A description of hosting

As its name hints, web hosting is a solution, which entails hosting online content. There are different forms and kinds of hosting, depending on the purpose and on the objectives. In spite of that, they all entail hosting files, which, once hosted, are made available through the Internet. A web host is actually a hosting server that is connected to the World Wide Web and has its very own Internet Protocol address, which allows users to access it through the Internet. The web hosting server's configuration and its system resources are dependent on the kind of web hosting solution it will be utilized for.

What are the different types of web hosting?

Based on the function, the hosting solution may be:

File Storage Hosting - this type of hosting permits the customers to stash their files on a certain hosting server. With the normal file storage hosting solution, the files that are stored may only be accessed by the client that's using the service. This web hosting solution usually appertains to backups of computers , documents, personal files and even other web hosting servers. This service may also include given restrictions in relation to the disk storage space and the root access. There may also be bandwidth quota limits, but that depends on the particular hosting provider.

Warez Hosting - the so-called warez web hosting service is very similar to the previous web hosting service type. Even so, in contrast with the file storage web hosting solution, the warez web hosting service is utilized for circulating licensed content without being given the OK to do so by the patent owner. To put it briefly - it is connected with the illicit propagation of files and docs. There are lots of methods for this to be done, but the 2 chief methods are - via simple HTTP downloading and through P2P connections. The first one entails either a specific website, or, most commonly, just a directory on a server that's been made available for everyone to access it and thus download proprietary materials for free. The second way involves a P2P connection, availing of the so-called Torrent servers, through which people exchange files between each other. There are just a few webspace hosting firms that permit that form of web hosting on their web servers, mainly because of all the judicial entanglements that it entails. Typically such web pages are hosted on private dedicated web servers that are registered by 3rd party companies either in the Middle East or in Asia.

E-mail Hosting - this solution is used with both shared site hosting and dedicated web hosting servers, depending on the user's intention. If you wish to build your own private SMTP mail server, then you will need either a virtual server or a dedicated web hosting server that offers the access level needed to perform such an operation. For regular e-mail hosting ends, however, you can create an average shared web page hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain name. This is not a service that's very used, because the web site hosting and the email hosting services are being served by two separate web servers, usually belonging to different hosts.

Website Hosting - the most widespread and commonly used hosting service as of today. It's utilized for hosting web site files, whose type is determined by the Operating System the web server is using - Linux or Windows. Different kinds of files necessitate specific web hosting server Operating Systems, or else they won't be exhibited accurately on the Internet. This form of web hosting may have data storage and bandwidth quota limits, server root access and CPU usage restrictions.

Depending on the aims and on the objectives, the customer should select the sort of web server that he requires for his project, and, of course, the hosting corporation that's going to furnish it. There are several types of hosting servers, based on the configuration and the web site hosting solutions that they provide. These are:

Shared Web Hosting Server - a shared web space hosting server supplies a smaller amount of resources, which, of course, reflects on the price of the service. It can be utilized for hosting small size and middle size web pages, which do not require vast quantities of server space and traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Hosting - they operate on the very same principle as the shared web page hosting servers. Nevertheless, there are much fewer customers accommodated on the same hosting server. Hence, each of them will obtain a larger share of the server's resources like RAM, disk storage space, web traffic and CPU. Ideal for hosting huge web pages that do not require root-level access.

VPS - the virtual hosting servers are excellent for middle scale websites, which do require root access to the web hosting server's config files. Generally, there are several virtual web server hosting accounts situated on the same server. Yet, each of them is isolated from the other ones and has its own OS.

Dedicated Server Hosting - a completely dedicated physical server set up and accessed by you and only you. It guarantees a vast quantity of system resources. It also gives full root-level access, which makes it an excellent platform for any sort of web portal that needs a site hosting solution.

The only question that remains is:

Which web hosting vendor should I select?

As already stated, there are not many hosting companies offering warez hosting solutions because of legal problems. Such hosting companies are being shut down almost every month. Therefore, if you would like to launch such a service, you should do it on your own computer. The shared web page hosting solution is the most widely spread kind of web hosting service. That is why, each site hosting vendor offers it. Not all of them, however, offer services such as VPS servers, semi-dedicated hosting servers and dedicated web hosting servers. Most of the smaller web hosting vendors do not have the resources needed for maintaining those solutions. Because of that it's always best to opt for a larger web host that can supply its clients with all the services that they want. You can effortlessly identify such web hosting companies by the kinds of services that they are supplying and by the manner in which they introduce them to the clients. For example, certain providers permit you to kick off with a low-end web site hosting account and subsequently move to a more advanced one, if you find it mandatory to do so. This is extremely convenient, since you do not have to migrate sites between web hosting servers and there is no risk of suffering service downtime because of all the predicaments that may take place. Hosting companies such as NTC Hosting are offering all sorts of services and have the adequate web server resources and staff to ensure that their customers will not come across any troubles when changing services, which is what a top hosting provider is actually all about.