What is Web hosting service ?

A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to provide their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.

A number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer subscribers freespace for a small website that is hosted by one of their computers. Geocities is a website that offers registered visitors similar free space for a Web site. While these services are free, they are also very basic.


The most basic is web page and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with little processing. Many Internet service providers (ISPs) offer this service free to their subscribers.

Single page hosting is generally sufficient only for personal web pages. A complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides database support and application development platforms (e.g. PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, and ASP.NET). These facilities allow the customers to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management. For e-commerce, SSL is also highly recommended.

Hosting uptime refers to the percentage of time the host is accessible via the internet. Many providers state that they aim for a 99.9% uptime, but there may be server restarts and planned (or unplanned) maintenance in any hosting environment.

Types of hosting

Free web hosting service: is free, (sometimes) advertisement-supported web hosting, and is often limited when compared to paid hosting. If your web site is not commercial and you're just looking for an online presence, this could be the type of web hosting service to consider.

Shared web hosting service:
one's Web site is placed on the same server as many other sites, ranging from a few to hundreds or thousands. Typically, all domains may share a common pool of server resources, such as RAM and the CPU. The features available with this type of service can be quite extensive. A shared website may be hosted with a reseller.

Shared solutions often offer multiple software solutions like email, database, and many different editing options. Technical support tends to be good.

Good:

• Low cost. Cost is shared with others.
• Good for small business and average traffic.
• Multiple software options.
• Own domain name.
• Good support

Bad:

• Reduced security due to many sites on one server.
• Restrictions on traffic volume.
• Restricted database support.
• Restricted software support.

Dedicated Hosting

The user gets his or her own Web server and gains full control over it (root access for Linux/administrator access for Windows); however, the user typically does not own the server. Another type of Dedicated hosting is Self-Managed or Unmanaged. This is usually the least expensive for Dedicated plans. The user has full administrative access to the box, which means the client is responsible for the security and maintenance of his own dedicated box.


Virtual Dedicated Server:

Dividing server resources into virtual servers, where resources can be allocated in a way that does not directly reflect the underlying hardware. VPS will often be allocated resources based on a one server to many VPSs relationship, however virtualisation may be done for a number of reasons, including the ability to move a container (Virtual Private Server) between servers.

Collocated Hosting

Collocation means "co-location". It is a solution that lets you place (locate) your own web server on the premises (locations) of a service provider.

This is pretty much the same as running your own server in your own office, only that it is located at a place better designed for it. In most cases, the collocation provider may provide little to no support directly for their client's machine, providing only the electrical, Internet access, and storage facilities for the server. In most cases for colo, the client would have his own administrator visit the data center on site to do any hardware upgrades or changes.

There are many web hosting service provider in India such as TATA, Reliance, Zdnetindia, rediff, yahoo, godaddy, VSNL, BSNL, and INDIATIMES etc hosting plans are also reasonable.