A web hosting service allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosting companies are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients, as well as providing Internet connectivity. They can also provide space in theirs data centers for locating 3rd-party servers.
There are several types of hosting services:
Client’s website is placed on the same server as many other sites, ranging from a few to hundreds or thousands, sharing a common pool of server resources, such as RAM and the CPU with all of them. This is the cheapest solution for website hosting.
Reseller service allows clients to become web hosting provider themselves. Resellers could offer services to theirs clients in much smaller volumes then main hosting provider making much attractive solutions for small size customers..
VPS uses virtualization software to divide server resources into many virtual servers, where resources can be allocated in a way that does not directly reflect the underlying hardware. VPS may allocate resources from single server or from cluster of servers to offer better performances. Customers are sometimes responsible for patching and maintaining software on theirs VPS instance.
The user gets full control over physical Web server (root access), but typically does not own the server. The user has full administrative access to the server, which means the client is responsible for the security and maintenance of his own dedicated server. This type of hosting service can be Managed or Unmanaged.
Housing is similar to the dedicated web hosting service, but the user owns the server and the hosting company provides physical space that the server takes up and takes care of the server. In most cases, the housing provider will provide only the electrical, Internet access, and storage facilities for the server, meaning client must visit the data center to do any hardware upgrades or changes.
Cloud is a new type of hosting platform that allows customers powerful, scalable and reliable hosting based on clustered load-balanced servers and utility billing. It is similar to VPS installed on cluster of servers but more reliable becouse it uses decentralized space for user’s data which allows other computers in the group to easily compensate when a single machine goes down. However, the lack of centralization may give users less control on where their data is located which could be a problem for users concerned with data security and privacy.
This is solution for websites with huge demands for resources or clients requesting 100% availability hosting. This is the most expensive type of web hosting service.
There is hundreds of web hosting companies out there offering huge range of service levels, but only few of them can be considered as proved for high level service:
Dreamhost is one of the web’s most popular hosts, offering both standard shared plans and dedicated server plans for customers with larger bandwidth and availability needs. The company has a reputation for regular perks and added features for its customers . Customer support is available when you need it, and the company has a great money-back uptime guarantee. More about Dreamhost
Unlike other traditional hosting companies that offer shared hosting solutions, Linode offers Virtual Private Server hosting (VPS) where you spin up a virtual server with the memory, disk space, and file transfer that you need for whatever application you’re building or web site you’re hosting. Some users even use their Linode servers as remote desktop replacements, others use it as private, cloud-based application servers, and others use them to host their webapps, developed applications, and blogs. Prices vary on resources you want it to have. More about Linode
Hostgator rolls out the red carpet for its new customers with unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, tons of easy to install site templates, and an uptime guarantee. Even their low-end plans feature unlimited email, 1-click installs, and a $100 Google Adwords credit for all of your customer-building needs. Choose the plan that works for you, and the longer you sign up for the bigger discount you get on your monthly hosting bill. More about Hostgator
Bluehost offers its shared hosting with unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, unlimited file transfer, unlimited email, a free domain registration, and more. Even their basic plans offer unlimited hosted domains, domain parking, e-commerce features, and more, including one-click WordPress installs, databases, and more. More about Bluehost