A definition of web hosting

As its name hints, web hosting is a service, which entails hosting web content. There are different forms and types of hosting, based on the mission and on the objectives. Nevertheless, they all are related to hosting files, which, once hosted, are made available throughout the Web. A host is actually a web server that is linked to the Internet and has its very own IP address, which allows users to get access to it through the Web. The hosting server's architecture and its limitations depend on the kind of hosting solution it's going to be used for.

What are the various forms of web hosting?

Depending on the mission, the professional hosting service may be:

File Hosting - this type of web hosting permits the clients to host their files on a certain web server. With the conventional file storage hosting solution, the files that are hosted may only be accessed by the person that's using the service. This hosting service normally includes backups of computers , documents, private files and even other hosting servers. This service may also impose given limits with regard to the disk storage space and the root access. There may also be web traffic limits, but that depends on the given web hosting service provider.

Warez Hosting - the so-called warez hosting service is very similar to the previous web hosting service form. In spite of that, unlike the file web hosting service, the warez hosting solution is utilized for distributing licensed work without being given the green light by the licence owner. In brief - it is associated with the illegal propagation of files and documents. There are numerous methods for this to be realized, but the two main ways are - through simple Hypertext Transfer Protocol downloading and through P2P connections. The first approach entails either a particular web site, or, most often, simply a directory on a web server that's been made available for everybody to access it and thereby download copyrighted materials for free. The second way entails a P2P connection, using the so-called Torrent web servers, through which people transfer files between each other. There are just a few site hosting vendors that allow that form of web hosting on their web servers, chiefly due to all the legal complications that it involves. Typically such websites are hosted on private dedicated web servers that are registered by 3rd party corporations either in the Middle East or in Asia.

Electronic Mail Web Hosting - this solution is applicable with both shared hosting and dedicated web hosting servers, depending on the user's wish. If you wish to have your own private SMTP server, then you will need either a private virtual hosting server or a dedicated hosting server that offers the level of access required to accomplish such a task. For conventional email web hosting purposes, however, you can utilize a standard shared web hosting account, to which you can point the MX records of your domain. This is not a solution that's widely popular, because the web page hosting and the mail hosting services are being served by two different web servers, often belonging to separate companies.

Site Hosting - the most popular and broadly utilized hosting service nowadays. It's utilized for hosting site files, whose type is determined by the Operating System the web server is utilizing - Linux or Windows. Different kinds of files demand specific server Operating Systems, or else they won't be shown appropriately on the Internet. This form of hosting may contain server storage space and traffic restrictions, root-level access and central processing unit usage restrictions.

Based on the aims and on the objectives, the client should select the kind of hosting server that he needs for his project, and, of course, the site hosting supplier that's going to supply it. There are various sorts of web hosting servers, based on the specifications and the website hosting services that they offer. These are:

Shared Hosting Server - a shared web site hosting server offers a smaller amount of resources, which, of course, is reflected on the cost of the service. It can be used for hosting small size and middle sized online portals, which do not demand large amounts of storage space and web traffic.

Semi-Dedicated Servers - they function on the very same principle as the shared web site hosting servers. However, there are much fewer clients sharing the same hosting server. Hence, each of them will have a bigger share of the web server's resources like RAM, web space, bandwidth and CPU. Ideal for hosting enormous web pages that do not require server root access.

VPS hosting - the private virtual hosting servers are excellent for middle size web portals, which do demand root access to the server's config files. Typically, there are a bunch of virtual hosting server accounts accommodated on the same machine. Still, each of them is insulated from the others and runs its own Operating System.

Dedicated Server - a completely dedicated server set up and accessed by you and only you. It guarantees a large amount of system resources. It also offers complete server root access, which renders it an ideal platform for any type of online portal that necessitates a hosting solution.

The sole question that's left is:

Which webspace hosting corporation should I settle on?

As already stated, there are not many hosts providing warez web hosting solutions because of judicial troubles. Such hosting providers are being shut down virtually every month. Therefore, if you want to provide such a service, you should do it on your very own personal computer. The shared webspace hosting service is the most widely spread kind of hosting service. That is why, every web hosting provider offers it. Not all of them, though, provide solutions such as virtual private web hosting servers, semi-dedicated web hosting servers and dedicated hosting servers. Most of the smaller web hosting providers do not have the means needed for offering those services. That is the reason why it's invariably best to opt for a larger web hosting company that can supply its clients with all the solutions that they are looking for. You can easily recognize such companies by the kinds of services that they are providing and by the way that they introduce them to the customers. For instance, some hosts permit you to kick off with a small scale website hosting account and then move to a more powerful one, if you deem it mandatory to do so. This is very convenient, because you do not need to transmit web portals between hosting servers and there is no possibility of experiencing network outages due to all the complications that may occur. Providers such as ProMaxHosting provide all kinds of solutions and have the needed web server resources and personnel to guarantee that their customers will not chance upon any troubles when swapping services, which is what a top hosting distributor is actually all about.