What is Web Hosting?
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Nuno Rolinho
What is Web Hosting?
Web Hosting is a type of service in which a Web Hosting company provides web space to their costumers' webpages. These webpages will be available online for a certain period of time (according to the payment). Costumers can choose their own hosting plan according to their personal / business needs. Besides the web space, domain registration and bandwidth, some Web Hosting companies offer great control panels with lots of additional options (i.e. Java scripts, Databases, etc.).
What Kind of Files Can a Web Hosting Company Host?
A Web Hosting company can host any kind of file (mp3, jpg, mpg, pdf, doc, etc). A legal agreement between the Web Hosting company and the costumer should be respected, that is, the costumer should not post adult content or copyrighted material without authorization.
How Much Does It Cost to Have a Website Online?
Web Hosting companies offer different hosting plans. You can choose from light to larger hosting plans. Light plans are normally for individual purposes, with limited bandwidth and low web space. Larger hosting plans are used by big companies with a great amount of online visitors, you can count with unlimited bandwidth and hundreds of Megabytes. Generally the first month of Web Hosting is for free; payment starts on the second month.
What are the Main Problems with Web Hosting?
The most common problem is the costumer service. Web Hosting companies are normally weak costumer helpers and they aren't always available to help you out when you need their help.
Another big problem is the duality between price and quality. The price that the client pays is high and the down time of the website is sometimes higher than the expected.
How Can I Put My Files Online?
Putting the files online is generally known as "uploading". You can upload your files through a FTP manager or via Windows own FTP explorer. Some Web Hosting companies offer online FTP managers, which are easier for some people.
Can I Turn My Computer into a Web Hosting?
Yes you can. All you have to do is find out what your IP is, and run any FTP server software. The problem with this server is that normal house connections, cable or DSL, will make these webpages extremely slow when more than one visitor is visiting it. Besides that, you won't be able to use that internet connection, since it be as snail as an old 8kb modem. Generally Web Hosting companies' servers are machines connected to high speed internet connections and with stable systems (i.e. Linux).
What about Free Web Hosting?
Free Web Hosting is also possible. Geocities and Angelfire are some of the most popular free Web Hosting providers. This kind of hosting is mainly selected for personal homepages or simple content webpages. The web space and bandwidth available isn't that much (just a couple of Megabytes). Another negative aspect is the pop-ups and advertisement included in every web page on this kind of hosting.
