Why you need hosting
When launching a new project, the first thing to pay attention to is the choice of hosting. Every website needs a solid, quality foundation that can ensure uninterrupted operation. If you don’t know the criteria for choosing hosting, it can lead to problems that become hard to solve.
But first, let’s define what it is. Hosting — a platform for storing and managing a website’s files. Providers rent space on a server, giving the site the necessary power to guarantee 24/7 operation. In this article we’ll look at which type of hosting to choose for a site and what to pay attention to.
Technical characteristics of hosting
Before considering the host’s technical characteristics, let’s clarify what it is used for. Its main task is to manage files and change their properties. Main tasks:
| For the website | The host stores the site files and manages them. The admin uploads and deletes files, changes the site’s appearance, and monitors its performance. |
| For email | The host stores emails and mail settings. |
| For applications | To store application files, be online around the clock, and store user data, hosting is indispensable. |
| For a security certificate | When installing an SSL certificate on a site, you need space on the hosting. The certificate files and its settings will be stored there. |
Before buying hosting, you should form a list of requirements for the provider that fully reflect the needs of your future project. Key host characteristics include:
- Disk space. The amount of hard drive space your resource will occupy. This can range from several dozen megabytes to 500 gigabytes. For a small resource, like a landing page, 100 megabytes may be enough.
- Traffic limit. It’s hard to immediately estimate the expected number of visitors. That’s why it’s better to choose hosting with unlimited traffic. Otherwise, if you exceed the limits, the site may go down.
- Uptime, uninterrupted site operation. This important metric is expressed as a percentage. For example, if uptime is 98%, it means the site is available 98% of the time. Beware of providers who claim 100% uptime, because that’s unrealistic. Servers still need reboots or scheduled maintenance, during which the site will be unavailable.
- Technical features needed to implement project tasks. It’s best to choose a host whose control panel includes the most necessary tools, e.g.: cPanel, DirectAdmin, Plesk, ISPManager, and so on.
Besides the main features, pay attention to the provider’s reputation and price.
Types of hosting
As we already wrote, hosting is needed to place a site. Obviously, each resource requires different amounts of resources. Based on this, there are several types of hosting that differ in memory and functionality. There are 5 main types; let’s look at each in detail. Study each and choose the most suitable one.
Shared hosting
This type of hosting is the most popular. It works by hosting many sites on one server. Each resource is allocated a specific, separate space. However, all sites use the same software.
| Pros | Cons |
| Price. Shared hosting offers clients various prices for its services. So study the specs and choose the best price. | Because of one problematic site, issues can arise for hundreds of other sites. So there is a risk. |
| Completely free technical support in 24/7 mode. | |
| Useful one-click features. | |
| Global problems are solved quickly. If something happens to the hosting, many sites may stop working at once, and the consequences are obvious. | |
| Server software settings are not your problem. |
Physical hosting or Collocation
In this option the client places their server at the hoster’s facility. The provider fully ensures the server’s connection in their data center. Their main tasks are uninterrupted operation, technical support, and data security. This is a rather expensive hosting option. It’s relevant for those expecting a large number of users (online stores, online games).
Advantages of Collocation:
- Ability to do complex projects;
- You can change any settings, since you are the owner here (for an additional fee, though).
There is one big downside – the price.
VPS server
In essence, this type of hosting is similar to the previous item, but here you rent a portion of it. You get guaranteed access to a physical server without competing for its resources with other sites.
| Pros | Cons |
| You get what you pay for. | If you encounter problems, you’ll have to solve them yourself or hire a specialist for an additional fee. The same applies to extra functionality. |
| Full and proper control over software and the OS. | Small sites won’t benefit from this type of hosting. There’s no point in paying so much when you can use shared hosting services. |
| Price. For a large site this is the best option, as its price is between shared hosting and physical hosting. |
By the way, if you decide to rent this type of hosting, you’ll have limits on: RAM, CPU, and disk space.
Cloud hosting
This type of hosting is considered one of the most reliable. That’s because the resources allocated to a client are not limited to a single server. So if one server fails, it won’t affect your resource. The price depends directly on the resources consumed. In simple terms, you pay for RAM and disk space.
Cloud hosting suits large online stores and media outlets.
What to pay attention to when choosing hosting?
Logically, when choosing hosting for a large online store, the “300 UAH a year” option is not suitable. To select a reliable and proper host, visit the official site of your CMS; it will list hosting recommendations. Don’t ignore them. Let’s look at the selection criteria in more detail.
IP addresses
Talking about problems from shared IP addresses is unnecessary; it’s better to immediately buy a dedicated IP for your commercial site. Be sure to check them for blacklisting. Note that a separate IP can cost as much per month as the hosting itself. Check this right away.
Advantages of a dedicated IP:
- your site will be protected from hacker attacks;
- with your own IP address it’s easier to track the number of visitors;
- only on a dedicated IP can you set up an anonymous FTP server.
No artificial restrictions
There’s no reason to limit the number of FTP accounts. This can be important so each employee can upload files to only a specific folder on the server. So there’s no point in overpaying for this.
Free SSL certificate
This is very important if you plan to create an online store, where people will make purchases. First, remember that an SSL certificate is a means of protecting users’ personal information online. If a site has this certificate, a green padlock and the HTTPS protocol will appear in the browser address bar. This means you can enter your password and card details on that site.
By the way, sometimes free certificates produce errors and prevent visitors from accessing the site. But paid certificates can have errors too.
Backups
Backups are necessary! It’s best to set up automatic backups for all projects at regular intervals. Why do you need backups? Simple. The host may have a server failure, resulting in data loss. Such problems can occur not only with hosting: for example, you could lose your PC or get a virus. If you don’t have a copy of your site’s content, data loss can seriously damage your work.
Providers perform backups of your site on a regular basis, but it’s better to check this in detail.
If your resource is popular and updated regularly, it makes sense to do backups every day. You might schedule them at night when your site is least busy. Be sure to establish and follow a clear backup procedure so intentions turn into action.
The host uses SSD drives
First, an SSD device allows maximizing data loading speed. SSD hosting has become a very popular and in-demand service.
Advantages of a host with SSD:
- increased reliability due to the absence of moving parts;
- high data transfer speeds;
- longer drive life and lower failure rates due to point 1;
- high fault tolerance.
Country where the hosting provider’s equipment is located
Of course, a site’s speed largely depends on the server’s geographic location. If we’re talking about Ukrainian sites, it’s better to buy hosting within the country. However, many buy hosts in the USA or Europe. The reason is price — they seem cheaper there.
Experts strongly recommend buying hosting providers in your own country. If disagreements arise and you need to go to court, you’ll have a better chance of defending your rights in your own country.
Technical support – competence and responsiveness
A site should work 24 hours a day, and the hosting’s technical support should too. You might wonder why this matters. The answer is obvious. Imagine something happens to your site and there are no backups — who will help you? Waiting a day for a reply is not an option, especially for commercial projects.
Pay attention to this when choosing a host.
Legal aspects of cooperation
Since your site’s operation depends on buying hosting, make sure the provider is honest. Two important points:
- they can provide accounting documentation;
- look for information about the company: license, address, contacts. Make sure the organization actually exists.
Security when working with contractors
If you don’t have one large project handled by an in-house team, but many small diverse projects, consider restricting access. There are companies that do not allow, using the control panel’s standard tools, granting access from specific IP addresses or creating a user with access to only a certain site or one of that site’s folders in a couple of clicks.
Which plan to choose
Before «creating a site » think about choosing hosting. First, assess the amount of space. It’s important to find the golden mean. Disk space should be calculated with a margin, taking into account the average page size and their total number, and also forecasting the site’s growth potential.
By the way, if the provider offers a trial version of the hosting, use it. Evaluate the provider’s quality and don’t rush to buy a product for a year ahead.
Conclusion
Don’t rush to buy hosting just because it’s cheap. Trust your project only to reliable people, so approach this question comprehensively. Be sure to assess the platform’s technical capabilities, study several options, and choose the best one for your project.
Remember, a resource hosted on good hosting will work like a well-tuned machine.
