What can I use web hosting for?

The whole idea of a web hosting package is that it will allow you to start your own website using the web space that your web hosting account provides you with, but in some cases you may wish to use your web hosting service for another purpose but this will depend entirely on the form of web hosting that you have opted for as some forms of web hosting are going to allow you greater flexibility than others. Shared web hosting packages offer you little flexibility but in any case you can use a shared web hosting package to help you to make the most of any domains you have purchased; a shared web hosting package will come with a standard set of features including email accounts, FTP accounts and web space which you can use to bring your domain name to life. Business users and advanced users are more likely to consider dedicated web hosting services including VPS servers and dedicated servers as dedicated hosting services are able to offer you greater flexibility in what you are able to use your web hosting service for; although dedicated web hosting services may be more expensive than shared hosting services, it is important to consider the advantages that having your own dedicated web hosting environment can offer.

The form of web hosting that you purchase will normally depend on what you are going to use your web hosting service for, and because of this it is important to make sure you are aware of what you are going to use use your web hosting package for prior to purchasing it so that you know what to look out for in a web hosting package; all web hosting services are designed for different purposes meaning that it may be worth consulting a web hosting provider beforehand so that they can offer you their opinion on which form of web hosting would suit you best, but don’t get carried away by them trying to sell you their most expensive web hosting services. Web hosting is something that should only be considered if you are sure that you are going to be able to make the most of your web hosting package, simply because you are going to be paying for the service that you will receive; however, shared hosting packages are available at low prices these days meaning that if you wish to give web hosting a try then you may wish to consider a Linux shared hosting package.

Main Features of a Web Hosting Account

If you are looking into using a web hosting package then you should consider the main features of a web hosting package so that you are able to choose a web hosting package that will suit your requirements, thus allowing you to use your web hosting account for what you intend. The main use of a web hosting service is for the hosting of a website, as is indicated by the fact that a web hosting package will offer you web space/disk space which you can host your website’s files in; when users type your domain name in their web browser they will then be taken to the website that you have uploaded to your web space. A web hosting package will also offer you the basis for DNS hosting, and you will find that it is the DNS for your domain name that will keep it running properly as it will tell your visitor’s computers which servers to go to for certain services i.e. to view your website or a subdomain; when you purchase a new web hosting package most website hosting providers will require that you point your domain name to new nameservers, and this is needed as those nameservers will be part of your web hosting package and will tell your domain how to function correctly so that your website can be found and emails can be delivered to your domain name. A web hosting package will also allow you to create email accounts and forwarding address for your domain name which will allow you to make full use of the email capabilities of your domain name, and in some cases businesses just wish to use a domain name for email rather than anything else; standard email features of a web hosting package will also include IMAP, POP3 and webmail access to any email accounts that you create. In summary, the main features of a web hosting package include:

  • Web space/disk space – the main feature of any web hosting package is the web space that you have available to use as this is what you are mainly paying for, and you will be able to use your web space to host the website that you have created for your domain name – the amounts of disk space available with web hosting services can greatly differ and normally depend on the form of web hosting that you choose to use as well as what your requirements are – it is important to note that other features of your web hosting account such as email accounts and databases will count towards your overall disk space usage which means that when looking at web hosting packages, you should consider how much these other factors will contribute towards your overall disk space usage to help you find the right web hosting service for your requirements
  • DNS hosting – DNS is the basis of the internet and runs everything meaning that it is important for you to choose a web hosting package that can offer you DNS hosting so you can be sure that you will be able to make the most of your domain name using your web hosting package – when you purchase a new web hosting package your web hosting provider will probably ask you to point your domain name to certain nameservers in your welcome email, and it is important that you do this as otherwise you will not be able to use your domain name with your web hosting package properly – the nameservers that you are pointing your domain name to will tell client computers which servers they need to contact for certain services, i.e. if an email needs to be delivered then the nameservers will tell the sending email server the recipient email server that the email should be directed to
  • Email hosting – in some cases you may just wish to use a web hosting package for the sole purpose of email hosting as you may not need a website for the time being, but in any case most web hosting packages will offer support for email hosting – a web hosting package should be able to offer you the ability to create your own email accounts that you can then use as part of your domain name, but if you don’t actually need email accounts then you should also be able to make use of email forwarders which will allow you to setup alias accounts for which their emails will then be forwarded to a real email address that you have already setup, and this forwarding address can be an email account on any domain name.

By considering the main features of web hosting you should be able to work out what you can use web hosting for, or if you already know what you want to use your web hosting service for then considering the main features of a web hosting package will allow you to choose a web hosting service that meets your requirements fully.

What are the main forms of web hosting and what can they be used for?

There are several different forms of web hosting available and these are offered by most web hosting providers, but different forms of web hosting are designed for different purposes which makes it important for you to choose the right form of web hosting for what you are going to be using your web hosting package for. The most popular form of web hosting offered by most web hosting providers is shared web hosting, and a shared web hosting package is probably the most basic web hosting package that you can purchase from a web hosting provider; a shared web hosting package is only appropriate for basic situations where you want to host a small website or require a web hosting package for email hosting services, and this is reflected in the cost of most shared hosting packages as well as the resources assignments that you will get for your money. VPS server is another form of web hosting offered by many web hosting providers, and will be able to offer you a dedicated hosting environment that some people require at a low price; a VPS server should be used in the situation where you require a secure and reliable web hosting service in the context of your own dedicated web hosting environment, and although dedicated server hosting can do this, choosing a VPS server is a much more cost effective move. The most expensive form of web hosting available is dedicated server hosting, however a dedicated server has the largest number of advantages to offer; a dedicated server should be considered in the situation where your requirements dictate that you need a highly reliable and secure web hosting environment, although you may also wish to consider a dedicated server if you have high requirements in terms of server resources. In summary, the main forms of web hosting that are available include (and their uses):

  • Shared web hosting – if you have basic needs when it comes to web hosting or are only going to be using your web hosting package for the hosting of a small site or for email hoting then you should consider a shared web hosting service for your needs – a shared web hosting package will be the cheapest web hosting package that you can purchase, and in any case you should try and save money with web hosting where possible meaning that if a shared web hosting package is more than appropriate for your requirements, you should purchase one and not waste more money on a higher end form of web hosting that you simply don’t need
  • VPS server hosting – if your web hosting requirements are a bit more complex or you require a web hosting package that can offer you a bit more in terms of resources then you are likely to be considering a VPS server – a VPS server can be used for any number of uses since you are provided with your own dedicated web hosting environment that you will have root/administrator access to which will allow you to install any applications of your choice on your VPS server, thus allowing you to effectively use your VPS server for anything that you see fit
  • Dedicated server hosting – if you are a business with high requirements from your web hosting package then you are likely to be considering dedicated server hosting for your needs, but it is important for you to be able to justify the cost of a dedicated server because they are by no means cheap – a dedicated server will offer you a dedicated web hosting environment like a VPS server is able to, but with a dedicated server you will be provided with your own physical server which means that you will be able to make full use of the large resource allocations that you have purchased for your dedicated server.

The main forms of web hosting offered by most web hosting providers are designed for different purposes as is reflected in what they are able to offer you and what you pay for them. As there are several different forms of web hosting to choose from you should make sure that you only choose the web hosting service that corresponds with your requirements; although it may be tempting to consider a higher form of web hosting if you have the budget, you should save money where possible. Similarly, if you choose a lower form of web hosting than what you actually require then you may find yourself having to upgrade anyway.

In conclusion, there are many uses for a web hosting package and what you are able to use your web hosting package for will very much depend on the form of web hosting that you choose to purchase from your web hosting provider. It is important for you to know what you are going to use your web hosting package for beforehand as this will give you a good idea of what to look for in a web hosting package, and by comparing the many web hosting packages that are available for your requirements you can then work out the price range you should be looking in.