Before getting a web host, you should be familiar with some basic concepts of web hosting. Here I’ll give a brief introduction of some fundamental concepts to make the beginners understand easily.
1. Server, Virtual host, VPS, web disk space
A server is a computer which is equipped with a set of necessary applications that provide web service. Generally speaking, there is no essential difference between a server and a computer, in some circumstances there are even servers that run not as smoothly as computers we use.
Virtual hosting is a method that host more than one domain names (websites) on the same server. Websites on the same server are independentfrom each other in a certain sense. Both virtual hosting and dedicated server can meet the needs of web masters, while the low price of virtual hosting gives it a big advantage over dedicated servers.
VPS, Virtual Private Server (also referred to as Virtual Dedicated Server or VDS), is a method of partitioning a physical server computer into multiple servers such that each has the appearance and capabilities of running on its own dedicated machine. Each virtual server can run its own full-fledged operating system, and each server can be independently rebooted. This is a hosting solution with performance higher than virtual hosting and price lower than dedicated server.
Web space, also known as disk space, is the holding space for your digital data, which may include server, virtual hosting and VPS mentioned above. Beginners usually pay a lot of attention on the volume of web space, while in face there are many other important factors they should take into consideration.
2. Dedicated IP address, Shared IP address (IP sharing)
Dedicated IP address and Shared IP address is a pair of corresponding concepts. In dedicated IP hosting, each virtual host has a different IP address. And in shared IP address hosting, all virtual hosts on the same server share a same IP address. The primary reason for a site to use a dedicated IP is to be able to use its own SSL certificate rather than a shared certificate.
3. Windows, Linux, Unix
When you come across the terms such as Windows hosting and Linux hosting, you should realize that these terms are used to describe the operating system of the server, which has nothing to do with the operating system used by your own computer.
The choice of the operating system on the web host depends on the requirement of your website application. Generally, PHP websites prefer Linux hosting, and Windows hosting are more suitable for websites designed with ASP, ASP.net.
4. IIS, Apache, MySQL, MSSQL, ACCESS
IIS and Apache are both popular web servers. MySQL, MSSQL and ACCESS refer to three kinds of database.
5. Concurrent Connection
This is a most concerned factor, which can also confuse lots of users.
The configuration of a web host can affect the max concurrent connection; however it can’t limit the online users within an exact number. The max concurrent connection is affected by several factors, such as the server, the web application you use, and the property of the visitors.
IIS connections can limit the max concurrent connection, while concurrent connection is more likely to be affected by the CPU limitation.
Page View (PV) and hits reflect the server load more precisely, and are more informative than concurrent connections. PV and hits are related to web applications.
With these basic concepts, you can start looking for a web host now.