Flavors of Web Hosting
I got a question last week from a guy named Fred. Now I usually don’t cover many of the basics anymore, because I think it has all been done before.
Some of the earlier shows were dedicated more to the “Web hosting 101″ topics but it never hurts to have a refresher. Here is what Fred had to say:
Hi Mitch you host the best podcast out there. I am a Web site designer and I wanted to know if you could tell me what are the differences with all these types of hosting. I see dedicated, shared, virtual and my head starts to spin. Please help!
Your right Fred, the Web hosting industry has not exactly made learning all this stuff very easy. Here is a rundown of the basic flavors of Web hosting and what they are all about.
What is Virtual/Shared Web Hosting?
No matter if the Web host says they offer shared or virtual Web hosting, they are both the same thing. This flavor of Web hosting refers to the process of running multiple “virtual” web servers on a single physical host computer. By doing this they can use a single computer or server to run a lot of different Web sites.
This is the kind of hosting account that ninety percent or so of the Internet uses.
What is Reseller Web Hosting?
Usually when I define reseller Web hosting to folks outside of the industry I tell them that it is like having your own little Web hosting company. A reseller Web hosting account is useful when you want to be able to create smaller hosting accounts and sell or give them out to friends.
You can also use this account type to have a better control over your own little empire of Web sites. Instead of having to go here and there to manage everything - you can do it in one spot.
What is Dedicated Web Hosting?
Now a dedicated Web hosting account is the big daddy of them all. This is what the majority of the huge Web sites you visit run under. This is when you have a machine or server that only hosts one or two Web sites. These Web sites need a lot of disk space and a lot of services that are dedicated to just them.
You see with a dedicated Web hosting server, you are made the king of the machine. You might share it with one or two other people, or you might go at it alone. The equipment and connectivity are fully managed by the hosting firm, and you pretty much have to handle the rest.
[Watch Me Describe These on Video!]
Do you have a question to ask me? If so - please drop me an E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I will be more than happy to help you out. Just think of me as your own personal Web hosting guru.
+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 92!
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