Website Hosting 101 There is so much jargon surrounding the internet and its various technologies, that it is easy to become confused. If you want to run a website then you need to use a web hosting service. This can puzzle many people because they simply don’t know what it is: some people even think that websites are free, as if they just exist in the ether and there is nothing supporting them. If you’re confused by, the term ‘web hosting’ then you have come to the right place. Below, we have provided you with a simple introduction to hosting. Domain Name Before you think about hosting, you first have to choose a domain name. A domain name is a ‘unique name that identifies a website. It is an identification string that defines the realm of administrative autonomy or control on [the internet]’ (Wikipedia): It simply the name of your website, which must be different to the names of any other website. If it were the same, then the search engines wouldn’t know where to send the visitors that want to go to your site.
Find a Hosting Company Next, you need to put your website somewhere on the internet. To do this it needs to go on a server. A server has two distinct features: 1. Hardware: this is used to store all the data relating to the website. Its name, what it looks like, all of its web applications, everything, can be found in the hardware. 2. Software: computer programmes that tell the data how to behave, that speaks to other servers, and that allows the data to go on the internet.
Therefore, you can appreciate, your website, even though it is information that seems ephemeral, is actually located in a real-world place. There are many types of server. Some can be simple hardware on someone’s personal computer, others can be huge dedicated hardware (such as the Google servers – look them up if you’re interested, they’re massive…they’d have to be, they contain billions of pieces of information). The Link between Domain Name and Server Your domain name needs to be linked to your server. Your website is uploaded to the server and from the server it is then broadcast to the internet (although technically, the internet is just a collection of servers) – other people can find and see your site because it forms part of the massive collection of servers that exist across the world. Choosing a Server It is important that you choose your server carefully. For example, if you’re in the UK, then you should use a reliable Hosting services UK. These businesses dedicate themselves to hosting. They have a lot of experience, which means that they can help you with any problems you may have. It also means that they look after their servers, that they offer you the best quality servers, and that they protect your information. Some computer whizz kids can decide to use their own computers as servers, or buy their own servers – this is great, but for the everyday layman it’s too complex. Hosting services UK will offer you a high level of protection and will usually have insurance in place for if things go wrong. The leading hosting companies are reliable, efficient and proficient at what they do, so it is much safer to use their hosting services. In simplest, web site hosting is the practice of storing a website and putting it on the internet. It is important to use a web hosting company as they are experts in the field and will provide you with a high level of service. If you would like further information about hosting service UK, then please visit Neotericuk