Web hosting is an essential service that makes your website accessible to people on the internet. In simple terms, think of it as renting a space on a powerful computer, called a server, to store all the files and data that make up your website.


When you create a website, it's a collection of files, including:

HTML and CSS code

Images and videos

Text and other media

These files need to be stored somewhere so they can be accessed by a web browser. A web hosting company provides, maintains, and runs these servers, which are connected to a high-speed network. When someone types your domain name (like yourwebsite.com) into their browser, the web host's server sends those files back to the user's device, displaying your website.



How Web Hosting Works: The Basics
Your Website's Files: You build your website with a variety of files.

The Server: You rent space on a web host's server to store these files. The server is a physical computer that is kept running 24/7 to ensure your website is always available.


The Domain Name: You register a domain name, which acts as your website's address. You then "point" this domain name to your web host's server.


The Request: A user enters your domain name into their browser.

The Response: The browser sends a request to the server where your website is stored. The server responds by sending the website files back to the user's browser, which then renders the website for them to see.

Types of Web Hosting
Web hosting comes in many forms, each suited for different needs and budgets.

Shared Hosting: This is the most common and affordable option for beginners and small businesses. Your website shares a server with many other websites, and all users share the server's resources (CPU, RAM, storage). It's like living in an apartment building—it's cost-effective but you have to share resources with your neighbors.



VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting: In this model, a single physical server is partitioned into multiple virtual servers. You still share the physical hardware, but you get a dedicated virtual space with an allocated amount of resources. This provides more control, security, and performance than shared hosting, making it ideal for growing businesses.



Dedicated Hosting: This is the most powerful and expensive option. You get an entire physical server all to yourself. This provides maximum control, security, and performance and is typically used by large businesses with very high traffic websites.



Cloud Hosting: This type of hosting uses a network of interconnected servers. Your website's files are replicated across multiple servers, so if one server is busy or fails, another can handle the traffic. This provides excellent scalability and uptime, making it great for websites with fluctuating traffic.