The same as real-world sites, websites are built on the land. Hosting is the term that refers to the virtual space needed to host a website.
Hosting is the service of storing all the files of your web page on a computer 365 days a year and keeping them open to access. These computers are called “servers” or “web servers.”
In comparison to personal or business computers, web servers have more hardware. Servers are hosted in centers known as “data centers.” Data centers have a high-speed internet connection, do not experience power cuts, and are protected against natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. For this reason, your sites are accessible to visitors under all circumstances.
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What Does Hosting Do?
Your hosting account stores all the files required to publish the website, including images, texts, function files, and more. When visitors enter your website address into their web browser, they direct to the server where your site’s files are stored. It is not possible to publish your website on the internet without a hosting account.
What Are the Various Types of Hosting?
Hosting services go by several titles depending on the size of resources required for your website, the server’s operating system, and the type of provisioning.
Hosting Types Based on the Operating System
Web servers also need an operating system, just like your personal or corporate computers. There are two different types of hosting according to the operating system.
Linux Hosting
Linux Hosting uses the Linux Operating System. It is also known as “Linux-based hosting.” It is ideal for hosting sites using PHP, MySQL, Perl, and Cgi. Moreover, Linux hosting plans work well for hosting popular CMS platforms like WordPress and OpenCart.
Windows Hosting
Windows Hosting is a type of hosting that uses Windows OS. It is also known as “Windows-based hosting.” It functions well for hosting websites using the ASP scripting language. Additionally, it supports the .NET Framework-based apps. Windows hosting is the ideal type of hosting for MSSQL and Access databases.
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Hosting Types Based on Sharing Types
Servers that provide the service host a site or more than one site by dividing it in various ways. Hosting services are divided into four groups based on the sharing method.
Dedicated Server
It is a form of hosting in which the client has complete ownership of the server and all server resources. It is also known as a “physical server.”
Dedicated server areas can host a site on this server, or they can host multiple sites with various virtualization methods.
VDS
VDS is the abbreviation for the term “Virtual Dedicated Server.” With the help of several programs and VDS packages, one physical server can serve as several physical servers. If a dedicated Server splits into VDS, each VDS will have a different operating system and resources. In other words, some VDS accounts on a server may run Windows, while others may run Linux.
In VDS hosting packages, each VDS has an independent server resource. For instance, on a physical server with 2 TB of storage, one of the two VDS accounts may have 512 GB of storage specified, and the other could have 1536 GB of storage.
VPS
VPS is the abbreviation for the term “Virtual Private Server.” Just like in VDS packages, it is created by virtualizing a physical server and separating it into different physical servers. The difference between VDS and VPS is the utilization of server resources. So in this hosting model, VPS accounts are installed on the server; It uses RAM, CPU, and other resources in line with its instant needs.
Marketers refer to it as “shared hosting.” As the title suggests, it is employed to host many websites on one server. One shared hosting account can host only one website. All websites on the server share resources like CPU and RAM. For this reason, your site may experience access problems due to excessive resource consumption of other sites on the server. Due to its cost-effectiveness, it is perfect for websites with low user traffic and minimal resource requirements.
Other Hosting Types
There are four other hosting alternatives in the market, branded as “WordPress Hosting,” “Cloud Server,” “Corporate Hosting,” and “Email Server,” in addition to the ones already listed.
WordPress Hosting
It is a specific kind of hosting well suited for WordPress use. WordPress Hosting is available on Linux-based servers. WordPress-powered websites use an excessive amount of server resources. This web hosting service has started to gain popularity recently.
This hosting package typically comes with WordPress installed. Additionally, many applications and free themes that will enhance the functionality of your website are pre-installed. Moreover, WordPress users automatically receive software updates.
WordPress hosting packages usually do not have host panel access. The WP-CLI plugin allows you to edit WordPress files. This plugin provides a command line to the admin panel, from which you can edit the theme, plugin, and system files.
WordPress hosting uses SSD for storage. Because disk read and write capacity is faster than HDD, visitors access content faster.
WordPress’ security vulnerabilities become stronger with various security patches. In addition, many programs help in caching and speeding up the website. In some packages, CDN services and SSL certificates are also an option. Additionally, It is available in packages that support the use of subdomains.
The first of the two noteworthy drawbacks is that switching hosting types is required if you wish to publish your site using a script other than WordPress. The second is that since there is no server access, you cannot make any necessary server optimizations.
By choosing Fast Panda WordPress hosting, you can manage your online presence with ease right out of the box. Fast Panda comes with a variety of security and performance solutions that are already pre-installed on our platform.
Cloud Hosting
This technology is the process of applying the virtualization technique to create virtual-physical servers from a server pool made up of multiple physical servers.
The primary advantage of cloud servers is the flexibility to adjust server resources via a panel as needed. You don’t have to physically change servers when your needs for system resources change.
If any cloud server hardware fails, it won’t harm your website. As a result of failure, resources are no longer used and are made available by other servers in the server park. Therefore, until the related error gets repaired, your website won’t go down or slow down.
The visitor, who wants to access a site hosted on the cloud server, visits the server in the nearest geographical location for access. To illustrate this situation, consider the case of a visitor from Greece attempting to access a website hosted on a cloud server created by virtualizing physical servers located in Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey. It displays your site from the server in Bulgaria, which is the closest geographical location to it. As a result, both accessing and navigating your website will happen more quickly.
Many different web hosting companies nowadays use cloud server solutions in VPS services. Almost all cloud servers also employ SSD storage technology. HDD-built cloud servers aren’t the fastest.
Corporate Hosting
It is a web hosting solution generally preferred by businesses with heavy email traffic. The main distinction from a typical Linux or Windows hosting service is the use of different technologies for safer email delivery and reception. Additionally, there is more storage space, allowing emails to remain in the system without being deleted.
Email Server
Businesses with heavy email traffic prefer it. This type of hosting cannot host any website or other application. The entire server optimization provides sufficient email traffic.
Mail Hosting
It serves the same function as an email server and is among the best options for businesses and organizations with high email traffic. These packages are designed exclusively for email and can not be used to publish websites.
Services Provided by Hosting Companies
Hosting companies, in addition to web hosting services, provide services including domain sales, domain transfers, ready sites sales, SSL certificate sales, server maintenance, and optimization.
Some of the services mentioned above may be included in the hosting package you buy, depending on the type of package you choose. Understanding the restrictions of this service before making a purchase will help you to stay worry-free in the future when purchasing packages that include server maintenance and optimization.
How is Hosting Security Provided?
The hosting account is the most crucial component required for a website to broadcast continually. Accordingly, there must be a high standard of security. We need to keep the following points in mind to ensure the security of the hosting account.
- Use passwords that are hard to guess. Create passwords using numbers, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, punctuation marks, and special characters.
- Use a different password for your hosting account than your email and social media accounts. These passwords are simpler for cybercriminals to find.
- Assign different passwords to all areas in your hosting account, such as the database accessed with a password.
- Renew the passwords of all encrypted areas in your hosting account periodically.
- Use the on-screen keyboard when entering the password to your hosting account.
- Make a note of the dates of your access to your hosting account and the edits you made to the files. Check the system logs to see if your account has been accessed or edited without your knowledge.
- Do not give “chmod 777” to any file on the system unless necessary. The ideal chmod value is “644” and “755”.
- Only use plugins, modifications, and patches from trusted sources. Do not install software of unknown origin on your hosting account.
- Install antivirus software on your PC as soon as possible. Prevent harmful software from accessing personal data, such as passwords, that you might mistakenly download to your computer.
Which Hosting Company Should I Choose?
What is more important than determining the features of the hosting package you have chosen is “which hosting company should I choose?” to give a healthy answer to the question. Because hosting service is a service that is generally used annually, and in some packages monthly, by prepayment.
Like any other service, a hosting service has a cost to the company that provides the hosting plan. Prices in this sector are typically comparable among most of the big businesses. As a result, hosting packages are likely offered at prices that don’t seem logical.
There is a chance that you won’t be able to use the service until after the service time has ended. Many of the newly established businesses in the market are attempting to attract more clients by offering services at a lower price. If they do not get the desired number of clients, they quietly exit the market because they cannot cover the costs of the data center. In this case, your sites’ files will no longer be accessible. It means the money you pay and the time you dedicate to your website are wasted.
Another factor to consider when choosing a hosting company is the after-sales service policy of the business. Websites are structures that can be accessible at any time. Therefore, technical server issues may occur at any time. A hosting company that only provides technical support during working hours may cause you to lose visitors as it will provide late support for problems that may occur outside of working hours.
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What Services Can be Taken With Hosting?
Domain Registration
One of the essential services for launching a website is a domain name. This service, which represents your brand on the internet, should be chosen meticulously. Unfortunately, visitors won’t pick domain names that are difficult to pronounce.
If you haven’t registered a domain name yet, you can find the most suitable domain name by going to our domain name search page.
Corporate Email
Corporate email services provide you with enhanced protection through professional anti-spam filters. It also has a high capacity and frequently takes backups. The standard email service included in the hosting packages has a low quota and a standard anti-spam filter. For this reason, we recommend corporate email packages with high capacity and professional anti-spam features.
SSL Certificate
The SSL certificate establishes a secure layer between websites and visitors’ browsers, enabling the transmission of data and encrypted information. If you have an e-commerce site, you must have a paid SSL certificate. The bank or organization you provide virtual pos demands this, and it will give confidence to the users who will shop on your site. You can get SSL certificates for one year or two years. We recommend you take a look at the SSL Certificate services we provide.
Hosting for High Traffic Websites
High-traffic websites require and use more resources than regular websites. Because in addition to the operations each user does on the website, other activities are occurring in the software. These operations also use another resource. We refer to sources as RAM, CPU, and IOPS values. The higher the optimization value of your site and the resource values of your hosting package, the higher the number of users your site can handle.
Hosting for Low-Traffic Websites
In general, low-traffic websites don’t need a lot of resources. For this reason, there is no need to go under an unnecessary financial burden by purchasing hosting packages with very high resources. It is possible to choose an average package when considering the optimization value of your site and save money.
Hosting vs. Servers
The following explanation will best illustrate the distinction between hosting and server. Imagine renting just one room of a house with hosting. Several other people live in the same place as you. Hosting is exactly like that. On a given server, there are several other sites besides your own. It is subject to specific rules and restrictions. However, in server service, the house is entirely yours. You can set your own rules and are the most authorized person. We have briefly explained the difference with this example. In addition, the server service provides higher performance than the hosting service.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hosting
Does Good Hosting Improve Website Speed?
Of course, we also mentioned it in our article. Your website’s software processes utilize a particular system resource. For this reason, the configuration of the server hosting your website is essential. As a result, the server hosting your website will need to have sufficient resources for your website to function.
Should You Get Technical Support for Hosting?
Providers offer standard support in their hosting packages, and there is no paid support service. As Hosting.com.tr, we also provide free 24/7 technical support. When our members have any problems, they can reach us at any time of the day and find solutions to their problems.
Need an Advanced Control Panel?
Control panels serve as an interface. You can quickly carry out all the tasks required by hosting packages. Famous control panels are excellent in terms of stabilization and maintenance. The customers’ habits play a big role here as well. Most users prefer hosting packages with familiar control panels.
How to Prevent Hosting Attacks?
There are many types of hosting attacks. Software threats are malicious pieces of computer code and applications that can damage your computer, as well as steal your personal or financial information. For this reason, these dangerous programs are often called malware (short for “malicious software”). However, a firewall and the server’s network infrastructure have security against attacks like DDOS. DDOS attacks are designed to keep the server busy so that it cannot respond. The technical division of the organization in charge of managing your hosting plan blocks these. Users are not able to take any action.
Is Technical Knowledge Required for Hosting Management?
Yes, a little technical knowledge is required. At the very least, it will be a great advantage to have information about the operations to be performed on the control panel. However, if you have a problem, you can request help from our technical team.
What Are the Differences Between Hosting and Domain?
As you know, the domain represents the name of your website in the digital world. For example, Hosting.com.tr is a domain name. There are many domain name extensions, such as .com.tr. Other popular extensions are com, net, org, and info.
Hosting is the area where the photos and software for your website are hosted. In other words, all the files that bring your website together upload there. A hosting package is a service that directly affects the performance of your website and has features such as various CPU, RAM, and disk.
What Should Be Considered When Choosing Hosting?
First, you should choose your hosting package based on the programming language used to create the website you intend to publish. So, if your site is a PHP-coded site, you should choose Linux-based hosting packages. If you develop your website using asp.net, MVC, or net core technologies, windows-based hosting packages are the best choices.
Additionally, hosting plans with different features, CPU, RAM, and disc features have to match the requirements of your website. The speed of your website will be slow if these features are kept at a minimum, and if it is faster than usual, you will pay more for it. Hosting plan prices will rise in proportion to their feature sets.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Hosting Service
How to Move Hosting?
There are two main methods for hosting migration. One is only available as a complete replacement between compatible control panels. The second is the method of taking backups of site files and databases, called FTP backup. For more detailed information, you can review our content below.
Can I get a free hosting service?
Some companies claim to provide free hosting. But why would anyone choose to leave their website to a free hosting service? And while access to the site is cut off from time to time. Therefore, it is crucial to use a reputable company for hosting services.