What is web hosting?

Web hosting is a service that stores your website’s files on a server and delivers them to anyone who visits. The hosting company owns and maintains the servers, and you rent space on them.

What a host does

A web server is a computer that holds a site’s files, together with the software that answers each request from a browser. You could run one in the office. A hosting company’s server is typically up for more of the time, is always connected to the internet, keeps the same address and is maintained by someone else.

A hosting plan gives you disk space, a share of the server’s processor and memory, and an allowance for the data sent to visitors. Many plans also include email addresses on your domain, backups and security features. Mozilla’s guide adds a warning about plans advertised as unlimited: nobody gets unlimited data, and a site that uses a great deal will be charged for it.

The kinds of hosting

• Shared hosting. Many websites sit on one server and share its disk, processor and memory. It costs the least and is easy to set up. A busy site on the same server can slow yours, and you have less control over the settings.
• Virtual private server (VPS). One physical server is divided into several virtual ones. Yours has resources reserved for it, and you can choose the software it runs. It usually needs someone with technical skill.
• Dedicated hosting. You lease a whole physical server. It gives the most control, costs the most and needs technical staff to run.
• Cloud hosting. The site runs across a group of servers. If one is busy, visitors are sent to another, capacity can grow with demand, and you pay for what you use.

Two other terms come up. Managed hosting means the host looks after the upkeep of the server for you, which removes most of the technical work of a VPS. Packaged services bundle the hosting with the software that builds the site. They are quick to start with, and Mozilla notes that you may have less control over the design and other options. Free hosting may place advertising on your pages.

What to ask a host

The Australian Signals Directorate suggests checking a host’s security features before choosing one.

• Does it back up your site, how often, and where are the backups kept?
• Does it scan for malware and use firewalls?
• Does it offer multi-factor authentication on your account, and protection against denial-of-service attacks?
• Where is it located, and which security and privacy standards does it follow? A provider outside Australia may be under different legal obligations.

Also ask who holds the login to the hosting account. It should be the business, with multi-factor authentication turned on.

Where to go next

Hosting is one item on the list in A website maintenance checklist for business owners. If you would like someone to choose and run the hosting for you, that is part of our website development work.