This article covers the definition of web hosting. It also provides a brief explanation of the importance of choosing a web host and why you should not configure your own server.
Let’s start by understanding what web hosting is all about.
Web hosting
Web Hosting is a service that allows companies and individuals to display a website or web page on the Internet. A web host or web hosting service provider is a company that provides the technologies and services necessary for the website or web page to be viewed on the Internet, it is said that websites are hosted or stored on special computers called servers that are owned by the host and that they are found in a datacenter (a site with thousands of servers).
Manage and host your own website, is it possible?
For your website to work, you need a computer connected to the Internet, This computer also called server will be able to receive requests, take appropriate measures and respond. Servers store the files needed to run a website, as well as the software (can be an API software) to deliver these files to anyone who requests them.
You could, in theory, run a website from your home office computer, but that would be a terrible idea.
First of all, you would need to know how to configure it correctly to run a website. You must keep it on and connected to the Internet at all times. Even if you can manage these things, your computer is only designed to deal with one user at a time. If many people started trying to look at your website, your computer and your Internet connection would both reach their limits and your website would stop working.
Better than running a website on a personal desktop, you can buy a server. It’s just a bigger, faster, better computer. However, they are extremely expensive, difficult to configure but also, to have a rather fast Internet connection with a lot of bandwidth is expensive and not always available
Obviously, this is a very bad idea. Too expensive, too complicated, too difficult.
Web hosting companies have solved this problem for you. They bought the expensive mainframes, set them up to run a website, made sure they had a fast connection to the Internet. They did all the work. You can find detailed web hosting reviews on Hostingsprout.com to learn more.
Web Hosting Companies
When you get a cheap web hosting plan, you borrow a little from one of their servers (or an entire one, sometimes). This allows you to place the files and software needed to run your website in a place that is easily accessible to anyone who wants to view it. To make it easier for you, they also provide tools to manage your computer and create and manage your website.
When you use a web host for your website, it is not in a cloud somewhere. It is a collection of real computer files installed on a real computer in a real building (the Datacenter). The location of the Datacenter and the appearance of this computer depend on the hosting company you are using. And you may never see the computer or even know where it is in the world. But it’s not magic, and it’s not that different from the computer you’re using right now.
