Website Hosting for Beginners
So you just created your first website? Now you need website hosting.
Website Hosting Basics
In order to make your website available to the rest of the world, you will need to get it hosted, i.e. you will need to find a website hosting company or web host who will publish your HTML pages to a computer which has a permanent connection to the Internet (called a web server).
However, as you start your search for a website hosting company and begin to compare all website hosting packages on offer you may well come across unfamiliar terms and expressions.
Here we introduce you to the basic concepts and language of website hosting so you can better understand your website hosting options.
Windows Website Hosting vs Linux Website Hosting
Windows is by far the most popular desktop operating system, but when it comes to web servers, Windows has a smaller market share than Linux and other Unix-type operating systems.
This is most likely because Linux is free, whereas Windows requires the web server owner to purchase a license from Microsoft. However, support for Windows is established and trusted and Microsoft are very quick to issue patches and service packs as soon as they are required, so that your website hosting platform can remain secure and reliable.
Website Hosting Hardware
Website hosting costs do vary depending on not only the operating system but also the hardware specification of the machine. For example, a faster processor and more disk space will mean your website hosting may be more expensive.
Think about the size of your website, i.e. the number of pages, databases, large files (images, PDFs, etc) and estimate how much space you will need. Do you need to pay for more disk space if you won't be using it?
Shared vs Dedicated Website Hosting
A shared website hosting solution is suitable for all but the largest of websites and is available from most website hosting companies. This means that your website will be hosted on the same server as websites belonging to other companies or individuals. There is nothing wrong with this at all, in fact this is the most popular website hosting solution.
If you are building a very large website or an eCommerce site for a global organisation, you may want to consider the merits of a dedicated web hosting server solution. These can be expensive (many times the cost of a shared website hosting solution) but give you more control over the hardware and operating system.
Contact Xtra Internet for Website Hosting
Xtra Internet provide a range of website hosting solutions, computer systems, IT support, web design and web development and will be happy to discuss your requirements. Contact us free on 08000 84 24 64 or by email at info@xtrainternet.net or complete our online enquiry form and one of our team will be in touch.
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