In the growing market that web hosting is, there are now many different types of web hosting package on offer from a large number of companies all trying to offer you as the consumer their best deal. Web hosting is now available for those with small budgets, whereas only individuals with large budgets and businesses wanting an online presence were able to afford web hosting previously.
Web hosting is available for those who want to host PHP websites with a MySQL backend, as well as websites that have been developed using classic ASP or ASP.NET with a Microsoft SQL Server database backend. Web hosting also needn't always be about the hosting of web pages and websites, but can also be used for the hosting of email, DNS, databases and other services that a website may require to function correctly.
Shared Website Hosting
As the most basic type of web hosting, shared website hosting packages are the cheapest available and are perfect for those who have a small budget. Shared web hosting accounts normally provide the basic functionality that is provided with more expensive web hosting accounts, only with lower amounts of disk space and bandwidth. You are only normally allowed to host one main domain on a shared web hosting account, although this is dependent on your web hosting package.
As with any standard web hosting account, control panel access is provided in most cases to allow you to manage your website and domain with ease.
Shared web hosting accounts are perfect for those who are new to the idea of website hosting, and just want to try it out so that they can get used to it; you can then progress to a higher level account when you feel the need to.
Most new websites also start on a shared website hosting account, mainly because of budget but also because most newer websites don't require large amounts of disk space or bandwidth to begin with; in the case that you need more bandwidth and disk space as time progresses, you can easily upgrade to a higher level account at your ease.
Reseller Web Hosting
Reseller web hosting is a form of web hosting that is similar to shared web hosting in the way that you are sharing the hosting server with many other accounts but that you are able to create your own client accounts allowing you to sell off your web space and disk space to your own clients.
One of the important factors of reseller web hosting is control panel access. You will want to ensure that you are able to have control panel access so that you can manage your account, but more importantly to make sure that your clients can manage their accounts.
You may find in some cases that your reseller web hosting account has a billing system or script included for your use. A billing script normally allows you to automatically bill your web hosting customers on the set dates, and also allows you to automatically setup your clients accounts without the need to be sat at your computer all the time.
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting is also a form of shared web hosting, in the way that you are sharing the main hardware node with many other VPS servers. However, it can also be said it isn't a form of shared web hosting in the way that you are given your own guaranteed resources and a VPS environment is a dedicated environment meaning that your actions do not affect other VPS servers, and vice versa.
VPS servers are available with both Linux distributions and Microsoft Windows, meaning that there is more than enough choice for those who are picky.
In a VPS hosting environment you are able to install any applications that you want, allowing you to configure your VPS to work the way that you want it to. In the case of a Windows VPS, you are limited by the amount of processes that you can run on your VPS at any one time in some cases.
Dedicated Server Hosting
Dedicated servers are the most expensive form of web hosting, and are not shared in any way meaning that you are the only user on a dedicated server. Unlike any other form of web hosting, a dedicated server is not shared with anyone else unless you wish to, meaning that all the resources are yours. This also means you are not affected by the actions of other users.
Dedicated servers work in a similar way to VPS servers since you are provided with a dedicated environment that can't be modified by anyone else. This means that you can configure a dedicated server to function in the way that you want it to, allowing you to host websites that may require custom configurations.
Like VPS servers, dedicated servers can come installed with Linux distibutions or Microsoft Windows. This means that there is a large sphere of influence for all those who develop for the Microsfot Windows operating system as well as those who develop for computers and servers running Linux. This also means regardless of the language or database backend you have used for your website, you can still use a dedicated server for your needs.
Conclusion
Web hosting is an industry that provides products for those with small budgets and those with large budgets. It is also an industry that is open to purchases from an individual right up to large global corporations, meaning that there is always scope for competition for such a broad range of customers.
The different types of web hosting available means that you can start at the bottom with a standard shared web hosting package and work your way up as your needs change and your budget expands. If you are a small business who requires a certain level of reliability with its web hosting, then you can easily start with a small VPS server if your budget doesn't match the price of a dedicated server, then purchase a dedicated server when you are able to afford one.
Web Hosting Packages
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