Shared web hosting service

A shared web hosting service or virtual hosting service or derive host refers to a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. Each site "sits" on its own partition, or section/place on the server to keep it separate from other sites. This is generally the most economical option for hosting, as many people share the overall cost of server maintenance.

The hosting service must include system administration since it is shared by many users; this is a benefit for users who do not want to deal with it, but a hindrance to power users who want more control. In general shared hosting will be inappropriate for users who require extensive software development outside what the hosting provider supports. Almost all applications intended to be on a standard web server work fine with a shared web hosting service. But on the other hand, shared hosting is cheaper than other types of hosting such as dedicated server hosting. Shared hosting usually has usage limits and most hosting providers have extensive reliability features in place. [1]

Shared hosting typically uses a web-based control panel system, such as cPanel, DirectAdmin, Plesk, InterWorx, H-Sphere or one of many other control panel products. Most of the large hosting companies use their own custom developed control panel. Control panels and web interfaces can cause controversy however, since web hosting companies sometimes sell the right to use their control panel system to others. Attempting to recreate the functionality of a specific control panel is common, which leads to many lawsuits over patent infringement.[2]

In shared hosting, the provider is generally responsible for managing servers, installing server software, security updates, technical support, and other aspects of the service. Most servers are based on the Linux operating system and LAMP (software bundle), which is driven by the low cost of open source software. But some providers offer Microsoft Windows-based or FreeBSD-based solutions. For example, the Plesk control panel is available for two operating systems, Linux and Windows. Versions for either OS have very similar interfaces and functionality, with the exception of OS-specific differences (for example: ASP.NET, SQL Server and Access support under Windows; MySQL under Linux).

There are thousands of shared hosting providers in the United States alone. They range from mom-and-pop shops and small design firms to multi-million-dollar providers with hundreds of thousands of customers. A large portion of the shared web hosting market is driven through pay per click (PPC) advertising or Affiliate programs.

Shared web hosting can also be done privately by sharing the cost of running a server in a colocation centre; this is called cooperative hosting.

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Choosing the Right Kind of Web Hosting

Dedicated Server hosting is much like VPS hosting, except you use an entire server instead of part of a server for your website. Of course, this type of hosting is meant for big businesses or gaming websites which require a lot of bandwidth and disk space. As you would expect, this type of hosting can be very expensive depending on the type of server you need.

It's important to note that when you use dedicated server hosting, you don't actually own the server that you use.  Instead of owning the server, you rent or lease the server from the host company. Some host companies will allow a rent-to-own plan so that you can eventually own the server by making payments. Servers vary by price, but an entry level gaming server can cost about $80 per month for about 1,000 GB of bandwidth. Larger servers can cost a lot more depending upon their capabilities.

Prices will also vary according to whether or not the the hosting is managed by the host company. In most cases, it is a good idea to have the host company manage your server, because it is cheaper than hiring a full-time IT professional to maintain the server for you. An extensive knowledge of the operating system being used in the server is required. The operating system will vary in each server from either Windows NT, Unix, Linux, or Solaris.

A dedicated server has some obvious advantages over other types of hosting. One advantage is the fact that the average server can handle a lot more traffic than shared or VPS hosting. An average server can handle over one million hits per day. Another advantage of a dedicated server is the fact that you have full control over the entire server, as well as the ability to add more IP addresses for those who wish to resell part of their server and make some extra money.

The disadvantages of using a dedicated server are mainly the high costs associated with it. Not only is it expensive to rent/lease a server from a host company, but it is also very expensive to maintain the server. It takes years of training to fully understand and troubleshoot a complex server. You can avoid this cost, though, if you are able to have your server managed by the host company.

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Obtaining hosting

Web hosting is often provided as part of a general Internet access plan; there are many free and paid providers offering these services.

A customer needs to evaluate the requirements of the application to choose what kind of hosting to use. Such considerations include database server software, scripting software, and operating system. Most hosting providers provide Linux-based web hosting which offers a wide range of different software. A typical configuration for a Linux server is the LAMP platform: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Perl/Python. The webhosting client may want to have other services, such as email for their business domain, databases or multi-media services for streaming media. A customer may also choose Windows as the hosting platform. The customer still can choose from PHP, Perl, and Python but may also use ASP .Net or Classic ASP. Web hosting packages often include a Web Content Management System, so the end-user doesn't have to worry about the more technical aspects.

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