What is web hosting? What a web host can do for you.
If you ever wanted to start your own website you may have already found out its not as easy as you think. You can't simply put some files on a special directory on your home computer and boom...you have a wonderful website. You need access to a specialized web server to put your website files on. This is what web hosting is – sort of like virtual hard drive space that can upload your files to and serve out to your internet visitors.
So why can't I host my website off my own computer?
Technically you can. However, in order to have an effective website you would need a high powered computer connected to a fast and reliable internet connection(Cable and DSL is not enough). Not only that, but vast technical knowledge with running web servers, mail servers, database servers, etc. This would take you years to learn and cost you a lot of time and money. Instead of going through all this hassle, it would be a better idea to sign up with a web hosting provider. The web host will provide you with everything at a cheaper price, a reliable and fast connection, and more functionality than you could ever do on your own computer.
While there are many different types of web hosting solutions, we are focusing mainly on a shared web hosting environment. Most websites on the internet can run perfectly fine on a shared web hosting service. The best thing about this type of web hosting is that it is typically real cheap and easy to use. From anywhere between $1-$15/m your host will provide you everything you need to run your website. This includes plenty of disk space and data transfer, email, database (for dynamic websites), and an easy to use control panel. The control panel the web host has installed will allow you to moderate every aspect of your website with no required experience.
During your search for a web hosting provider, you will discover that there are thousands upon thousands of different web hosts out there. The hard part is figuring out which one you want to go with. It is a good idea to check out some reviews from a web hosting review site. These types of websites will have reviews from prior and current customers of your host. It might also be a good idea to test out the hosts technical support department by sending them an email to test their response times.
In conclusion, web hosting allows you to serve your website out to the internet. It is basically a virtual hard drive that you can put your files on and serve to the public. While you could host your website from your own computer, it will be cheap and easier to go with a paid web hosting provider. The web hosting company will be able to provide a better service than you would be able to from your own computer.
“What is web hosting” by Daniel Brock
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