Web hosting services
Web hosting service
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows
individuals and organizations to provide their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a
server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data
center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.
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Hosting Service scope
The scopes of hosting services vary widely. The most basic is webpage and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded via File Transfer
Protocol (FTP) or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with little processing. Many Internet service providers
(ISPs) offer this service free to their subscribers. People can also obtain Web page hosting from other, alternative service providers. Personal
web site hosting is typically free, advertisement-sponsored, or cheap. Business web site hosting often has a higher expense.
Single page hosting is generally sufficient only for personal web pages. A complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides
database support and application development platforms (e.g. PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, and ASP.NET). These facilities allow the customers to
write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management. For e-commerce, SSL is also required.
The host may also provide an interface or control panel for managing the Web server and installing scripts as well as other services like e-mail.
Some hosts specialize in certain software or services (e.g. e-commerce). They are commonly used by larger companies to outsource network
infrastructure to a hosting company. To find a web hosting company, there are searchable directories that can be used. One must be extremely
careful when searching for a new company because many of the people promoting service providers are actually affiliates and the reviews are
biased.
Hosting reliability and uptime
Multiple racks of servers, and how a datacenter commonly looks.
Hosting uptime refers to the percentage of time the host is accessible via the internet. Many providers state that they aim for a 99.9% uptime,
but there may be server restarts and planned (or unplanned) maintenance in any hosting environment.
A common claim from the popular hosting providers is '99% or 99.9% server uptime' but this often refers only to a server being powered on and
doesn't account for network downtime. Real downtime can potentially be larger than the percentage guaranteed by the provider. Many providers tie
uptime, and accessibility, into their own service level agreement (SLA). SLAs may or may not include refunds, or reduced costs if performance
goals are not met.
Types of hosting
A typical server "cage," commonly seen in colocation centres.
Internet hosting services can run Web servers;
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