Whether you’re a new business looking to get online, or an established brand looking around for new options, the term "web hosting" will have undoubtedly cropped up here and there. But what exactly is web hosting, what web hosting servers are there, and how do you choose the right one?
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is a type of hosting that gives you the platform you need to get a website live. It works by having a web hosting provider store a website's files on a server – making them accessible through a web browser. Essentially, when you ask what a web host is, this is what allows customers to shop for their favourite items, or view a portfolio.
In short, if the site exists, it’s using some form of web hosting.
What is web hosting for?
Web hosting is for people who want to host a website or project – complete with text, media, products, information, and basically anything they wish to be found online.
Let’s say you’ve developed an amazing-looking site – what do you do with your code? Where does it go? That’s where web hosting comes in. Web hosting is the process by which files are stored online and then used to build and display a website that can be visited by web users. Every website in the world is hosted on a server, so it’s essentially a given in the world of websites, and a term worth getting accustomed to if you are shopping around for a potential website solution.
Who uses web hosting?
Anyone can use web hosting! The way in which a website is ‘put live’, web hosting is for anyone who wants to do just that. There are many types of web hosting that offer varied benefits, so different people and organisations will use different hosting options based on their use case.
For example, the following kinds of customers may want to use web hosting to promote their services:
- Online stores (also known as ecommerce sites)
- Freelancers
- Non-profit organisations
- Educational institutions and programs
- Bloggers and content creators
Some may not wish to promote their products or services at all. It’s not uncommon for gamers to use web hosting to connect with players on a private network to install mods, connect with like-minded gamers and much more! Developers may also use web hosting for specific dev environments where they need computational power, as well as a private space to test and implement code.
How does web hosting work?
Web hosting effectively provides a secure online location in which website files and data are stored. When someone visits your site, these files are accessed and used to display your site. This process all relies on servers, most of which are physical machines that provide online locations, which can be accessed by other web users. The server manages and processes the data that constitutes your site, including text, images, videos, and scripts. When someone wants to access your site, they enter its URL into their web browser. This action sends a request through the internet to the server that hosts your website. The server then responds by delivering the requested webpage and any related files back to the browser, allowing the visitor to see your site.
To make use of web hosting, you need a hosting plan and a domain name. Some hosting providers such as ourselves offer these as a package, while others require you to buy the domain from a separate registrar. Hosting services come with various features, such as security measures, uptime guarantees, and other performance enhancements – some of which may come at a premium, depending on what you need. The most important thing to note is that a reliable web host aims for at least 99.9% uptime, ensuring that your site is mostly accessible to visitors without interruptions.
Although you can host your website independently, you’ll need considerable technical expertise, costly equipment, and continuous maintenance. Most customers opt for web hosting services because your provider manages all the technical details. These services handle everything from server setup and configuration to providing round-the-clock support and ensuring your website's security. This allows you to concentrate on managing your site while the web host takes care of keeping it online, performing efficiently, and accessible to users globally.
How much does web hosting cost?
Depending on which server you opt for, the cost of web hosting will vary. For example, the most you’ll pay for shared hosting may be £15, whereas cloud hosting could be up to £650.
Dedicated and Bare Metal hosting are considered some of the more expensive options out there, so they’re really only suitable for businesses that require strong computational resources. A VPS – a good medium between a dedicated or cloud server – is generally much cheaper and allows for a lot more wiggle room if you need to scale as your business grows.
So if cost is an issue, it might be worth basing your web hosting choice around your budget.
How to choose a web hosting provider
Selecting a web host may seem like a mammoth task, that’s why we’re here to help you choose. We recommend keeping a few things in mind when making a decision.
1. Consider the needs of your website
Ask yourself, what does your website need? Some web hosting providers will offer different tools or support various platforms, so deciding what you need first is key.
2. Website building options
Sometimes you can bundle together your website build and hosting. If this is something you want to do, ensure that your web host offers both. Here at Fasthosts, we offer both website builds and web hosting, for all your online needs.
3. Do some research and compare
Shopping around is always a good idea when choosing a web host. So put together some possible candidates and compare the features they offer.
Hopefully, you now have a bit more of an idea about who to choose as your provider. If you’re looking for any extra info, check out our blog on choosing the right web host.
4. Compare free vs. paid web hosting
While we generally don’t recommend free hosting due to the multitude of limitations you’ll receive, sometimes, it’s the only viable option if you have limited to no budget and need to get up and running quickly.
With Fasthosts, we believe lowering the barrier to entry makes web hosting accessible for all, which is why we offer web hosting for as little as £1. Plus, with paid web hosting, you can future-proof your website with lots of resources you don’t have to pay extra for (and you don’t get those pesky ads or odd characters in your domain name!).
5. Ask yourself if you need the support
You’ll need to compare various web hosting providers out there to discern their level of support. Issues can happen at any time of day, so we believe offering 24/7 customer support is paramount for a good web hosting provider.
Which server is best for web hosting?
There are so many types of web hosting for businesses looking to either get online or switch from their current setup. But there are different benefits and limitations across these options depending on what you want to use your hosting for. So what are your options?
Shared servers
With a shared server, you share your space with several other sites. Sharing your resources means that you're sharing the cost, so shared hosting is normally more affordable compared to other options.
Pros
- Low barrier to entry
- Often managed by the web hosting provider
Cons
- Can limit customisation
- You share the same server – which may cause security concerns
Virtual private servers
The middle ground between a shared server and a dedicated server is a VPS. Virtual private servers give users the freedom to share a server with others, but to also have their own resources. These are great for businesses looking to improve their site performance and are also a cheaper option to that of dedicated servers.
Pros
- Private by design, meaning no noisy neighbours
- A cheap alternative to dedicated hosting
Cons
- Requires technical know-how, or you could risk compromising security
Dedicated servers
Meanwhile, a dedicated server is yours alone – it’s dedicated to your project. You don’t share your space with anyone else and get all the benefits that go along with this. These include the security of knowing you aren’t sharing a server with malicious or undesirable neighbours, increased stability and speed, and more flexibility and customisation.
Pros
- Amazing performance
- A server dedicated to you and your business or project
Cons
- Can be costly – particularly for start-ups
- Not as easily scalable (may require downtime)
Bare Metal
A Bare Metal server gives you the fast performance of a dedicated server, with the added bonus of down-to-the-minute billing that you’d normally get with cloud servers. Essentially, it’s the best of both worlds. Plus, you can start or stop your usage, meaning you aren’t limited to a set monthly cost. The variable billing nature is attractive, but be aware that they still come at a similar price point to dedicated servers, and are mostly suitable for larger websites and projects.
Pros
- Down-to-the-minute billing
- Physically isolated from other servers – improving security
Cons
- Servers can easily be under-utilised
- Hardware failure can cause significant downtime
Cloud servers
A cloud server is a server that is delivered through a network rather than relying on local physical servers. This means that a cloud server can be accessed from anywhere, by anyone who's authorised to do so. And probably the biggest advantage of cloud servers is that most offer flexible billing (start, stop and pause your server when you need to) and scalable resources – great for growing projects.
Pros
- It can be cheap to start with
- Mostly managed by the hosting provider (for public cloud deployments)
Cons
- Vendor lock-in
- Limited customisation (for public cloud deployments)
GPU servers
A dedicated GPU server is a server with one or more graphics processing units (GPUs) that offers increased power and speed for computationally intensive tasks, like video rendering, data analytics, and machine learning. In contrast to servers reliant on CPUs, GPU servers give you significantly faster speeds for tasks like parallel processing across multiple cores.
Pros
- Can be more energy efficient than CPUs in some cases
- High performance for complex parallel tasks
Cons
- Far more expensive than CPU-based servers
- Struggles with multitasking
What’s the difference between web hosting and a domain name?
Think of a domain name as a series of characters people remember to type into their web browser and view your website. Otherwise, you’d be typing a rather long string of numbers (called an IP address) that you simply won’t be able to keep up with!
Web hosting, on the other hand, is where all of your site’s files sit – almost like a storage location to facilitate visitors going on your website. You need both a domain name and web hosting in order to have a fully functioning website – otherwise, your domain and all of its files will have nowhere to live!
Free vs paid web hosting
One 'web hosting' crossroad you’ll find yourself at is whether to go down the free or paid route. So what’s the difference?
Free web hosting
While using a free service might seem like a no-brainer, you might not want to cut corners when it comes to your business' online presence. Free hosting comes with a handful of limitations and disadvantages, like pop-up ads, capped bandwidth or the obligation to feature the provider's branding on your site. Plus, you might not be able to use a custom domain name in your URL or use a lot of the customisation tools unless you upgrade to a paid package.
Paid web hosting
The main drawback of paid hosting is the cost, especially if you're on a tight budget. But high-performance hosting doesn't need to break the bank. In fact, a lot of web hosting is extremely affordable and, for what you pay, the benefits are undeniably worth it. A paid web hosting service provides the advanced functionality, customisation and reliability that every business needs, from ecommerce features to high-level security measures.
Frequently asked questions
Does the location of a host’s servers make a difference to how quickly your website loads?
Yes, the location of a server can affect things like loading times and latency. Being situated in the same country as the data centre can massively reduce latency, as well as overall connectivity.
What does a web host do?
A web host (or rather, the web hosting company) ensures that the websites on their servers load efficiently, regardless of the volume of traffic. A website is only effective if users can access it.
While you can manage your own website, doing so can be costly and demands technical expertise that most individuals need to gain. This is why many opt to lease server space from a web hosting provider like us.
Lastly, data centres that house servers consume significant amounts of electricity and require cooling systems since servers produce substantial heat. They also need backup power solutions in case the main power supply fails.
Do I need web hosting?
If you want a website, then the short answer is yes you do. Luckily for you, there are plenty of providers around offering a range of different hosting options depending on what you need for your project.
Looking to get online quickly and efficiently? Then look no further than our range of Web Hosting packages. You’ll get everything you need to get online, like a free domain name and SSL certificate included as standard – and that’s just for starters! If you need any help deciding which hosting is best for you, our sales team is here to answer questions, no matter how big or small.
