Web Hosting What you need to know!

Overview Web hosting explained Domain names explained How domain names and web hosting work together How to register a domain name What does all this lingo mean? How to evaluate different web hosting companies

Web Hosting Web Hosting companies will store all your website files Will *generally* handle keeping the storage connected to the internet You will rent these monthly from a company *are not always the same as a datacenter

Web Hosting Types There are 4 types of web hosting Shared VPS ( Virtual Private Server ) Dedicated Cloud The type you use is based on your needs and technical skill

Shared Hosting Cheap No technical skill required Pros Cons Cheap No technical skill required Site performance generally low **Your** site can be affect by another user

Shared Hosting Image from: http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/web-hosting-beginner-guide/

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Pros Cons More control over account/server than shared hosting Still a reasonably prices option Need more technical knowledge Generally little support given

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Image from: http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/web-hosting-beginner-guide/

Dedicated Hosting You have 100% control over server Pros Cons You have 100% control over server *Can* have the best performance of any option Generally NO support provided Need a very high level of technical knowledge

Dedicated Hosting Image from: http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/web-hosting-beginner-guide/

Cloud Hosting High availability of website Pros Cons High availability of website Range of technical knowledge Can handle high volume traffic the best Cost per availability is good Can be a costly option for high traffic sites

Cloud Hosting Image from: http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/web-hosting-beginner-guide/

Which hosting is right for you? If you are hosting your own personal website or a small business website Shared Hosting is generally your best option! You need to be able to install your own software/programs on the server but have a limited IT staff VPS will provided the root access but also support assistance You have very sensitive information ( company IP ) and also have an IT staff Dedicated hosting will provide the best* security *the security will be based on the skill/knowledge of the IT staff.

Wait, what about cloud hosting? Cloud hosting could potentially fit any of those use cases. Cloud hosting is best used for its scalability Is the current buzz word option

Domain Names Now that I have my hosting I’m up and running right? NO! Okay well sorta. If you want anyone to be able to easily and reliably get to your website you need a domain name! Domain names are the human readable URLs we are all familiar with. Think google.com, siena.edu, facebook.com

Domain Name vs Web Hosting It is important to know the difference, sometimes you will need to update one or the other (or both) and need to know which is which. The Domain Name is your websites address The Web Hosting is where that address leads to

So how do I get a Domain Name? Domain Names are controlled through registrars You need to “buy” your domain name GoDaddy Network Solutions Name Cheap You will need to re-register your domain name each year or you will lose it =( Can cost anywhere from a few dollars to thousands of dollars based on the domain name

So how does this all work together?

Subdomains, TLD, whois Subdomains are ways of separating traffic to your site and returning specific pages mail.google.com Top Level Domain (TLD): .com, .edu, .org, etc Certain TLDs are regulated Whois – per ICANN regulation, the name of the individual or business owning the domain needs to list their contact information. Whois will tell you that information

Privacy Concerns What if you don’t want your info out there for everyone? You can register through a proxy They will keep your information secret and forward any contact to you

What to look for when getting hosting? Things to consider: Guaranteed uptime Average performance Customer support Bandwidth limits Any security features: anti-virus, firewall, DOS protection Price Cancellation policy