Hosting is a service that makes information stored on a website available to users.

Each site is a collection of files. To make them available to the public, you need to upload them to the network. This requires hosting. To host website files, you need to rent a server space or the entire server, depending on the amount of information. The server will provide protection and continuous round-the-clock operation of the site.

Of course, you could try to host your website on a personal computer, but unfortunately, there is no guarantee that it will be able to work continuously. Power outages and temporary absence of the Internet can lead to irreversible loss of information. In addition, you need to have a whole set of specialized knowledge and capacities. Hosting has all the necessary components for high-quality work and website protection:

• Correctly configured software;
• Controlled power supply;
• Internet space;
• Constant professional technical support.

Hosting is managed by a host company or hosting provider. They deal with domain name registration, website migration, assistance in acquiring an SSL certificate, and solve tasks related to the maintenance of the resource, including technical issues.

Types of hosting

Hosting services differ depending on the requirements of the website. If you need more allocated space, the access speed is important, it causes additional loads. The more capacity the hoster has to allocate, the more expensive the tariff will be.

Shared hosting is a server with many websites whose owners have the same rights and obligations. It is one of the most affordable and widespread types of hosting. Users have virtually no access to server management. Only the control panel is available. You can install CMS, buy IP addresses, and work with databases.

• The advantages are an affordable price and full responsibility of the administrator for technical issues;
• The disadvantages are the relatively low capacity and the lack of the ability to provide specific software.

It is suitable for websites with relatively low traffic – landing pages, business cards, blogs, online stores with low traffic.

A virtual private server (VPS/VDS ) is a dedicated part of the disk space with certain resources. In fact, these abbreviations are equivalent. The tenant can host one large site or many small ones, install a control panel and divide the site into accounts, and provide hosting services on their own.

• Pros: the tenant has many rights and opportunities, and job stability;
• The disadvantages are the cost and the need for independent administration.

This type of hosting is suitable for personal projects and large websites.

Dedicated server – full ownership of a server with a separate operating system and software.

• The advantages are uniqueness and complete freedom of action;
• The disadvantages are cost and liability. The provider is responsible only for the technical equipment and Internet connection.

It is suitable for large projects – websites with a large number of visitors, online games, social networks, 1C, etc.

Cloud hosting – several servers are formed into a cloud by combining their resources.

• The advantages are reliability, as all the machines back each other up. If one of the servers fails, the rest will redistribute its responsibilities. You pay only for what you use.
• The downside is that Root rights are not always available. It is difficult to calculate the cost in advance.

It is widely used in the field of online education, for storing and processing information in medicine, banking, industry, etc. Useful for large offices and remote workplaces.

What to look for when choosing a hosting

1. It is desirable that the hosting has a set of popular templates or website builders;
2. The control panel should be user-friendly and contain a wide range of functions. You can see the control panel by ordering a trial period. It is important that the hosting has FTP, phpMyAdmin, MySQL, PHP, SSH access, an SSL certificate, and a file manager;
3. The backup function is a must;
4. The level of technical support.

Thus, hosting is an ordinary commercial service that takes care of all the issues related to organizing the availability of the site and its security. Users are only required to fill in all the fields with valid data during registration. Otherwise, if the password is lost, it will be almost impossible to restore the right to property.