If you’re new to website building or considering launching an online business, you are probably asking yourself, what is website hosting?
When it comes to websites, you can create a stunning digital masterpiece, but without reliable web hosting, it’s like painting a beautiful canvas that remains in your dark garage where nobody can see it!
So, what is web hosting and how does it work?
Your website needs to be online 99.95% of the time. This is what dedicated hosting does – it keeps your website available to the world.
In most cases, web hosting means renting space on a powerful computer called a server. These servers differ from your personal computer because they can host thousands of websites simultaneously. They make your site available to anyone who has an internet connection.
Most first-time website owners feel confused about web hosting services. The concept is simple: It’s a service that stores your website files and displays them to visitors who visit your website address.
What is web hosting vs a domain name?
People often ask us about the difference between web hosting and domains. These two elements create your online presence differently.
Your domain name serves as your digital address (like 1grid.co.za), while the web hosting service makes your website visible online.
Professional hosting services should also help keep your site secure, fast, and reliable. At 1-grid, our options range from basic shared hosting to powerful dedicated servers.
Now that you better understand what web hosting is, let’s delve a little deeper.
Why you need reliable hosting
Your website needs a home on the internet. Web hosting creates the foundation that turns your website from computer files into a live, available online presence.
Quality website hosting plays a silent hero’s role until things go wrong. Good, professional hosting services keep your website available to visitors 24/7. Reliable hosting providers maintain an average uptime of at least 99%.
Web hosting impacts more than just availability, it also acts as an engine that powers your website’s performance. Quick responses from hosting servers make your pages load faster. This speed becomes crucial for user experience and search engine rankings.
Bad hosting choices can hurt your business. If your site keeps going down or loads too slowly, your visitors will leave and go to competitors. Inconsistent availability also affects your search engine optimisation efforts and makes your site harder to find online.
A hosting service company owns and manages powerful servers in specialised data centres. These centres come with:
- High-end infrastructure
- Advanced security systems
- Powerful cooling technology
- The core team of technical experts
Website hosting services let you focus on your website content instead of buying server equipment or dealing with complex technical setups. They take care of everything technical, from software installation to troubleshooting, ensuring your site runs at its best.
You might have encountered some other self-hosting options in your search to figure out what hosting is. Business owners, however, quickly understand website hosting’s value by looking at other options. Self-hosting needs equipment purchases, infrastructure setup, and constant maintenance. Most website owners find professional hosting services budget-friendly and practical. These services give the technical support and security needed to keep their online presence reliable and strong.
Now you understand what web hosting is, and why you need it, continue reading for an in depth look at the technical side of hosting.
The technical side of hosting
Web hosting serves as a storage and delivery system for your website. Physical computers called servers work continuously to make your website available online.
Buying hosting means renting space on a server that stores all your website files—HTML documents, images, videos, and databases.
Your domain name triggers an interesting chain of events in a browser:
- The browser sends a request to your hosting provider’s server
- The server locates your website files
- These files are transmitted back to the visitor’s browser
- The browser assembles and displays your website
This process takes just seconds, though websites with large files might load more slowly.
Three key elements are the foundations of any web hosting service:
- Storage space – This sets the limit for your website’s files, like a digital storage room for your content.
- Bandwidth – This manages the data flow between your website and visitors. Better bandwidth means faster loading and smoother traffic handling.
- Uptime – This shows how reliably your website stays online. The hosting industry aims for 99.9% uptime, which means your site could be offline for about 8 hours yearly.
Web hosting providers handle many technical tasks beyond storage. They keep servers secure, add protection, and ensure smooth data delivery to visitors’ browsers. Your website’s growth might need extra resources like processing power or memory — hosting companies offer adaptable options for this growth.
Quality hosting depends on reliability. Data centres house these servers with strong infrastructure, advanced security, and cooling systems. Technical teams watch these systems constantly, so you can focus on your website without worrying about complex backend operations.
Overview of the Main Types of Hosting 1-Grid Offers
Shared Hosting works just like a flat-share for websites. Several sites live on one server and share all resources. Small businesses, bloggers, and hobby sites with modest traffic will find shared hosting works best for them.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting balances cost and performance. Sites share the physical hardware, but each runs in its own virtual space with dedicated resources. Your site stays protected from neighbour impacts while giving you more customisation control. Medium-sized companies needing more muscle than shared hosting but not ready for a dedicated server will benefit from VPS hosting.
Dedicated Hosting gives you access to an entire physical server. You get at least 1 terabyte of storage and full bandwidth control to handle hundreds of thousands of files and millions of visitors.
WordPress Hosting takes shared hosting and optimises it just for WordPress sites. WordPress comes pre-installed with automatic updates and built-in caching, which makes website management easier for non-technical users.
Turning Digital Dreams into Reality: Your Web Hosting Quest Begins
Web hosting is the foundation of your online presence. Picking the right hosting package will give you a site that’s available, loads fast, and stays secure.
Technical jargon and hosting options can overwhelm new website owners, but understanding what web hosting is, can make the choice easier.
At 1-grid, we offer reliable, secure, and locally supported web hosting solutions to help your website succeed. Whether you’re starting your first site or growing your online business, our team is here to guide you. Visit our website and get your website online with confidence.