Website Hosting

When I was first introduced to web hosting services, my experience was easy and painless. With the help of a good friend, who already knew hosting well, I was able to get started and begin playing with what it had to offer in no time.

However, when you are a total newbie the processes and technology behind web hosting could be a bit confusing. And you will end up spending hours reading information about the technology, what services to pick, searching for the reliable company and learning what else is behind the closed door.

After 10 years of experience in web hosting and the world of online in general, I`ve decided to create this free guide with goal to help people with their journey online and encountering web hosting world. This guide was written to explain web hosting in detail using simple language. Regardless of whom your host is and what your desires are, this guide will show you how to get the most of the hosting account.

 

Summary: In this section I'll look at the whole system of web hosting and explain it using real world examples. You`ll learn essential terms and we`ll clear some of the beginner's misconceptions.

What is web hosting?

Definition: Web hosting is the activity or service of providing storage space to individuals or organizations, for the websites that are accessible via World Wide Web.

 

Web hosting is a huge industry, with close than a billion websites currently online and millions of people all over the world getting into this new world. The website hosting process can be intimidating and confusing at first, but once you get your head around it, you will understand how it works.

To start with, let`s cover some new terminology. You might have heard different terms used to describe the process, such as: web hosting, website hosting, site hosting, blog hosting, self hosting etc. They all mean the same thing. You have some server space where you store your website`s files and you have a complete control over it.

 

Note: Hosted website or blog. You could hear these terms and might think that this is the same thing as the website hosting. However, these terms are different from what we call “web hosting”. In this case the hosting and most of its related functionalities are done by the third party company.
You usually get the tool/software to create your website but restricted to the functionality offered by that company. Another downside of the hosted solutions is that you can`t move your website anywhere else and it could be difficult to expand. More about that later.