THE BASICS OF WEB HOSTING: A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS 
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THE BASICS OF WEB HOSTING: A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

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THE BASICS OF WEB HOSTING: A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

This is a digital era, where everything is done online. Having an online presence allows you to reach others in ways that were earlier not possible, making the benefits of having one obvious.

Although, starting a website is a tough task. It involves a lot of things, and web hosting is one of them. If you check the marketing of web hosting in 2019, it was high.

First, you need to know the basics of a website with hosting. The basics part incorporates understanding what website hosting is domain; learning how data storage, bandwidth, and uptime impact your website, and what kind of web hosting is suitable for your business. 

Whether you build your website or hire someone else to create it, a web host is important to publish a site online. Here, we have provided a myriad of facts about website hosting and domain name registration, how web hosting happens, and many more;

WHAT IS WEB HOSTING?

Web hosting is the service of providing storage space for a website or app on a server on the internet. Once your website becomes live on the internet, you can easily access it on other computers connected to the internet.

WHY WEBSITESNEED HOSTING?

Web hosting is a "physical" space granted to you to store your site and the connection required for others to access and use your website.

This space is located on a server that gives storage and access to your site through the digital medium. Servers are actual, physical machines, but they can build virtually.

Web hosting is bought from a web host; sometimes it is also called a web hosting provider. You can think of a web host as your website landlord where you lease out space for your site on a monthly or yearly basis as per your web hosting plans.

A website holds text, files, images, videos, and many more. A web host can contain and take care of all that information.

There are several options that most web hosting companies offer, and every company has its own set of advantages and disadvantages that should be heavily considered before you select one for your site. 

Many companies offer free services if you are a small business try website hosting free in India.   

WEBSITE HOSTING VS. DOMAIN: WHY THEY BOTH MATTER

A domain is just the name of your site. You can provide this name differently to people, and they will be able to visit your site. Many people ask about website hosting names.  

While the domain anatomy can be taken further, you can consider a domain as a name for a business. Domains present an easy-to-remember way for people to find your website online.

If domains are what you tall a business, IP addresses are where that business is located, as a physical mailing address of a person. Keep in mind that every server generally holds a single IP address; also, there are ways to set up more addresses.

Websites can come and go, and domains can also be changed but, an IP address usually remains the same. Without IP addresses, online traffic cannot be provided "directions" to your website.

IP addresses are tied to servers; the domain will need you to add your name to a domain registrar. Domain registrars are universal ledgers; they track what names are already taken.

As there are standalone registrars, most web hosts let you register a name with them; many companies will provide you with a free domain name for a year.   

HOW DOES WEBHOSTING WORK?

The website hosting business is in great demand these days. Web hosts are those companies that rent out their services and technologies to host websites on the Internet.

When the hosting company starts hosting your site, users can easily access it just by typing in your web address in their web browser. When they type the name, their computer connects to the server your website is hosted on. The server, in turn, serves the website to your web visitors in their web browser.

Usually, a web hosting company does more than store your site. Here is the list of some value-added services offered by the web hosting provider:

  • Domain Registration- You can purchase and manage domain and hosting from the same provider

  • Website Builder- Get a drag-and-drop web editing tool to build a website

  • Email Hosting- Take the service to send and receive emails from your company mail ID

  • Basic technical and CMS

Let's learn website hosting if you are a newbie.

First of all, select a perfect web hosting provider. It offers the web space where your site files are stored along with the technologies and services required for your site to be viewed on the Internet.

Some common add-on services offered by a web hosting provider mainly include data backup, firewall protection, technical assistance, domain name registration, website building tools, and applications.

 WEBSITE HOSTING STEPS

1. Decide what type of website you want

There are mainly 2 types of the website;

Static or Basic Websites: Static website is very simple with one or more web pages, they are also known as HTML pages. You can build them on your computer system with software such as Dreamweaver and then upload the pages to your host's server by using any FTP software.

Whenever you want some changes to your site, you will have to edit the pages on your system and upload them again by following the same process.

These sites cannot be modified dynamically which is why they are called static websites. Although these websites are a cheaper option, they come with limited functionality and no option for e-commerce or interactivity.

Dynamic Websites: Dynamic website hold information that changes depending on the time of the day, the views, and other factors. They work on both client-side and server-side scripts to create and update content.

See, client-side scripts run on a user's system; they are mainly used for appearance and interaction purposes.

And, server-side scripts reside on a server and are used by E-commerce and social networking sites. Under these scripts, users hold individual accounts and provide a customized response for every user.

The best part about dynamic websites is that they are CMS-driven, and allow users to add and edit content like text, design, photos, and videos directly. This is an ideal option for businesses and organizations.

2.  Select Your Hosting Server

People always get doubts about hosting and ask which web hosting is best. See, there are two types of hosting platforms. Both are good in their ways, according to your hosting needs and what you are most comfortable with, you can choose your hosting platform:

Linux Hosting– Linum hosting allows running scripts written in PHP, Perl, Python, and other Unix-originated languages, and mainly supports PostgreSQL and MySQL databases. It is the most commonly used system these days.

Windows Hosting- The second option is Windows Hosting. It allows running ASP scripts by utilizing .NET and other Microsoft technologies and also supports Microsoft SQL Server and Access database.   

These two website hosting options choose any of them as per your need.  You can also read the website hosting reviews which will give you a proper idea.

3. SelectYour Web Hosting Plan

In this step, now you will get a wide range of services in web hosting, some of which are below:

SharedHosting-: Shared hosting provides your physical server with another website owner. Here, you get your separate account. It is very affordable because the cost of operating the service is shared between you and other website owners.

VirtualPrivate Server Hosting (VPS)-: Under VPS hosting, every site is stored on a very powerful server, which is divided into several virtual compartments.

The server software is configured separately so that each unit can work independently. In case, you have high-security concerns and you do not want to invest in a faster and costlier dedicated server, VPS hosting is the best option for you.

DedicatedHosting-: Dedicated hosting provides you with an entire server. It is an ideal solution for larger businesses and high-traffic websites.

CloudHosting-: This kind of hosting allows multiple virtual servers to work together to host a site or a group of websites. It offers complete support to handle sudden traffic spikes. This is the perfect option for a large website, including e-commerce websites, newsletters, and blogs.

You need to be aware of this while selecting your website hosting deals.WebEx hosting is on-demand these days, you can try it also.

4. Change Your DNS Address

After buying your web hosting, you will get Name servers- which is the Internet's equivalent of a phone book that contains IP Addresses. Get your website up and working, and change the name servers of your domain. This is an easy but vital step for you to get things to start.

  • Go to your domain Control Panel

  • Enter your registered email address and password.

  • Click on the Domain Name for this, and change the Name Servers.

  • In the Domain Registration section, you need to click on the Name Servers option.

  • Now, replace the existing Name Servers with the ones given by your current web host, and click on the Update Name Servers button.

In case, you have registered your domain name with a third-party provider, you need to log in to their Control Panel, update the Name Servers, and other things.

5. Upload Your Website

Upload your site to your account just by connecting to the server using either cPanle's Filed Manager after it, your website will go live.

How to Upload Your Website through cPanel File Manager

  • Log into your cPanel.

  • Click on the icon titled File Manager.

  • Select WebRoot and click on go.

  • Add all the files and folders under public_html and their respective domain folder.

How much does website hosting cost?

The Website hosting cost completely depends on your use. If you are just starting there is no reason for paying a huge amount. Start with a small plan and as your site grows in popularity, scale up your hosting plans accordingly and increase your website hosting server cost.

Hopefully, you would find the article useful. Start your online business with a proper website hosting check.

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