stayplanet.com

operated by 'AfterHost'

An explanation of hosting

As its name implies, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting web content. There are various varieties and kinds of hosting, based on the goals and on the objectives. Even so, they all entail hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the World Wide Web. A host is actually a hosting server that is linked to the Internet and has its very own Internet Protocol address, which allows people to get access to it through the World Wide Web. The web server's architecture and its system resources are dependent on the kind of web hosting service it will be used for.

What are the different forms of hosting?

Based on the objective, the web hosting service may be:

File Storage Hosting - this type of web hosting permits the clients to deposit their files on a given server. With the customary file web hosting service, the files that are hosted may only be accessed by the person that's using the service. This web hosting solution typically involves backups of PCs , documents, personal files and even other web servers. This solution may also impose given restrictions in relation to the data storage space and the root privileges. There may also be bandwidth quota limitations, but that depends on the actual provider.

Warez Hosting - the so-called warez hosting service is resembling the previous web hosting service form. Still, in contrast with the file storage hosting solution, the warez hosting service is used for circulating patented materials without being given the okay to do so by the copyright proprietor. To cut a long story short - it is related to the illicit circulation of files and docs. There are many methods for this to be attained, but the 2 chief methods are - through simple Hypertext Transfer Protocol downloading and via P2P connections. The first approach entails either a certain web page, or, most commonly, just a directory on a web hosting server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thus download proprietary docs free of charge. The second method involves a P2P connection, making use of the so-called Torrent web servers, through which people share files between each other. There are not many webspace hosting providers that allow that type of hosting on their web hosting servers, mostly because of all the judicial problems that it involves. Commonly such web portals are hosted on private dedicated hosting servers that are registered by 3rd party firms either in the Middle East or in Asia.

Electronic Mail Hosting - this service is used with both shared web site hosting and dedicated web hosting servers, depending on the client's wish. If you want to have your very own private SMTP electronic mail server, then you will require either a VPS server or a dedicated web hosting server that offers the level of access needed to carry out such a procedure. For regular mail hosting purposes, though, you can avail of an average shared hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain. This is not a solution that's widely popular, since the website hosting and the mail hosting services are being served by two separate servers, usually belonging to different hosting providers.

Web Page Hosting - the most widespread and commonly used hosting service now. It's used for hosting website files, whose type is determined by the Operating System the web server is making use of - Linux or Windows. Different kinds of files request specific web server Operating Systems, or else they won't be exhibited appropriately on the World Wide Web. This form of hosting may involve disk storage space and bandwidth restrictions, server root access and central processing unit usage limitations.

Depending on the mission and on the functions, the user should select the type of web server that he needs for his work, and, of course, the web space hosting corporation that's going to supply it. There are various kinds of web servers, based on the specifications and the webspace hosting solutions that they offer. These are:

Shared Hosting Server - a shared web site hosting server offers a smaller amount of resources, which, of course, is reflected on the cost of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small and middle sized web portals, which do not need enormous quotas of web storage and traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Servers - they perform on the very same principle as the shared website hosting servers. Even so, there are much less users accommodated on the same hosting server. That is why, each of them will enjoy a bigger share of the server's resources like RAM, data storage, web traffic and CPU. Perfect for hosting bulky online portals that do not require complete root access.

Virtual Private Server - the private virtual web hosting servers are excellent for middle scale sites, which do require root access to the web server's config files. Normally, there are a number of virtual hosting server accounts accommodated on the same physical server. Even so, each of them is independent from the rest and runs its own OS.

Dedicated Server Hosting - a fully dedicated machine set up and accessed by you and solely you. It ensures a mammoth quantity of resources. It also gives root-level access, which renders it the optimal environment for any kind of web page that necessitates a website hosting solution.

The only question that's left is:

Which web site hosting firm should I choose?

As mentioned above, there are very few web hosting companies offering warez hosting services due to judicial predicaments. Such hosting companies are being closed down almost every month. Because of that, if you want to launch such a service, you should do it on your very own personal computer. The shared hosting service is the most famous kind of web hosting service. So, every web hosting provider provides it. Not all of them, however, offer solutions such as private virtual servers, semi-dedicated web hosting servers and dedicated servers. Most of the small scale 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 hosting company that can provide its customers with all the services that they request. You can quickly identify such hosting companies by the kinds of solutions that they are offering and by the manner in which they present them to the customers. For example, some companies permit you to kick off with a smaller web site hosting account and subsequently shift to a bigger one, if you find it necessary to do so. This is quite suitable, because you do not have to migrate websites between hosting servers and there is no chance of facing service interruptions due to all the problems that may take place. Hosting companies such as AfterHost offer all sorts of services and have the required hosting server resources and staff to assure that their clients will not encounter any hassles when swapping services, which is what a top hosting provider is actually all about.