting blacklisted is that other users on the server may be using uncertain applications or out-dated software. People may not be doing it purposely; however, it can be done due to the lack of understanding.

In order to take care of this problem, you can regularly observe and monitor the software sending out emails using different tools.

4. Do the Performance Change During Peak Times?

If you have chosen a shared server along with a busy site, then you may face slow performance at peak times. The shared service would try to fulfill the need of the majority. That clearly means that all the essential resources would be divided evenly. You’ll have to wait to get the best performance. The slow speed and performance would also give a bad user experience. If you choose a better package with increased prices, you can scale up the resources needed. The level of power will increase along with the amount of RAM and CPU.

5. Is Non-standard Software Allowed?

At times you may need software that isn’t on a shared service. There are a few resources you may need in certain situations. If your service provider cannot offer you a personalized program, then it is time you look for a new web hosting provider.

Best Web Hosting Services

There are many web hosting services available in the market, but very few are worth getting. To help you, we have tested and prepared a list of the best ones.

• HostGator

• SiteGround

• A2 Hosting

• DreamHost

• BlueHost

• WP Engine

• InMotion Hosting

• IPage

• Site5

Tips for Choosing a Good Web Hosting Service

There are a couple of things you may keep in mind when choosing your web hosting provider. After reviewing and testing different services, we know well what makes a good web host. The below tips should be in your mind when selecting your web host:

• Go for the best deal, not the cheapest

• Beware of hidden prices

• Know how much reliable and trustworthy you provider is

• Decide your limits and needs

Conclusion

All things should be kept in mind when choosing a reliable web hosting service. Whether it’s slow load times, bad reputation or performance change during peak times, this all would harm your site. If you are paying for a service, then you should beware of all the pros and cons. Decide your limits and needs and according to that, choose a plan. If you are paying a bit extra for something good, then never regret that decision. More charges would usually lead to better results and higher sales.

You have finished development work on your web application or mobile app’s back-end. During the development and early testing phase, you hosted it on a throwaway cloud server for convenience and to keep costs down. But now that you’re ready to open the app up to real users, where should you host it?

There is no shortage of options. A cloud server is convenient and it worked well during dev and testing. A PaaS platform such as Heroku is more expensive but easier for developers to manage.

If you want a challenge, you could build a private cloud platform with containers and an orchestration solution like Kubernetes, splitting the application into microservices and hosting each one in a container.

Google “JavaScript app hosting” or “PHP app hosting” and you will be deluged with an array of top-ten articles listing new hosting providers that you’ve probably never heard of – all of which offer services built on top of existing cloud platforms.

Here’s an option that won’t be mentioned by developers who prioritize the new over the practical: a dedicated server. A dedicated server is a bare-metal physical machine hosted in a data center. 

But aren’t dedicated servers expensive, hard to manage, and excessively complex compared to cloud solutions? No, no, and no.

Are Dedicated Servers More Expensive?

If you compare the monthly cost of entry-level dedicated and cloud servers, there appears to be no contest: cloud servers are cheaper.

But, in a like-for-like performance, storage, and bandwidth comparison, a dedicated server is faster, can handle more concurrent users, and typically offers a larger bandwidth and storage allocation as part of the package.

A $150 per month dedicated server might include dual six-core Intel Xeon processors, 32 GB of RAM, 4 TB of storage, and 30 TB of bandwidth. If you think dedicated servers are more expensive, I invite you to head to your favorite cloud platform to find out how much an equivalent cloud server will cost.

A similarly equipped reserved instance of an AWS EC2 t3a.2xlarge virtual machine will cost you approximately double the monthly lease on a bare metal server.

There is also a surprise factor to consider. When you lease a dedicated server with a generous bandwidth allocation, you know exactly how much you will pay each month or year. The same is not true of the cloud, and many businesses have been surprised by a rapidly expanding cloud infrastructure bill.

For applications where performance matters – databases, web applications, financial services – dedicated servers are almost always the best option. Dedicated servers don’t suffer from contention issues: your application isn’t fighting against other applications for resources.

Remember, even though cloud platforms look like they’re providing a self-contained server environment, in reality, many virtual machines run on the same underlying hardware.

Additionally, the architecture of the platform can cause latency problems. A significant cause of cloud dissatisfaction is slow IO caused by network-attached storage. On a dedicated server, storage is integrated into the machine itself. Applications don’t have to make network requests to access their data.

Are Dedicated Servers Less Flexible?

Platform-as-a-Service solutions are notoriously inflexible. Users are limited to the software the environment provides because, much like shared hosting platforms of old, the provider manages the operating system, libraries, and tooling.

When a user’s application is built for an older or newer version of a library than is available on the platform, they’re out of luck. Container-based platforms help users to overcome some of this lack of flexibility, but they are often more complicated and expensive than a dedicated server.

A dedicated server is a single-tenant environment. You get to decide which operating system, which libraries, and which tools it runs. And, because dedicated servers are so powerful for their price, you can choose to run many containers on it, each with their own environment.

The main benefit of dedicated servers is that users can make them anything they want. A dedicated server will happily host a single monolithic application — not fashionable but often the best choice for technical and business reasons. Or they can deploy multiple containers and virtual machines.

Are Dedicated Servers Less Reliable?

Cloud platforms often make claims about the redundancy of their servers. As software simulations of real servers, they can be duplicated or backed up and replicas spun up in seconds. The same is not true of dedicated servers.

However, there are many disaster recovery and business continuity solutions for dedicated servers. Data can be backed up to a server or storage platform in a geographically distant data center and restored quickly should the need arise.

This is one area in which cloud platforms and dedicated servers work well together. Advanced disaster recovery solutions can fail-over to cloud-based replicas of bare metal machines when problems arise. When the issue is resolved, the dedicated server takes over and runs the application as usual.

But Dedicated Servers Aren’t As Cool

What’s cooler than an inexpensive, highly reliable, and robust hosting solution capable of supporting thousands of users? The simple truth is this: the vast majority of applications don’t need the cloud. Dedicated servers have been the backbone of business-critical IT operations for decades, and they remain an excellent solution.

Many newer solutions are over-engineered and rely on a complex mesh of virtualization and orchestration software that imposes a particular view of development and operations methodology. 

For most businesses and most applications, a powerful dedicated server running Linux will be less expensive, less complicated, and just as reliable.

If you have a newly-built website, there are high chances you are using a shared hosting plan to fulfill your hosting needs. While a shared hosting plan may be an appropriate choice in the beginning, you will be required to upgrade as your web traffic and hosting needs grow with time. VPS hosting has emerged as an optimal solution for such websites.

For those who don’t know, in VPS hosting, your website is hosted over a virtualized server with its own set of resources: operating system, storage, memory and bandwidth. As the server functions in an isolated environment, the website delivers superior speed and performance-a prerequisite for attracting visitors.

In this blog, we will understand the concept of VPS hosting and discuss some key reasons for using Windows VPS hosting for your growing website. So, let us begin without further ado.

What is VPS Hosting?

When you build a website of any kind, you need a web hosting plan to make it available online. VPS hosting is among the most sought-after hosting solutions these days. In VPS hosting, your website is hosted on a virtualized server. A virtualized server is created when a hypervisor partitions a physical server into several smaller virtual servers. Each virtual server operates in a sandboxed environment, works with its own set of resources and hosts a different VPS account.

So, when you use a VPS plan, your website remains hosted on the same physical server as several other websites. However, it remains virtually partitioned from these sites and runs with an exclusive set of resources.

Now, depending on the operating system you need, you can choose either Windows or Linux VPS hosting solution. Your operating system will decide how well your server performs, what apps you can install and how long it will take to perform certain tasks, etc. Windows-based VPS plans are quite popular as they offer superior technical support and security.

There are several benefits of using a Windows VPS hosting solution for your website. Let us discuss the major ones.

1) Budget-Friendly Solution

As your business expands and web traffic grows, you might consider upgrading your hosting plan. Investing more money into shared hosting when your site has outgrown can be a poor decision. At the same time, you don’t want to overspend and choose a dedicated hosting plan-your site just doesn’t need one.

Being optimally priced, Windows VPS hosting solutions offer a middle ground for websites that are just beginning to expand. Windows VPS hosting offers a wide range of benefits at a price range that is affordable for the majority of the business owners.

2) Better Control over Website

Because in a Windows VPS hosting plan, you operate independently of the neighboring websites, you enjoy better control over your website, including full access to the available resources and files.

At Go4hosting, we offer top-notch Windows VPS hosting plans that offer full SSH and root access. This allows you to install and configure software applications according to the needs of your business.

3) No Sharing of Resources

One of the major drawbacks of shared hosting is that the same resources are used by multiple sites. So, if one of your neighboring sites experiences a surge in traffic, you may run out of resources. As a result, your visitors may experience slow loading time, leading to a drop in web traffic and conversion rate. This, in the long run, can badly dent your revenue and mar your brand reputation.

With a reliable Windows VPS hosting plan offered by Go4hosting, you get to use a fixed set of resources for your website, resulting in a superior experience for your visitors.

4) High Level of Security

Windows VPS hosting is considered more secure than its shared counterpart. This is because the applications and data remain isolated from other accounts present on the same physical server.

In a shared hosting plan, if your website or web application gets infected, it can impact your site as well. In contrast, in a VPS, all the resources are isolated, hence the chances of your site getting infected are minimal.

Besides, any reliable Windows VPS hosting plan offers robust security features such as advanced firewalls, DDoS protection and regular remote back-ups to assure the highest level of security for your business.

The Bottom Line

As your website grows over time, it is essential that you assess your hosting requirements from time to time. A reliable Windows VPS hosting plan is an optimal solution for websites that have outgrown their existing shared hosting plan. Windows VPS offers a host of benefits including better control and customization of the website, exclusive usage of resources, high level of security and cost-effectiveness.

Still have questions on Windows VPS hosting? If yes, please let us know in the comments below. We will be pleased to answer your queries.

If you are keen on starting a website, chances are you already know that a web hosting service will be required to make it available online. While you may seek a shared hosting service for your newly-built site, it may not be viable after some time as your website grows and requires an upgrade. VPS hosting and dedicated hosting are the most popular hosting services for businesses with growing website needs.

But how exactly do these two hosting solutions differ and which one should you choose for your website? In this blog, we will discuss the concept of VPS and dedicated hosting-and help you decide which one to choose for your website. So, let’s deep dive and find out.

VPS Hosting

VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. A VPS is created when a physical server is partitioned into several smaller, virtualized servers using a hypervisor. Each of these virtual servers (also called virtual machines) runs in a sandboxed environment and uses a fixed set of resources.

In VPS hosting, multiple websites share a physical server but are hosted on different virtual servers and thus remain immune to tenant websites. As a result, a virtual private server offers the environment of a dedicated server at a fraction of the price.

Pros and Cons of VPS Hosting

Pros

Performance: VPS hosting offers superior performance when compared to similarly-priced hosting solutions such as shared hosting. This is because you get a fixed set of resources to work with. Besides, there are fewer websites to share the resources of the physical server.

Customization: In VPS hosting, you get root access to the server and can customize server software and operating system. The configuration of the physical server can, however, pose restrictions on customization.

Security: While a VPS may not be as secure as a dedicated server hosting, it is definitely more secure than a shared server. In VPS hosting, the hypervisor separates the virtual servers and prevents one website from affecting tenant websites. So, if one of the accounts on your physical server gets infected by malware, your account will remain immune unless an advanced software is used for the attack.

Pricing: A reliable VPS hosting plan is far more affordable than its dedicated counterpart. This is because, in VPS hosting, the cost of the physical server gets divided among the tenant websites which may be up to 10-15 in number. While a cheap VPS hosting plan can be availed for as low as $20/month, a high-end VPS plan may cost you around $120/month or more. On the contrary, a dedicated hosting plan may start from $99/month and a good-quality low-end solution may cost you around $150/month. And if we talk of high-end dedicated hosting plans, there is no upper limit. You can pay up to $2500/month for a fully managed top-of-the-line dedicated hosting solution-this, however, usually applies to websites that attract millions of visitors every month.

Cons

While a VPS offers a host of benefits, it comes with its set of drawbacks. Though a VPS allows your website to exclusively use a fixed set of resources, it may not be able to cope if your requirements exceed what your hosting plan offers.

In addition to this, a VPS may not be secure in certain circumstances. In VPS hosting, a hypervisor manages the virtual servers and prevents malware from spreading to other accounts most of the times. In rare cases, however, the malware may be sophisticated enough to bypass the hypervisor and infect all the websites hosted on the physical server.

Dedicated Hosting

In dedicated hosting, the entire physical server is dedicated to one client hence the name. The client has access to all the resources of the server-network access, processing power, memory and storage. A dedicated server also offers root access allowing the client to customize the server as per his requirements.

Pros and Cons of Dedicated Hosting

Pros

Performance: Because in a dedicated server, the resources are exclusively meant for your website, it experiences superior speed and performance. Dedicated hosting is optimal for sites that consistently require a high influx of resources.

Customization: This is one aspect where dedicated servers beat all the other hosting solutions. As you are the sole user of a dedicated server, you enjoy near-complete control over it and can do whatever is required to create a configuration ideal for your website or web application-you can even change various parts of its core software and hardware. If you need a highly specific configuration to run a specialized website or application, dedicated hosting is the right choice for you.

Security: Since a dedicated server hosts a single website, there are no tenant websites to spread malware or spam your website. Plus, the server allows you to manage software installations and updates with the utmost efficiency minimizing the incidence of breaches.

Cons

Dedicated hosting does offer top-notch speed, performance, customization and security, but all this comes at a premium. Dedicated hosting solutions are among the most expensive solutions available in the marketplace and, therefore, require careful consideration. Besides, a dedicated server necessitates a good working knowledge of server management.

Choosing between VPS and Dedicated Hosting for your Site

If your business is not generating enough revenue, you will, in all probability, not require a dedicated server and a VPS will be adequate to cover your needs. No wonder, most of the online businesses do well with a mid-to-high-end VPS hosting plan.

A factor that we can easily rule out while making a comparison between VPS and dedicated hosting is security. The hypervisor in a VPS keeps out malware in most of the instances, so a virus bypassing the hypervisor to infect your website happens very rarely. So, unless you have a business that deals with sensitive information (for instance, financial or legal), you can easily do with a VPS.

Your configuration needs are vital while deciding your hosting plan. If you must use a server with a highly specific hardware configuration, you should opt for a dedicated hosting price that allows you to assemble your own physical server. Similarly, if you want to install specialized software, dedicated is the solution to go for.

Comparing VPS and dedicated on grounds of performance is tricky. This is because performance depends on hardware configuration which varies from plan to plan. While a dedicated server typically offers higher speed and performance, we do have high-end VPS plans that fare better than their low-end dedicated counterparts on most counts.

So, if your website regularly attracts traffic well above 0.5 million page views every month or you need highly customized hardware/software and have the expertise to set it up, only then you should consider renting a dedicated server. Otherwise, a VPS will be adequate to fulfill your needs.

Hope this blog has given you a thorough understanding of VPS and dedicated hosting. In case you still have questions related to VPS or dedicated hosting, please let us know in the comment section below. We will be glad to answer your queries.