What Does Website Hosting Stand for?

Possessing your own personal web page is compulsory in today's society. The introduction of the World Wide Web in our everyday lives denotes that, in order for someone to be seen, or to get his voice heard, one needs to set up a website and post it online. In order to accomplish that, you virtually demand 2 things - a site and a hosting solution. Prior to setting up an online portal, though, it's essential to comprehend that there are different sorts of website hosting services and that not all sites can function with a randomly chosen website hosting. In order to clarify this better, let us commence with the primary question:

What is Hosting?

Hosting, or also popular as 'web hosting', is a name that refers to the actual hosting server, or the web hosting firm that possesses the web hosting server. A server is a computer that's connected to the web and that's configured to work with PHP, MySQL, Perl, etc., which enables the clients to upload their website files on the web hosting server and to publish them on the World Wide Web. There are two primary varieties of web hosting servers, based on the Operating System of the hosting server - Windows and Linux. The two OSs are quite dissimilar and, in the majority of instances, not at all compatible with each other. This is the reason why, before picking the appropriate service, one should first learn what type of web server is needed for their web page.

If you haven't constructed the web site yet, then let's have a more detailed glimpse at the distinction between the 2 varieties and at what their pluses are.

What platform should you pick - Windows or Linux?

As mentioned, there are programs, which are solely compatible with a given OS. For example, JAVA scripts, .ASP pages, .NET Framework, Adobe ColdFusion are all based on Windows and will not operate on a Linux hosting server. Thus, if you plan to build your site utilizing any of the above, you should be searching for a Windows platform. Windows, however, is not open-source software, which signifies that it offers limited options in terms of server safety and privacy. For this reason, Linux is preferred by server admins around the world and most hosting providers utilize it on their web servers. Utilizing Linux, the administrator can set up the hosting server in a completely customizable way, and if the server is properly configured, it can offer full security against computer hackers and malware. Besides, the customizability of Linux allows for greater software optimization, which leads to better website functioning. Thus, if you are looking for ultimate security and web server functioning, then you should build your site in such a way that it performs with a Linux-driven web hosting server. This is not a troublesome thing to fulfill, since the most popular Content Management Systems, also known as CMSs, such as Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, Moodle, and so on, are fully compatible with Linux servers and are famous all over the world for being one of the best software applications for creating and managing websites. By all means, this doesn't suggest that each and every provider that's utilizing Linux will have administrators who are able to properly manage a Linux web hosting server. Picking the correct hosting company is very hard at the moment, since most of them do not possess the capability to engage a capable, experienced admin. A Linux web server that hasn't been appropriately set up can be very dangerous to your website and personal details. For that reason, when selecting a web hosting distributor, it's always advisable to choose a solid hosting provider that's been in business for at least a couple of years.

How to spot the appropriate web host for my site?

These hosting companies are easily recognizable by the way in which they are distributing their hosting services. Established web hosting service providers provide custom-developed features, various free open-source scripts or web application frameworks. The most practiced, however, possess even their very own custom-developed web hosting CPs devised particularly for their platform. A CP is a web-based user interface, through which the client administers the whole web hosting service. Smaller companies make use of ready-made website hosting Control Panels such as cPanel or DirectAdmin. In order, though, to guarantee ultimate security and performance for their hosting services, the leading web hosting corporations give to their clients their own personal in-house developed website hosting Control Panels devised by their very own administrators. We, at 'OpenHost', don't only provide our very own personal custom-developed CP, but have also created a free open-source PHP-driven script installer, which enables our customers to easily install any of the abovementioned web content management software applications. Specifications such as these demonstrate that we have the capability, the resources and the necessary experience to be entrusted with retaining your personal information confidential and your site - visible on the web.