What is web hosting?

Putting a website on the internet requires that the files that make up your website reside on a web server. Most companies don't own their own servers. They rent space on hosting companies web servers. This site is hosted by 1&1 Internet Inc. I've found them to have the cheapest prices for more than adequate storage, email accounts and databases. As well as being fairly feature rich.

The hosting company provides:

• The server that is web-enabled
• Space on the server for your files
• Bandwidth (This is the amount of data the server sends to web browsers from your site)
• Email accounts
• FTP accounts used for uploading files to the webserver
• A control panel for managing your site
• Databases

Choosing the right hosting

Deciding on a web host is an important decision. There are a wide variety of hosting options and pricing available. This is because not all website have the same requirements. When choosing a hosting package there are several things that must be considered.

• How large is your website going to be?
• How much bandwidth will your site require?
• What programming languages will you be using?
• How many email accounts will you require?
• What are the database requirements for your site ?

Many of the considerations for obtaining a host, such as programming languages and database requirements will need to be determined in conjunction with your web designer.

For a consultation on choosing a web hosting package contact gregg@duncandigital.com. I'll be glad to help.