What Services Are Provided By Hosting?
Every high-performing website or web app has a supporting hosting service in the backend. This is an online service that enables the internet accessibility of your website or web content.
You can easily rent a server space from a hosting provider and host your website data and other content. But there is a catch!
You will find plenty of different hosting services when you look for a suitable hosting plan. As a beginner, you might find them intriguing, but don’t worry!
Let’s hover through the details about what hosting services you can avail of for your website!
What Are Web Hosting Services?
Most web hosts offer different hosting plans with various service packs. Each web hosting service caters to website owners’, creators’, and businesses’ unique needs. With numerous web hosting options, every service offers unique functionalities and capabilities.
You can choose the simplest hosting solution with the basic package. But even then, you require basic knowledge of the different hosting categories: VPS service, Dedicated hosting service, Cloud hosting, and others.
So, what’s the specialty of each of these services? Let’s discuss the most popular ones!
Dedicated Hosting Service
As the name suggests, this type of hosting gives you exclusive access to a physical server. As you get your server environment, no one will disturb your website hosting operations. This type of hosting is perfect for:
➢ High-traffic websites
➢ Large enterprises
➢ eCommerce sites
➢ Media and entertainment companies
➢ Gaming companies
You can enjoy the following hosting advantages with the dedicated hosting service:
➢ Control over server configurations
➢ Freedom to choose the Operating System
➢ Customize the server settings
➢ Flexibility to increase server capacity
Respectively, you need sufficient space to add the necessary systems for running your daily operations.
Two main types of dedicated servers are Linux and Windows servers. Now, let’s review them!
Windows Vs. Linux Hosting Services
| Feature | Windows Hosting Services | Linux Hosting Services |
| Operating System | Windows Server | Linux (Various distributions) |
| Control Panel Options | Plesk, WebsitePanel | cPanel, Webmin, Plesk (limited) |
| Compatibility | Ideal for .NET applications | Ideal for open-source solutions |
| Cost | Generally more expensive | Often more cost-effective |
| Security | Typically targeted more but robust security measures | Generally considered secure with regular updates |
| Customization | Limited compared to Linux | Highly customizable |
| Ease of Use | User-friendly interface | Requires more technical knowledge |
| Server Resource Usage | Can be resource-intensive | Generally more resource-efficient |
VPS Service
Imagine dividing a single server into multiple segments and assigning each user a segment – With this web hosting service, you only receive control over a part of a physical server!
VPS providers use server virtualization technology to divide the components and create multiple virtual servers. Once you receive your virtual server, you can begin hosting your websites and services!
The main advantages you get from VPS service includes:
➢ More affordable than dedicated hosting
➢ More control with root access over the server
➢ No impact of increased website traffic
➢ High customizability with dedicated virtual space
Cloud Hosting
This web hosting solution is one type of VPS service. The only difference is that it gives you access to several virtual servers for hosting. Thus, you can allocate different servers for different websites.
Popular cloud-providing platforms include Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud. However, you can choose a suitable solution provider that fits your needs. Indeed, you will get the following advantages:
➢ Minimal service downtime or server component failures
➢ Server resource autoscaling to handle high-traffic spikes
➢ Scalable costing as per your server usage
➢ Accessibility to multiple Virtual Servers within the same account
➢ Support to various instance deployments
Shared Hosting
This hosting arrangement is very cost-effective, as multiple users use the same server and its resources to host their websites. In this arrangement, each website receives a server portion.
While this hosting service is budget-friendly, it has various limitations. When the server hardware fails, all server parts experience downtime!
However, shared hosting is ideal for small businesses and websites with low traffic. You can start with it and later move to a better hosting plan, like a VPS service!
Colocation Hosting
Colocation services are different from cloud services. Generally, hosting providers offer this hosting service that allocates server resources directly from a data center. You lease the server space and have in-house servers while the hosting company handles the server infrastructure, power, and cooling needs.
Distinguish colocation from managed or dedicated services! The colocation client drives the data center, while in managed or dedicated hosting, the hosting provider rents the data center.
Benefits Of Using A Web Hosting Service
- Assistance in Server Management: You pay for a reliable server infrastructure while the hosting provider manages your website 24/7.
- Improve Website Performance: Utilizing a web hosting service offers high-speed connectivity and optimization features to enhance website capacity.
- Security Features: As the web hosting services safeguard your website, you can protect your customer data from cyber threats.
- Scalability & Recovery: Your website can accommodate growing traffic and resource demands. Further, the hosting provider takes regular backups to protect essential website data.
Conclusion
You now know the different web hosting service options available. Now, evaluate your website’s needs and finalize a hosting plan that supports them. You can choose shared hosting if you are on a low budget. But, if your website requires high performance, you can select VPS hosting like Cloud, Shared, or Colocation. Whichever you choose, make sure that it brings the best results!
