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by admin@serverstalk.net in web_hosting
on Thu December 10, 2020, 20:55 (#14) 
Starting you own business can be very exciting, you want to make the best product, the best marketing campaign, the best web site, but sometimes in the excitement we miss things that in the long run, can demage us. We don’t want that to happen to you, and luckily for you, we will help you.
In the matter of web sites, there’s a world of possibilities where everybody can promise you “the best hosting service”, “the one you need”, “perfect for you” and so on…
Do not make the mistake of believing that choosing a wrong hosting provider will not have a negative impact on your business.
In fact, today can be one of the most important decisions of your administration, as it can affect from your income to the way your customers see you.
So, how do you know which is the best hosting service for my web site? Or you might be wondering “wait, what “hosting” even means?
In this article we will prepare you really quickly for the world of hosting services so you can defend yourself like a pro and choose the best one for your needs.
Let’s start with the basics:
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is the service to store and maintain information, videos, images, databases, or any type of content that can be viewed through the internet, generally using a web browser.
The term is an analogy to hotel accommodation, where a client occupies a specific room.
Following the analogy, a computer connected to the Internet is the "hotel", where the clients' files are "hosted".
In this case, the "web hosting" refers to occupying a space on this server, where we will place our files, emails, website, etc.
A hosting has three parts
Domain name
This is the key part of your hosting, without it, there would be virtually no hosting.
A domain would be the equivalent of the address of your business or office: the address is not your business, but the instructions where it is.
See this example: www.yourbusiness.com
You need a clear address (a good domain name) for your web page. Your domain name will be something like you.
Web Space or Hosting
This is the space on the hard disk of the server that you rent to place your website and receive your emails, is simply the space on the hard disk of a dedicated server, with nothing in it.
This is where your designer will place your files of your web page, images of your products, price list, etc.
It is also the space where your emails will arrive before receiving them on your computer or mobile device.
Without this space there is nowhere to place your files, and your domain will not work. It would be like having an address that does not lead anywhere.
Your Files and Databases
These are the files that make up your website, blog, forums or any other file that you decide to use. They can be PHP, HMTL, mp3 files, etc.
It is also the database of your email accounts and their contents.
What are the types of hosting and which should I choose?
Although there are other types of Web Hosting Services designed to cover very specific needs, the main types of Hosting or Web Hosting Services currently available are the following:
Free Hosting
Free Hosting is a Web Hosting Service for which we do not have to pay anything. Normally the functionalities offered by this type of hosting are very limited. Thus, both the space available to host the files on our website and the monthly transfer are usually very small. These hosting services are usually free because they introduce advertising within the web pages that are hosted using them.
This is a good option if you are starting and want to test somewhere without paying out yet
Advantages:
•It costs you nothing.
•Good option to do tests.
Disadvantages:
•Lack of technical support (its weakest point)
•The resources are usually very limited, like little hard disk space, little memory, do not include emails, etc. so you will not have enough to develop a complete web page.
•Many server crashes. For this model to work, providers saturate their servers with many more clients than they would normally have, causing frequent crashes and slow sites. so this saturation causes your site to be constantly offline or very slow, giving a bad impression with both customers and search engines
•Security: Having so many users and so many security holes, these servers are easy targets for hackers. In addition, many users abuse the free services to try to send spam (spam) causing your site to be spammed by the fact of being on the same server as them.
As you can see, this is not the kind of service you want to have for your business page. Since there is no guarantee in the service, your website may disappear from one moment to another and you will not have anyone to complain to.
Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting or Shared Web Hosting consists of hosting several web pages in the same Web Server, so that the resources of said server are shared among all the web pages hosted in it. In this way the costs of the Web Server are shared among all the websites hosted on it, resulting in a fairly cheap web hosting service that is suitable for web pages that do not have special requirements or a very high number of monthly visits.
Advantages:
•This type of service already includes much larger amounts of hard disk space, bandwidth and email accounts.
•Almost always includes a free domain with the hiring of the service.
•It's a cheap hosting, because there is a lot of competition, and companies are looking for more competitive prices.
Disadvantages:
•Some providers can saturate their servers, and give a low quality service.
•The provider must maintain its servers very well and be strict in the use policies, since some users may abuse the service (sending many emails and saturating the server, for example), causing problems to others.
•Systems updates: That users should be responsible for updating their systems such as WP, etc. (optional)
VPS (Virtual Private Servers)
In this case what we hire is a virtual server. That is to say, the company providing the hosting service uses the virtualization technique to divide an actual Web Server into several Virtual Servers. When we hire one of these virtual servers, we can work with it as if it were a Web server not shared and that only we have access, but really we will be sharing the resources of the actual Web server with the other hosted in the Virtual Private Servers.
Advantage:
•You get the services of a dedicated server for a fraction of the price.
•It is easily scalable, so you can ask your provider to adjust it according to your needs, either to grow or to decrease it.
•The level of support is much higher than in shared hosting.
•This is a good service for hosting resellers, as they can create an unlimited number of shared hosting (as long as they are within the limit of the contracted resources).
Disadvantages:
•The price is already much higher than in shared hosting.
•You need more technical knowledge, to be able to take advantage of the characteristics of your VPS, or hire a managed service to have better results.
•You may still have limitations, as you continue to share resources with several clients that are on the same server.
Dedicated Servers
When we hire a dedicated server, that server will be uniquely and exclusively used by us. In this case all the resources of the server are available for the use that we want to give it.
Advantage:
•Exclusive use of computer equipment
•You get the best technical service and guarantees.
•You have complete control over what you do or install on your server.
•It is the option that offers you the greatest security.
Disadvantages:
•The price increases considerably.
•You need to have more advanced knowledge for administration (or you can hire a managed server).
Hosting in the Cloud
This is a relatively new option, where your hosting service is distributed in a network of servers, which together share the resources to offer different structures according to the needs of each client.
Advantages:
•Highly flexible, you can increase or decrease hard disk space, processing capacity, RAM, etc.
•It can be adjusted for special events, such as a fair or sales season, and you only contract what you are going to use at that time and then return to the plan you had.
Disadvantages:
•You may have saturation problems such as shared hosting if it is not managed correctly.
•Currently the distribution of databases can be slower than in a dedicated server.
Now you are prepared to pick the best hosting service that YOUR business need.
In the matter of web sites, there’s a world of possibilities where everybody can promise you “the best hosting service”, “the one you need”, “perfect for you” and so on…
Do not make the mistake of believing that choosing a wrong hosting provider will not have a negative impact on your business.
In fact, today can be one of the most important decisions of your administration, as it can affect from your income to the way your customers see you.
So, how do you know which is the best hosting service for my web site? Or you might be wondering “wait, what “hosting” even means?
In this article we will prepare you really quickly for the world of hosting services so you can defend yourself like a pro and choose the best one for your needs.
Let’s start with the basics:
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is the service to store and maintain information, videos, images, databases, or any type of content that can be viewed through the internet, generally using a web browser.
The term is an analogy to hotel accommodation, where a client occupies a specific room.
Following the analogy, a computer connected to the Internet is the "hotel", where the clients' files are "hosted".
In this case, the "web hosting" refers to occupying a space on this server, where we will place our files, emails, website, etc.
A hosting has three parts
Domain name
This is the key part of your hosting, without it, there would be virtually no hosting.
A domain would be the equivalent of the address of your business or office: the address is not your business, but the instructions where it is.
See this example: www.yourbusiness.com
You need a clear address (a good domain name) for your web page. Your domain name will be something like you.
Web Space or Hosting
This is the space on the hard disk of the server that you rent to place your website and receive your emails, is simply the space on the hard disk of a dedicated server, with nothing in it.
This is where your designer will place your files of your web page, images of your products, price list, etc.
It is also the space where your emails will arrive before receiving them on your computer or mobile device.
Without this space there is nowhere to place your files, and your domain will not work. It would be like having an address that does not lead anywhere.
Your Files and Databases
These are the files that make up your website, blog, forums or any other file that you decide to use. They can be PHP, HMTL, mp3 files, etc.
It is also the database of your email accounts and their contents.
What are the types of hosting and which should I choose?
Although there are other types of Web Hosting Services designed to cover very specific needs, the main types of Hosting or Web Hosting Services currently available are the following:
Free Hosting
Free Hosting is a Web Hosting Service for which we do not have to pay anything. Normally the functionalities offered by this type of hosting are very limited. Thus, both the space available to host the files on our website and the monthly transfer are usually very small. These hosting services are usually free because they introduce advertising within the web pages that are hosted using them.
This is a good option if you are starting and want to test somewhere without paying out yet
Advantages:
•It costs you nothing.
•Good option to do tests.
Disadvantages:
•Lack of technical support (its weakest point)
•The resources are usually very limited, like little hard disk space, little memory, do not include emails, etc. so you will not have enough to develop a complete web page.
•Many server crashes. For this model to work, providers saturate their servers with many more clients than they would normally have, causing frequent crashes and slow sites. so this saturation causes your site to be constantly offline or very slow, giving a bad impression with both customers and search engines
•Security: Having so many users and so many security holes, these servers are easy targets for hackers. In addition, many users abuse the free services to try to send spam (spam) causing your site to be spammed by the fact of being on the same server as them.
As you can see, this is not the kind of service you want to have for your business page. Since there is no guarantee in the service, your website may disappear from one moment to another and you will not have anyone to complain to.
Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting or Shared Web Hosting consists of hosting several web pages in the same Web Server, so that the resources of said server are shared among all the web pages hosted in it. In this way the costs of the Web Server are shared among all the websites hosted on it, resulting in a fairly cheap web hosting service that is suitable for web pages that do not have special requirements or a very high number of monthly visits.
Advantages:
•This type of service already includes much larger amounts of hard disk space, bandwidth and email accounts.
•Almost always includes a free domain with the hiring of the service.
•It's a cheap hosting, because there is a lot of competition, and companies are looking for more competitive prices.
Disadvantages:
•Some providers can saturate their servers, and give a low quality service.
•The provider must maintain its servers very well and be strict in the use policies, since some users may abuse the service (sending many emails and saturating the server, for example), causing problems to others.
•Systems updates: That users should be responsible for updating their systems such as WP, etc. (optional)
VPS (Virtual Private Servers)
In this case what we hire is a virtual server. That is to say, the company providing the hosting service uses the virtualization technique to divide an actual Web Server into several Virtual Servers. When we hire one of these virtual servers, we can work with it as if it were a Web server not shared and that only we have access, but really we will be sharing the resources of the actual Web server with the other hosted in the Virtual Private Servers.
Advantage:
•You get the services of a dedicated server for a fraction of the price.
•It is easily scalable, so you can ask your provider to adjust it according to your needs, either to grow or to decrease it.
•The level of support is much higher than in shared hosting.
•This is a good service for hosting resellers, as they can create an unlimited number of shared hosting (as long as they are within the limit of the contracted resources).
Disadvantages:
•The price is already much higher than in shared hosting.
•You need more technical knowledge, to be able to take advantage of the characteristics of your VPS, or hire a managed service to have better results.
•You may still have limitations, as you continue to share resources with several clients that are on the same server.
Dedicated Servers
When we hire a dedicated server, that server will be uniquely and exclusively used by us. In this case all the resources of the server are available for the use that we want to give it.
Advantage:
•Exclusive use of computer equipment
•You get the best technical service and guarantees.
•You have complete control over what you do or install on your server.
•It is the option that offers you the greatest security.
Disadvantages:
•The price increases considerably.
•You need to have more advanced knowledge for administration (or you can hire a managed server).
Hosting in the Cloud
This is a relatively new option, where your hosting service is distributed in a network of servers, which together share the resources to offer different structures according to the needs of each client.
Advantages:
•Highly flexible, you can increase or decrease hard disk space, processing capacity, RAM, etc.
•It can be adjusted for special events, such as a fair or sales season, and you only contract what you are going to use at that time and then return to the plan you had.
Disadvantages:
•You may have saturation problems such as shared hosting if it is not managed correctly.
•Currently the distribution of databases can be slower than in a dedicated server.
Now you are prepared to pick the best hosting service that YOUR business need.