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You’re about to launch your first website or blog. You need Web hosting. You compare several Web hosting packages from different companies. Which should you choose? And really, does it even matter? After all, they’ll all put your website up on the Internet for everyone to see. In a worst case scenario, you can just switch to another hosting company later anyway, right?
Well, technically yes. You can switch Web hosting companies. But are you prepared for the royal pain in the neck it might be? Are you tech-savvy enough to do a site transfer yourself? Do you have the extra money to have a new hosting company do the transfer for you (some charge and some don’t)? Do you really want to trust them to get your site moved for you without any quirks along the way? [click to continue…]
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Are you about to launch your first website or blog and a bit confused about how to get started? You know you have to “host” your site somehow, but maybe you aren’t sure what that means or you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the different Web hosting options you’re confronted with.
In this article, we’ll give you a basic introduction to Web hosting, in laymen’s terms. You’ll learn what Web hosting is, what hosting companies can do for you, and how to choose between some of the popular types of Web hosting that you’re likely to come across. Let’s get started.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is how you make a website’s files visible to the public. When the files are simply sitting on your computer, it’s likely that no one can see them but you. But you want everyone to be able to see your website (in most cases).
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That means you need to save those website files somewhere other than just your local machine. The machine you’ll save them to is called a Web server. Just think of a server as a computer that’s constantly connected to the Web, which allows other people to access the content saved there. It “serves” your website files to public viewers.
The server is said to “host” the website. Think of it like hosting a party. You would pick up and prepare everything (food, drinks, etc.), make sure things are in order, and then you would open your doors to let guests in. It’s similar with Web hosting. But instead of food and drinks, the host prepares your website files before opening the doors to the public. [click to continue…]
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If you come across basic Web hosting terminology that you are unfamiliar with while comparing Web hosting companies or packages, you can browse our Web hosting glossary to find many of those definitions.
Active Server Pages (ASP) – A server-side scripting tool from Microsoft for creating interactive Web pages
Add-on Domain – A second, or subsequent, domain name attached to a single Web hosting account; any domain name on the account that is not the primary domain name
Analytics – The collection and reporting of data about your website’s visitors and traffic; also known as website analytics or website statistics
Anonymous FTP – Public access to files and folders on a server, allowing users to obtain these files, documents, and programs without a unique name and password; the username “anonymous” is common used in conjunction with the user’s email address as the password
Apache – A popular Web server program; open source Web server from Apache.org
Applet – A small application written in the Java programming language which is generally included in an HTML page
ASP - (see “Active Server Pages”)
Autoresponder - A pre-created email message that is automatically sent as a response to anyone who emails you (commonly used when someone is away from their office or on vacation, and they want people who email them to be notified of their return date so they know when to expect a response)
Backups - A copy of either everything on your server or the most important website elements (such as basic site files and databases) which can be used to restore a website if the original files or databases are corrupted, damaged, or lost
Bandwidth – The amount of resources allocated or used in data transfer to and from a Web hosting company’s server; the rate of data transfer
Bit Rate (Bitrate) – The number of bits processed per second; a measurement of how quickly information is transferred from one place to another
Blog – Short for “Web log;” an online journal or website where posts or articles are featured usually in chronological order and where reader interaction is usually allowed through comments
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) – A style sheet language used to control the look or appearance of some websites
CGI – (see “Common Gateway Interface”)
chmod - The change mode command on Unix servers which you can use to change permissions on certain files and folders on your server; permissions can usually be set either within the host’s file manager in the control panel or via FTP programs
Cloud Hosting (Cloud Computing) – Hosting provided on a server cluster rather than a single server, making it dynamically scalable
CMS – (see “Content Management System”)
ColdFusion – A tool that enables Web developers to create database-driven sites which allow databases to be updated through front-end / public forms on the site [click to continue…]
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You might be thinking “Why do I need a directory of Web hosting companies when I can just search for them myself?” Well you see, we’re much more than a Web hosting directory. Our goal is to give you all the information you could need not only to find the best Web hosting offers (without sorting through the extra junk that turns up in search engine results), but also the information you need in order to get the most out of any hosting offer you choose.
How will we do that? We’ll bring you:
- Web hosting reviews
- Web hosting articles
- Tutorials and how-tos
- A Web hosting glossary
- A Web hosting primer for those new to hosting their own sites
- A Web hosting directory to help you find hosts quickly
- and more.
Web Hosting Directory was set up to serve as a comprehensive Web hosting resource for beginners and experienced webmasters alike. So go ahead. Subscribe to stay on top of the latest Web hosting information, tips, tools, and tactics, and start getting more from your Web hosting provider today!
We might just be getting started, but we have a lot coming here at Web Hosting Directory. If there’s something specific you would like to see, don’t hesitate to let us know!
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