Hosting
Selecting the right hosting solution is a complex series of compromises. The first choice is the operating system for the web server. There are many types but the two dominant ones are:
- Linux
- Windows
Linux is the most common and approximately 70% of all web servers use Linux. Linux is based on Unix which has been around since the 60's and was used for mainframe computers. Linux is free and hence, it tends to be cheaper to host on a Linux Web Server. Windows web servers were introduced in about 2000, and because of Microsoft's dominance of the personal computer market has made significant inroads into the web server market.
Both are as good as the other and both can be used to host basic websites, using HTML, javascript, CSS etc.
However, if the website uses databases or server side scripting then things get more complicated. PHP and MySQL are used with Linux, whereas SQL and ASP are used with Windows.
- Linux - PHP, MySQL
- Windows - ASP, SQL
This is a general rule as PHP, MySQl can be made to run on Windows and vice versa.
So the first decision is to choose which type of web server to use based on the technology used in your website.
Hosting plans are often constructed based on the amount of resources that will be needed by a website and these are normally:
- Disk space
- Bandwidth
Disk space is the amount of space you will need to use to store all the files relating to your website. This includes the images and the actual web file, but this will also include server logs, emails, and other files.
Bandwidth (or more correctly called Data Transfer) is the measurement of the amount of traffic that is generated by a website during a set period of time (normally a month), this will often include, not only serving the website, but also emails, FTP and downloads. Consider a website that has 5 pages that are 0.1 MB in total. If 100 people access the site each day and they all look at the 5 pages, then each user will use 0.1MB times 5 pages = 0.5MB per day of traffic per user. 100 users will create 10MB of traffic per day, over a month this will be about 300MB of traffic. Clearly, as a site becomes more popular then it will use more bandwidth.
Remember both the disk space and the bandwidth also includes other things, such as emails. Therefore, you will need to add extra to the figure you calculate based on your anticipated usage.
Your next decision is to determine the amount of disk space and bandwidth you expect your website to need.
Your next consideration is the technology you will need. This has already been touched on, when you decided on the operating system of the web server.
Will you need to use server side scripting:
- PHP
- ASP
- ASP.NET
Will you need to use databases (common with e-commerce sites):
- SQL
- MySQL
- Access
What other technologies do you need?
- email forwarding
- Server Side Includes (SSI)
- domain parking
The number of technologies is vast, so talk with your web designer about what you require.
Your third decision is to list all the technologies you will need to run your website
You should now have a good idea of what you require from your hosting supplier.
You will still be left with a large selection of hosting suppliers. Not all hosting suppliers are the same and you should do a lot of research to find the correct supplier, there is no point in having a website that regularly 'goes down'. Clearly, this is also linked to price.
- Hosting Company
- Price
Just as with all industries there is a level of sub-contracting in the hosting business. At the top end you have the companies that supply the connection to the Internet to data warehouses . Then the companies that run the data warehouses that store the server farms. This is where hosting companies put their servers. Then other hosting companies rent those servers or space on those servers.
A few companies will supply all levels of the 'hosting industry' from the internet connection to server space. But many have a core business in one area, what you don't want to do is to host your site with a company that is only really interested in running a data warehouse and only hosts sites as a sideline. Eventually, you will be paying a higher price for poorer service. If you have a small site then look for a hosting company that wants to host a small site, not those that are trying to host Microsoft's website! Otherwise, you will be low down on the food chain! This is all a very difficult task, so look for referrals and recommendations, do as much research as possible.
The final comment is regarding price, I left this until last because it is one of the final decisions you need to make. The additional cost for hosting a website is quite small when you consider how much most people will spend on their mobile phone, advertising, and other services. But it is still a consideration, hopefully you will now be able to realise the 'free' hosting offers are free because, the disk space is limited, or the bandwidth is limited, or it does not allow you to use email, or you have to use a funny domain name. You will also realise that many hosting plans are over priced, when you compare like for like.
Your fourth decision is to decide on the hosting company and the price you wish to pay.
Rightmark Web Design has spent many months researching hosting suppliers, so that we can offer our clients the right combination of top quality service and value for money, click here if you need hosting.
