An explanation of hosting
As its name hints, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting online content. There are different varieties and types of hosting, based on the goals and on the objectives. Nonetheless, they all entail hosting files, which, once hosted, are made accessible throughout the Internet. A host is actually a web hosting service that is connected to the Web and has its very own Internet Protocol address, which permits users to have access to it via the Web. The server's configuration and its limitations are determined by the type of web hosting solution it will be used for.
What are the various types of hosting?
Based on the function, the professional hosting service may be:
File Storage Web Hosting - this form of hosting enables the customers to keep their files on a certain hosting server. With the normal file hosting service, the files that are kept may only be accessed by the client that's using the service. This hosting service normally includes backups of PCs , docs, personal files and even other web hosting servers. This service may also involve certain limitations when it comes to the web storage space and the root-level access. There may also be bandwidth quota limits, but that depends on the particular hosting service provider.
Warez Web Hosting - the so-called warez web hosting solution is very similar to the previous web hosting service type. Nevertheless, unlike the file storage web hosting solution, the warez hosting service is used for circulating patented content without the permission of the patent keeper. To put it briefly - it refers to the criminal distribution of files and docs. There are numerous approaches for this to be realized, but the two chief ways are - through simple HTTP downloading and through P2P connections. The first one involves either a specific site, or, most commonly, just a directory on a hosting server that's been made available for everyone to access it and thereby download proprietary docs for free. The second approach involves a P2P connection, making use of the so-called Torrent web servers, through which users transmit files between each other. There are not many web hosting distributors that allow that form of hosting on their web hosting servers, mainly due to all the legal troubles that it entails. Usually such websites are hosted on private dedicated servers that are registered by third-party corporations either in the Middle East or in Asia.
E-mail Hosting - this solution is used with both shared website hosting and dedicated hosting servers, based on the customer's intention. If you would like to establish your own personal SMTP email server, then you will require either a private virtual web hosting server or a dedicated web server that offers the access level needed to carry out such a task. For normal electronic mail web hosting ends, though, you can set up a standard shared web site hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain name. This is not a service that's widely used, because the web hosting and the electronic mail hosting services are being served by two different servers, usually belonging to different hosts.
Site Hosting - the most famous and universally used hosting service as of now. It's utilized for hosting website files, whose type is determined by the Operating System the hosting server is using - Linux or Windows. Different sorts of files need different hosting server OSs, or else they won't be displayed correctly on the World Wide Web. This sort of web hosting may have data storage and bandwidth limits, root access and CPU usage restrictions.
Depending on the mission and on the objectives, the user should choose the kind of server that he demands for his work, and, of course, the web hosting distributor that's going to supply it. There are different sorts of hosting servers, depending on the specs and the site hosting services that they offer. These are:
Shared Hosting Server - a shared web hosting server supplies a smaller amount of system resources, which, of course, is reflected on the cost of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small size and medium size sites, which do not require enormous quotas of storage space and web traffic.
Semi-Dedicated Servers - they function on the very same principle as the shared hosting servers. Nonetheless, there are much less clients accommodated on the same server. Therefore, each of them will get a bigger share of the server's resources like RAM, disk space, web traffic and CPU. Ideal for hosting bulky web portals that do not demand full server root privileges.
VPS - the virtual hosting servers are perfect for medium sized web sites, which do require root access to the web hosting server's config files. Typically, there are several private virtual web server hosting accounts placed on the same physical machine. However, each of them is isolated from the others and runs its own OS.
Dedicated Servers - a fully dedicated web server set up and accessed by you and only you. It guarantees a huge quantity of resources. It also gives full server root access, which makes it the optimal environment for any kind of web site that requires a webspace hosting service.
The only question that remains is:
Which webspace hosting company should I choose?
As already stated, there aren't many web hosting companies providing warez hosting services due to legal entanglements. Such hosting companies are being shut down virtually every month. Therefore, if you would like to offer such a service, you should do it on your very own PC. The shared web site hosting service is the most popular type of web hosting service. Therefore, every webspace hosting firm offers it. Not all of them, however, offer solutions such as private virtual servers, semi-dedicated web hosting servers and dedicated web hosting servers. Most of the small scale hosting providers do not have the means needed for maintaining those solutions. For that reason it's always best to pick a larger web hosting company that can provide its clients with all the solutions that they request. You can effortlessly recognize such web hosting companies by the kinds of services that they are making available and by the way that they present them to the clientele. For example, some companies permit you to begin with a low-end website hosting account and afterwards move to a more powerful one, if you deem it necessary to do so. This is quite suitable, because you do not need to relocate web pages between servers and there is no chance of facing service interruptions because of all the complications that may take place. Web hosting companies like DuoServer.US provide all types of solutions and possess the required web hosting server resources and personnel to guarantee that their clients will not stumble upon any problems when changing services, which is what a top hosting supplier is actually all about.