A definition of web site hosting

As its name indicates, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting web content. There are different forms and kinds of web hosting, depending on the goals and on the objectives. However, they all involve hosting files, which, once hosted, are made available throughout the Internet. A web host is actually a web server that is linked to the Internet and has its own personal IP address, which enables users to have access to it through the World Wide Web. The hosting server's configuration and its limitations depend on the type of hosting service it's going to be utilized for.

What are the different forms of web hosting?

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

File Storage Hosting - this form of web hosting enables the clients to deposit their files on a specific server. With the typical file hosting solution, the files that are hosted may only be accessed by the customer that's utilizing the service. This hosting service normally pertains to backups of personal computers , documents, private files and even other servers. This solution may also include given restrictions with regard to the server space and the root access. There may also be bandwidth quota limitations, but that is dependent on the actual host.

Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez hosting solution is very similar to the previous web hosting service type. Nonetheless, unlike the file hosting solution, the warez hosting service is utilized for disseminating proprietary content without being given the green light by the copyright holder. In short - it pertains to the forbidden distribution of files and docs. There are multiple methods for this to be realized, but the two essential ways are - via plain Hypertext Transfer Protocol downloading and via P2P connections. The first approach entails either some web portal, or, most often, just a directory on a hosting server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thereby download copyrighted documents free of cost. The second method involves a peer-to-peer connection, utilizing the so-called Torrent web servers, via which users transfer files between each other. There are a few web page hosting suppliers that permit such type of hosting on their web hosting servers, chiefly due to all the judicial predicaments that it presupposes. Commonly such web pages are hosted on private dedicated servers that are registered by 3rd party corporations either in the Middle East or in Asia.

Electronic Mail Web Hosting - this service is utilized with both shared web page hosting and dedicated servers, based on the client's intention. If you desire to establish your own personal SMTP email server, then you will require either a private virtual web server or a dedicated web server that offers the access level needed to accomplish such an operation. For routine e-mail web hosting ends, though, you can avail of a regular shared website hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain. This is not a service that's very used, since the web hosting and the electronic mail hosting services are being served by two separate servers, usually belonging to different firms.

Web Page Hosting - the most famous and broadly used hosting service today. It's utilized for hosting site files, whose kind is determined by the OS the hosting server is using - Linux or Windows. Different types of files necessitate specific server Operating Systems, or else they won't be exhibited properly on the Web. This type of hosting may impose data space and bandwidth restrictions, root access and CPU usage restrictions.

Based on the goals and on the functions, the customer should choose the kind of hosting server that he requires for his work, and, of course, the hosting distributor that's going to provide it. There are different kinds of web hosting servers, based on the specifications and the web site hosting solutions that they provide. These are:

Shared Web Hosting Server - a shared site hosting server offers a smaller quantity of system resources, which, of course, is manifested in the price of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small sized and middle scale online portals, which do not need big amounts of server storage and web traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Servers - they operate on the same principle as the shared web space hosting servers. However, there are much less clients sharing the same hosting server. That is why, each of them will get a bigger share of the web server's resources like RAM, data storage space, bandwidth and CPU. Excellent for hosting huge sites that do not demand complete server root access.

VPS hosting - the VPS web hosting servers are perfect for middle size web pages, which do need root-level access to the web hosting server's configuration files. Normally, there are several virtual private web server accounts sharing the same machine. In spite of that, each of them is isolated from the rest and has its own OS.

Dedicated Servers - a fully dedicated physical server configured and accessed by you and solely you. It guarantees a huge quantity of system resources. It also includes root-level access, which renders it an excellent platform for any kind of web site that requires a hosting service.

The only question that remains is:

Which hosting firm should I opt for?

As stated above, there are not many providers providing warez web hosting solutions because of judicial complications. Such providers are being shut down virtually every month. For that reason, if you wish to provide such a service, you should do it on your own personal computer. The shared site hosting solution is the most famous kind of web hosting service. That is why, each web site hosting supplier offers it. Not all of them, however, provide services such as VPS servers, semi-dedicated servers and dedicated web servers. Most of the smaller web hosting companies do not have the resources demanded for offering those solutions. That's why it's always best to go with a larger web hosting company that can provide its customers with all the solutions that they require. You can quickly recognize such hosting companies by the types of solutions that they are providing and by the way that they present them to the clientele. For example, certain hosting companies allow you to begin with a smaller web space hosting package and then shift to a more powerful one, if you consider it mandatory to do so. This is extremely convenient, because you do not have to move web portals between web servers and there is no risk of experiencing network downtime due to all the predicaments that may show up. Providers such as pinkymonkey offer all sorts of services and have the adequate web hosting server resources and personnel to guarantee that their clients will not encounter any problems when swapping services, which is what a top hosting vendor is in fact all about.