What is Hosting? What is its Purpose?

To create and publish your own website, you need a domain name and a space to host your website. You can obtain the hosting space for your website through hosting services.

What is Hosting?

Hosting is essentially a service for hosting websites and web applications. A series of services that allow for the creation, management, storage, and publication of website files is called hosting service or hosting.

What is the Purpose of Hosting?

Hosting is a service that allows for the storage of the software, images, and data that make up your website. Hosting or renting a server to publish a website is both costly and requires technical expertise. While this can be a preferred option when necessary, it is not an efficient solution for hosting small to medium-sized websites.

Servers are very powerful computers, so they can host multiple websites with their resources. Companies that own servers, also known as hosting providers, offer hosting services by dividing servers into specific parts.

What are the Features of Hosting?

A hosting service provides you with a space to store your website's files and publish them on the internet, along with a set of services. Hosting services offer specific features. They can be divided into several types, but fundamentally, they all provide the user with storage space, processing power, and bandwidth. The value of these features can vary depending on the package offered. Additionally, hosting packages may offer extra features such as regular backups, free SSL, and email services. You don't need to worry about the infrastructure with hosting services. Ensuring that the hosting operates smoothly and efficiently is the responsibility of the hosting provider.

What are the Types of Hosting?

When choosing the hosting you will use, you will come across many different types of hosting plans. Although all types of hosting provide website hosting and publishing, they are divided into various types based on their features.

Hosting Types by Sharing Method

We've mentioned that websites are hosted on a server. A server can host multiple sites or be dedicated to a single user. Hosting is diversified in this aspect, and we can list them as follows:

Shared Hosting

Servers have resources that can host multiple websites. In Shared Hosting services, multiple users' websites are hosted on a single server. Resources such as storage, processing power, and memory of the server are shared among all users.

Shared hosting is the simplest and most cost-effective hosting option offered for small-scale websites. As a disadvantage, another site hosted on the same server receiving high traffic or increased memory usage can adversely affect your site.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting

Another hosting solution is VPS, which stands for Virtual Private Servers. It involves partitioning a server's physical resources through virtualization software and offering them to users. Each user has their allocated processing power, storage, and bandwidth. While the price advantage is relatively preserved, technical knowledge may be required for usage.

Dedicated Hosting

In the Dedicated Hosting option, the resources of the server are dedicated solely to one user. The server's resources can be customized as desired, including increasing memory and storage capacity. It allows for the operation of desired operating systems and software.

This makes it highly suitable for hosting large-scale websites. It is costly and requires technical expertise to use.

Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting, also known as reseller hosting, allows users to divide their resources and lease them to sub-users. It is preferred by those who need to host multiple websites. A common use case for reseller hosting is software companies and agencies hosting websites for their clients.

Cloud Hosting

In cloud-based hosting, websites are hosted by cloud service providers. It is suitable for websites that continuously experience heavy traffic, such as e-commerce sites. Websites can remain online continuously under high traffic, minimizing downtime. Resources can be easily scaled according to needs. It may be more expensive compared to other options.

Hosting Types by Operating System

The servers that provide hosting services have different types of hardware and software configurations. Depending on the operating system running on the server, hosting services are divided into Linux Hosting and Windows Hosting. The operating system on the server also determines the software options available for hosting services.

Linux Hosting

It is a hosting service where Linux-based operating systems run on the server. The open-source nature of Linux operating systems allows for no licensing fees and enables Linux hosting to be offered at more affordable prices. It is highly suitable for PHP, MySQL, and WordPress usage.

Windows Hosting

It is a hosting service where Windows operating systems run on the server. They work seamlessly with Microsoft's server and database solutions. They are particularly preferred by businesses for their ability to receive corporate support. They are the right choice for applications developed with .NET and using MSSQL databases.

Hosting Types by Purpose of Use

Companies that provide hosting services offer some specialized hosting services tailored to the software and tasks to be performed. Examples of such hosting options include WordPress Hosting and E-commerce Hosting.

WordPress Hosting

WordPress is the most preferred content management system with millions of users. Many hosting companies create and sell hosting packages with configurations that are fully compatible with WordPress. This allows for the creation of various sites such as personal blogs, e-commerce websites, which require different resources. WordPress hosting packages are offered with different storage, processing power, and bandwidth types.

E-commerce Hosting

These are hosting solutions tailored for various e-commerce platforms. They offer seamless operation guarantee, high storage, and bandwidth.

Mail Hosting

It is a type of hosting configured for handling email traffic rather than website publishing. It is preferred by organizations with heavy email usage.

Where to Get Hosting?

Hosting services are obtained from companies specialized in this field. There are hundreds of companies worldwide and in Turkey that provide hosting services. Since the internet is a global network, you can get hosting services from any company located in any country. However, certain legal limitations and the purpose of hosting usage may be decisive factors in your choice.

Things to Consider When Choosing Hosting

There are several crucial points to consider when choosing hosting. Firstly, you need to determine the required features. Here are some things to consider when choosing hosting:

• The reliability of the hosting company is the most important factor to consider. After putting in a lot of effort to create and publish your website and attracting users to your site, you wouldn't want to lose all your data. Similarly, not receiving the promised services after making payments can lead to financial and emotional damages. Therefore, it's important to research when selecting a hosting company. Read online reviews and choose reputable companies.
• Even if you have sufficient technical knowledge, issues beyond your control may arise. Therefore, choosing a hosting company that provides quick and 24/7 support is essential.
• The location of the data center where the hosting service is provided should ideally be close to the target audience of the website, as this can enhance performance.
• Hosting packages specify certain storage space and bandwidth. Some providers emphasize features like unlimited storage and bandwidth.

How to Purchase Hosting?

Before purchasing a hosting package and publishing your website, you need a domain name. Your website, which will be hosted on the internet space you rent, must be associated with a domain for users to access it. Typically, companies that provide hosting services also offer domain registration. You can either purchase a domain along with your hosting package or use an existing domain or register a domain from another company.

Once the domain name issue is resolved, you can proceed with the payment for the hosting package. Hosting packages are priced monthly or annually, with annual purchases usually being more cost-effective. Choose the package that suits your needs and purchase it according to your preferred payment plan. Subsequently, the provider will send you an email containing the management information for your hosting, or this information will be available in the provider's control panel.

The final step is to associate the domain name with the hosting. The name server information that you need to use will be provided by the company from which you purchased the hosting package. You should enter these two addresses into the domain's control panel to associate the domain and hosting. After a maximum of 48 hours, during the DNS propagation process, you can access your site by typing your domain into a browser. Now, you can start developing your website.

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