WEBHOSTING

Web Hosting Services
TheHostPlanet is an independent directory of web hosting providers. Our guide provides you a detached view of prime web hosting services. Here you will find the most updated information. At our site web hosting reviews and articles are available and the information is constantly being renewed. In order to help you to choose the most suitable hosting provider we made Top 10 ranking of companies, which hold leading position on the market. You have a splendid opportunity to get comprehensive direct data about web hosting services. This site is for those who are looking for the superb web site host that will suit all the requirements.

Before including the company into Top 10 we analyzed the host's advantages. We understand that each customer is interested in reasonable prices, innovative technologies, free extra services, security, uptime guarantee, fine technical support and high level of usability.

Considering all these points we made out a list of 10 web hosting providers, which give the most beneficial services. Information represented at our site is based on the feedback from the users of hosting services. The top hosting providers of our ranking have displayed stability and substantial leadership.

To run a successful on-line business you need safe reliable web site hosting. For example, if you want your ecommerce to show a profit you need your site always on-line and available to everyone. It will allow you to conduct transactions with no barriers of time or distance. You'll be a successful entrepreneur, if consumers go on-line and buy your products any time of the day or night. If the web hosting provider doesn't guarantee at least 99% uptime, than your business may suffer considerable losses. Another point is - if you ecommerce is growing rapidly, soon you'll have to think of widening your web site. In such case you should be aware of affordable free space you can get from your host provider. We can't but mention such an essential item as a security that is needed to protect your business from hackers. In our reviews we have included all key factors that influence the well being of your web affairs.

Wide range of web hosting services are accessible nowadays, such as image hosting, photo website hosting, email hosting, Unix hosting, Windows hosting, Linux web hosting etc. We hope you will find a good web page hosting solution, whether it's image hosting or any other type of web hosting services. We do our best to help you make your right choice for image hosting company. So, think twice before making a final decision. As you see, your welfare may depend on different circumstances. As a web site owner you should mind your actual needs and wants. First, you'd better study intently all data in our Top 10 and afterwards pick up the most rational variant. With well-managed host you'll always keep abreast. Use the given reviews below sagely. Evaluate different web hosting providers and what they have to offer.

Affordable Web Hosting
Once you have a clear picture of the web hosting services required, move on to assembling a list of potential basic affordable web hosting providers. You may get the names of these hosts from several sources, including suggestions from friends and Internet searches. We suggest you to look through our independent online web host guide…
Best Web Hosting
Choosing the right web-hosting provider requires some effort on your part, but the effect will be a firm business relationship that will be equally rewarding for years to come. Look through our helpful articles and independent testimonials to choose the best web hosting provider.
Business Web Hosting
Before signing the contract with business web hosting company to get your desired services, the company may ask some in-depth questions to ensure that whether you recognize the services for which you are looking for. And what customer experiences you are expecting from the hosting providers…
Canada Web Hosting
If you are searching for the right web hosting company in Canada we suggest you to compare prices of different Canada web hosting providers, take advantage of the helpful Canada web hosting companies comparisons online.
Cheap Web Hosting
Choosing cheap web hosting requires organization, the willingness to sift through information, and the ability to ask the right questions. By following this process, you will be wise in choosing cheap web hosting that is right for your circumstances and personal needs.
Colocation Hosting
Colocation is one of the most accepted hosting methods on the World Wide Web at present. If you are considering co-location, it helps to become recognizable with what colocation and a colocation service provider can do for you. Colocation hosting has quickly become one of the most well-liked web page hosting solution today.
Dedicated Server Hosting
Perhaps you have been kicking around the idea of getting your own dedicated server and hosting your web site yourself. In fact, that is not a terrible idea. Dedicated Hosting has some advantages to it. Here are a few ways that you might get profit from a dedicated server hosting environment.
Domain Web Hosting
Many people believe that selecting a hosting service for their web site is routine tasks and not that significant. This is a big mistake as there are a number of very costly things that can and will go wrong if you are not aware of the significant factors you need to think about. Choose the right domain web hosting package online today.
Ecommerce Web Hosting
Just browse our reliable guide and find out more about ecommerce web hosting, compare prices and choose the ideal ecommerce web hosting solution. No need to search any longer as we have already done that work for you!
Free Web Hosting
Avoid Free Hosting like the disease. These hosts don't charge a monthly fee, but they do put ads on your site. These ads may run across the top, the side or pop-up anywhere on the screen.. Using a free web hosting service will put many people off and you will lose visitors. Would you buy something from a business that couldn't afford to pay $5-$10 for reliable web hosting?
Internet Web Hosting
Based on your spreadsheet, pick the top five Internet Web Hosting Companies that you want to speak with in more detail. This will help you find out more about how they think and if their way of doing things meshes with your thought processes. Also, you can confirm the data you have collected and make sure it is up to date.
Reseller Hosting
As a reseller you will also need to have a well thought out plan on how you are going to market and sponsor your own web site. There is no way your reseller program is going to be winning unless you have a system for attracting enough traffic to your web site so that you have a good chance of turning a high percentage of that number into real paying clients who …
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting or virtual hosting are the two terms for the same thing. Shared hosting means that on a web server are hosted many web sites that all have a distinct quota of HDD space and bandwidth. They all run at the same time and there can be from hundreds to thousands of web sites on the same web server. Find the ideal shared hosting plan at our secure and independent web host directory.
UK Web Hosting
There are a large number of web hosting services UK provides. Best UK web hosting sites are included at our list of top web hosts. Some UK web hosting companies provide domain name registration in a number of dissimilar top-level domains, all from one single web site hosting company.
WebHosting
Searching around for the comprehensive information regarding webhosting? Stop here at our online web hosting directory and choose the ideal webhosting packages. No more time to waste, just read the important articles about webhosting features right here.
Web Host
If you were looking for the right place where you can easily compare the prices of different web hosts, where you can read different useful information about hosting industry news, you are at the right web page, find the ideal web host solution right now!
Web Hosting Company
With your criteria definitely established and your complex research of different web page hosts, you will now be able to narrow your list of basic web hosting down to three candidates. Research the Web Hosting Company you are considering to choose and contact it and ask specific questions about their offerings.
Web Hosting Provider
Need help from your web hosting provider? Not sure that your web hosting provider will relay respond when you will need some help? Don’t worry as we provide the useful tips on how to find the right solution regarding web hosting issues.
Web Hosting Review
Read our independent web hosting review today and find the ideal web hosting company. Choose the best website hosting package here at our online directory.
Web Hosting Service
Budget web hosting services have a lot to recommend them. In addition to providing the basic services that all web hosts offer, they often go above and beyond the norm in order to get and maintain your business. If you are thinking about looking into low cost web hosting service but have been put off by the idea that you would not get reliable service, contact a few of the web hosting service providers and see what you think after talking with them.
Web Page Hosting
Want to change your web page hosting provider but don’t know what to do? Just stop here and in a few clicks you will get the right answer.
Web Site Hosting
The field of Internet Web Site Hosting is quick evolving and new developments are taking place with every passing day. Gone are the days when web site companies were satisfied with just having their presence on the Internet. If you are still not sure which type of web site hosting to choose we recommend you to stop at our secure online web host guide.
Website Hosting
Want to know as much as possible about website hosting? O.K. We are here to explain you the advantages and disadvantages of each of web hosting plan available today. Just sit comfortable and browse our web pages for more detailed information.

HOSTING E-COMMERCE

Internet E-Commerce

E-Commerce is about selling products or services over the Internet.

E-Commerce Systems

It is not a very good idea to build your own e-commerce system. Building an e-commerce system is a complicated process, with the potential for a lot of errors.

You might buy a ready-to-use system and run it on your own server. Many systems are available on the market today, and most of them will cover your basic needs for order management and processing. But again, if you are not familiar with hosting your own web site, starting with an e-commerce site is not the right thing.

The best solution, in our opinion, is to find an ISP that offers an e-commerce solution.

E-Commerce and Hosting Providers

E-commerce covers a huge range of products. With different ISPs you will find anything from very simple to very complex solutions.

Most ISPs offer a simple and inexpensive solution, that allow you to run a "virtual store".

Your Checklist

• How does it handle customers?
• How does it handle product catalogs?
• How does it handle orders?
• How does it handle inventory?
• How does it handle back orders?
• How does it handle shipment?
• How does it handle accounts?
• How does it handle billing?
• How does it handle payment?
• How does it handle foreign currency?
• How does it handle credit cards?
• How does it handle taxes?
• How does it handle security?
• How does it handle integrity (encryption)?

Also check if the most time-consuming tasks are automated. Look for automated billing, invoice handling, accounting, and report generation.

Before you sign up with an ISP, surf some other e-commerce sites on their servers. Find out how it works. Try some shopping, and see if you get a good feeling. Also compare the other sites against yours, to see if it looks like you have the same needs. Contacting some of the other customers is also a valuable option.

Tax Issues

Taxes is a complex issue for on-line stores. Especially VAT (Value Added Tax).

If you are selling on-line, you will most likely be in the export business.

Exporting goods may not be the subject of VAT in your country, but often your customers will have to pay their local VAT when they pick up the goods.

In addition, there will be the issue of income tax for your shop, depending on how you report your income from sales.

Before starting an on-line store, be sure to consult a tax adviser.

HOSTING DATEBASE

MS SQL Server or Oracle for high traffic database-driven web sites.

MySQL for low-cost database-access.

MS Access for low traffic web sites.

Web Databases

If your web site needs to update large quantities of information via the web, you will need a database to store your information.

There are many different database systems available for web hosting. The most common are MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and MS Access.

Using the SQL Language

SQL is the language for accessing databases.

If you want your web site to be able to store and retrieve data from a database, your web server should have access to a database-system that uses the SQL language.

If you want to learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

SQL Server


Microsoft's SQL Server is a popular database software for database-driven web sites with high traffic.

SQL Server is a very powerful, robust and full featured SQL database system.

Oracle

Oracle is also a popular database software for database-driven web sites with high traffic.

Oracle is a very powerful, robust and full featured SQL database system.


MySQL

MySQL is also a popular database software for web sites.

MySQL is a very powerful, robust and full featured SQL database system.

MySQL is an inexpensive alternative to the expensive Microsoft and Oracle solutions.


Access

When a web site requires only a simple database, Microsoft Access can be a solution.

Access is not well suited for very high-traffic, and not as powerful as MySQL, SQL Server, or Oracle.

HOSTING TECHNOLOGIES

This section describes some of the most common hosting technologies.
Windows Hosting

Windows hosting means hosting of web services that runs on the Windows operating system.

You should choose Windows hosting if you plan to use ASP (Active Server Pages) as server scripting, or if you plan to use a database like Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server. Windows hosting is also the best choice if you plan to develop your web site using Microsoft Front Page.
Unix Hosting

Unix hosting means hosting of web services that runs on the Unix operating system.

Unix was the first (original) web server operating system, and it is known for being reliable and stable. Often less expensive than Windows.
Linux Hosting

Linux hosting means hosting of web services that runs on the Linux operating system.
CGI

CGI scripts are executables that will execute on the server to produce dynamic and interactive web pages.

Most ISPs offer some kind of CGI capabilities. ISPs often offer preinstalled, ready to run, guest-books, page-counters, and chat-forums solutions in CGI.

CGI is most common on Unix or Linux servers.
ASP - Active Server Pages

ASP is a server-side scripting technology developed by Microsoft.

With ASP you can create dynamic web pages by putting script code inside your HTML pages. The code is executed by the web server before the page is returned to the browser. Both VBScript and JavaScript can be used.

ASP is a standard component in Windows 95,98, 2000, and XP. It can be activated on all computers running Windows.

If you want to learn more about ASP, please visit our ASP tutorial.
PHP

PHP is the widely-used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as Microsoft's ASP.

PHP is perfectly suited for Web development, and can be embedded directly into the HTML code.

The PHP syntax is very similar to Perl and C.

PHP is often used together with Apache (web server) on various operating systems. It also supports ISAPI and can be used with Microsoft's IIS on Windows.

PHP supports many databases, such as MySQL, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Solid, PostgreSQL, Generic ODBC, etc.

If you want to learn more about PHP, please visit our PHP tutorial.
JSP

JSP is a server-side technology much like ASP, developed by Sun.

With JSP you can create dynamic web pages by putting Java code inside your HTML pages. The code is executed by the web server before the page is returned to the browser.

Since JSP uses Java, the technology is not restricted to any server-specific platform.
Cold Fusion

Cold Fusion is another server-side scripting language used to develop dynamic web pages.

Cold Fusion is developed by Adobe.
Chili!Soft ASP

Microsoft's ASP technology runs only on Windows platforms.

However, Chili!Soft ASP is a software product that allows ASP to run on UNIX and some other platforms.
Microsoft FrontPage

FrontPage is a website design tool developed by Microsoft.

FrontPage allows users to develop a web site without any deep knowledge of web development.

Most Windows hosting solutions support FrontPage server extensions for users that use FrontPage to develop their web site.

If you plan to use FrontPage, you should look for a Windows hosting solution.
Adobe Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver is a website design tool owned by Adobe Systems.

Dreamweaver allow users to develop a web site without any deep knowledge of web development.

Dreamweaver has support for web technologies such as CSS, JavaScript, ASP.NET, ColdFusion, JavaServer Pages, and PHP.

Dreamweaver is available for both Mac and Windows operating systems.
Secure Server

A secure server can transmit data encrypted.

If you plan to do online creditcard transactions, or other types of web communication that needs to be protected against unauthorized access, your ISP must provide a secure server.

HOSTING E-MAILS

Hosting services should include e-mail accounts and e-mail services.
E-mail Accounts

Hosting solutions should include e-mail accounts for each person in your company.

E-mail addresses should appear something like this:

john@mycompany.com

john.doe@mycompany.com

jdoe@mycompany.com
POP E-mail

POP stands for Post Office Protocol. POP is a standard client/server protocol for sending and receiving e-mail.

The e-mails are received and held on your internet server until you pick it up with a client e-mail program, like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.
IMAP Email

IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. IMAP is another standard protocol for sending and receiving e-mail.

The e-mails are received, and held on your internet server, until you pick it up with a client e-mail program, like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.

IMAP represents an improvement over POP because e-mail stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated from several computers (a computer at home, a workstation at the office, etc.), without having to transfer messages back and forth between computers. POP was designed to support e-mail access on one single computer.
Web-based E-mail

Web-based e-mail services enable you to access your e-mail via a web browser. You log into your e-mail account via the Web to send and retrieve e-mail. Being able to access your e-mail from any browser anywhere in the world is a very attractive option.

Examples of web-based e-mail services are Gmail and Hotmail.
E-mail Forwarding

E-mail forwarding allows you to have multiple e-mail personalities.

With e-mail forwarding, you can setup aliases for other e-mail accounts like:

postmaster@mycompany.com should be forwarded to peter@mycompany.com

sales@mycompany.com should be forwarded to mary@mycompany.com
Mailing Lists

Some service providers offer mailing list capabilities. This is valuable if you plan to send out e-mails to a large number of users.

WEB HOSTING CAPABILITIES

How Much Disk Space?

A small or medium web site will need between 10 and 100MB of disk space.

If you look at the size of HTML pages, you will see that the average size is very small. But if you look at the size of the images used inside these pages, you will often find the images larger than the page.

Expect each HTML page to take up between 5 and 50KB of disk space on your web server, depending on the use of images or other space-consuming elements.

If you use a lot of images or graphic elements (or sound files or movies), you might need much more disk space.

Make sure you know your needs, before choosing a web host.

Monthly Traffic

A small or medium web site will consume between 1GB and 5GB of data transfer per month.

Calculate the following: average page size * expected page views per month

Example: If your average page size is 30KB and you expect 50,000 page views per month, you will need 0.03MB * 50,000 = 1.5GB.

Larger, commercial sites often consume more than 100GB of monthly traffic.

Before you sign up with a host provider, make sure to check this:

• What are the restrictions on monthly transfer?
• Will the web site be closed if it exceeds the volume?
• Will you be billed a fortune if the web site exceeds the volume?
• Is upgrading a simple task?

Connection Speed

n the early days of the Internet a T1 connection was considered a fast connection. Today connection speeds are much faster.

1 byte equals to 8 bits (and that's the number of bits used to transport one character). Low-speed modems can transport from about 14 000 to 56 000 bits per second (14 to 56 kilobits per second). That is somewhere between 2000 and 7000 characters per second, or about 1 to 5 pages of written text.

One kilobit (Kb) is 1024 bits. One megabit (Mb) is 1024 kilobits. One gigabit (Gb) is 1024 megabits.

These are connection speeds used on the Internet today:

Before you sign up with a host provider, surf some other web sites on their servers, and try to get a good feeling about their network speed. Also compare the other sites against yours, to see if it looks like you have the same needs. Contacting some of the other customers is also a valuable option.

WHAT IS A DOMAIN

WHAT IS A DOMAIN

A domain name is a unique name for your web site.

Choosing a hosting solution should include domain name registration.

Your domain name should be easy to remember and easy to type.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is a unique name for a web site, like w3schools.com.

Domain names must be registered. When domain names are registered, they are added to a large domain name register. In addition, information about the web site, including the IP address, is stored on a DNS server.

DNS stands for Domain Name System. A DNS server is responsible for informing all other computers on the Internet about the domain name and the web site address.

Registering a Domain

Domains can be registered from domain name registration companies.

These companies provide interfaces to search for available domain names, and they offer a variety of domain name extensions that can be registered at the same time.

Choosing a Domain Name

Choosing a domain name is a major step for any individual or organization.

New domain name extensions and creative thinking still offer thousands of excellent domain names!

When choosing a name, it is important to consider the purpose of a domain name, which is to provide an easy way to reach your web site.

The best domains have the following characteristics:

Short - People don't like to type! A short domain name is easier to type, read, and remember.

Meaningful - A short domain is nothing without meaning, 34i4nh.com is not easy to enter or to remember. Select a domain that relates to your site in a way that people will understand.

Clear - Clarity is important when selecting a domain name. Avoid a name that is difficult to spell or pronounce.

Exposure - Names that are short and easy to remember are an asset. In addition to visitors, also consider search engines. Search engines index your site and rank it for relevance against terms people search for. In order to maximize your sites exposure, consider including a relevant search term in your domain. Of course, only consider this if it still maintains a short, clear and meaningful domain name.

Sub Domains

Most people are unaware that they use sub domains daily. The famous "www" of the World Wide Web is an example of a sub domain. Sub domains can be created on a DNS server, and they don't need to be registered with a domain name registrar, of course, the original domain name needs to be registered before a sub domain could be created.

Examples of sub domains used on the internet are http://store.apple.com and http://support.microsoft.com.

Sub domains can be requested from your web hosting provider.

False Domain Names - Directory Listings

Some providers will offer you a name under their own name, like: www.theircompany.com/yourcompany/

This is not a real domain name, it is a directory - and you should try to avoid it.

Directory domains are not desirable, especially for companies.

Typically, directory domains are used for personal web sites and free web sites provided by an ISP, you may have seen www.theircompany.com/~username as an address.

Competition in domain name registration has resulted in a dramatic decrease in pricing, so domain sharing is not common, since it is possible to register a domain name for only $15 per year.

Expired Domains

When you register a domain, think of it as a rental, assuming there are no legal or trademark issues with the domain name, you are free to use it as long as you continue to pay the yearly fee (you can now register in advance as many as 10 years). Some people register domains as speculators, hoping that they can later sell them, while others may have planned to use a domain and never had the time. The result is that domains that were previously registered, become available again.

Use Your Domain Name

After you have chosen and registered your own domain name, make sure you use it on all your web pages, and on all your correspondence, like e-mail and traditional mail.

It is important to let other people be aware of your domain name, and to inform your partners and customers about your web site.

HOW TO HOST YOUR OWN WEBSITE

HOW TO HOST YOUR OWN WEBSITE

Hosting your own Web site

Hosting your web site on your own server is always an option. Here are some points to consider:

Hardware Expenses

To run a "real" web site, you will have to buy some powerful server hardware. Don't expect that a low cost PC will do the job. You will also need a permanent (24 hours a day ) high-speed connection.

Software Expenses

Remember that server-licenses often are higher than client-licenses. Also note that server-licenses might have limits on number of users.

Labor Expenses

Don't expect low labor expenses. You have to install your own hardware and software. You also have to deal with bugs and viruses, and keep your server constantly running in an environment where "everything could happen".

Using an Internet Service Provider

Renting a server from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a common option.

Most small companies store their web site on a server provided by an ISP. Here are some advantages:

Connection Speed

Most ISPs have very fast connections to the Internet.

Powerful Hardware

ISPs often have powerful web servers that can be shared by several companies. You can also expect them to have an effective load balancing, and necessary backup servers.

Security and Stability

ISPs are specialists on web hosting. Expect their servers to have more than 99% up time, the latest software patches, and the best virus protection.

Things to Consider with an ISP

24-hour support

Make sure your ISP offers 24-hours support. Don't put yourself in a situation where you cannot fix critical problems without having to wait until the next working day. Toll-free phone could be vital if you don't want to pay for long distance calls.

Daily Backup

Make sure your ISP runs a daily backup routine, otherwise you may lose some valuable data.

Traffic Volume

Study the ISP's traffic volume restrictions. Make sure that you don't have to pay a fortune for unexpected high traffic if your web site becomes popular.

Bandwidth or Content Restrictions

Study the ISP's bandwidth and content restrictions. If you plan to publish pictures or broadcast video or sound, make sure that you can.

E-mail Capabilities

Make sure your ISP supports the e-mail capabilities you need.

Front Page Extensions

If you use FrontPage to develop your web site, make sure your ISP supports FrontPage server extensions.

Database Access

If you plan to use data from databases on your web site, make sure your ISP supports the database access you need.

web hosting

What is the World Wide Web?

• The Web is a network of computers all over the world.
• All the computers in the Web can communicate with each other.
• All the computers use a communication protocol called HTTP.

How does the WWW work?

• Web information is stored in documents called web pages.
• Web pages are files stored on computers called web servers.
• Computers reading the web pages are called web clients.
• Web clients view the pages with a program called a web browser.
• Popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Firefox.

How does a Browser Fetch a Web Page?

• A browser fetches a page from a web server by a request.
• A request is a standard HTTP request containing a page address.
• An address may look like this: http://www.example.com/default.htm.

How does a Browser Display a Web Page?

• All web pages contain instructions for display.
• The browser displays the page by reading these instructions.
• The most common display instructions are called HTML tags.
• HTML tags look like this

  This is a paragraph.

  .

What is a Web Server?

• The collection of all your web pages is called your web site.
• To let others view your web pages, you must publish your web site.
• To publish your work, you must copy your site to a web server.
• Your own PC can act as a web server if it is connected to a network.
• Most common is to use an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

What is an Internet Service Provider?

• ISP stands for Internet Service Provider.
• An ISP provides Internet Services.
• A common Internet service is web hosting.
• Web hosting means storing your web site on a public server.
• Web hosting normally includes email services.
• Web hosting often includes domain name registration.

WEB HOSTING

WEB HOSTING

A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.

Service scope

The scope of hosting services varies widely. The most basic is web page and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with little processing. Many Internet service providers (ISPs) offer this service free to their subscribers. People can also obtain Web page hosting from other, alternative service providers. Personal web site hosting is typically free, advertisement-sponsored, or cheap. Business web site hosting often has a higher expense.




Single page hosting is generally sufficient only for personal web pages. A complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides database support and application development platforms (e.g. PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, and ASP.NET). These facilities allow the customers to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management. For e-commerce, SSL is also highly recommended.
The host may also provide an interface or control panel for managing the Web server and installing scripts as well as other services like e-mail. Some hosts specialize in certain software or services (e.g. e-commerce). They are commonly used by larger companies to outsource network infrastructure to a hosting company.

Hosting reliability and uptime

Hosting uptime refers to the percentage of time the host is accessible via the internet. Many providers state that they aim for at least 99.9% uptime (roughly equivalent to 45 minutes of downtime a month, or less), but there may be server restarts and planned (or unplanned) maintenance in any hosting environment, which may or may not be considered part of the official uptime promise.

Many providers tie uptime and accessibility into their own service level agreement (SLA). SLAs sometimes include refunds or reduced costs if performance goals are not met.

Types of hosting
nternet hosting services can run Web servers; see Internet hosting services.

Hosting services limited to the Web:

Many large companies who are not internet service providers also need a computer permanently connected to the web so they can send email, files, etc. to other sites. They may also use the computer as a website host so they can provide details of their goods and services to anyone interested. Additionally these people may decide to place online orders.

* Free web hosting service: offered by different companies with limited services, sometimes supported by advertisements, and often limited when compared to paid hosting.
* Shared web hosting service: one's website is placed on the same server as many other sites, ranging from a few to hundreds or thousands. Typically, all domains may share a common pool of server resources, such as RAM and the CPU. The features available with this type of service can be quite extensive. A shared website may be hosted with a reseller.
* Reseller web hosting: allows clients to become web hosts themselves. Resellers could function, for individual domains, under any combination of these listed types of hosting, depending on who they are affiliated with as a provider. Resellers' accounts may vary tremendously in size: they may have their own virtual dedicated server to a collocated server. Many resellers provide a nearly identical service to their provider's shared hosting plan and provide the technical support themselves.
* Virtual Dedicated Server: also known as a Virtual Private Server (VPS), divides server resources into virtual servers, where resources can be allocated in a way that does not directly reflect the underlying hardware. VPS will often be allocated resources based on a one server to many VPSs relationship, however virtualisation may be done for a number of reasons, including the ability to move a VPS container between servers. The users may have root access to their own virtual space. Customers are sometimes responsible for patching and maintaining the server.
* Dedicated hosting service: the user gets his or her own Web server and gains full control over it (root access for Linux/administrator access for Windows); however, the user typically does not own the server. Another type of Dedicated hosting is Self-Managed or Unmanaged. This is usually the least expensive for Dedicated plans. The user has full administrative access to the box, which means the client is responsible for the security and maintenance of his own dedicated box.
* Managed hosting service: the user gets his or her own Web server but is not allowed full control over it (root access for Linux/administrator access for Windows); however, they are allowed to manage their data via FTP or other remote management tools. The user is disallowed full control so that the provider can guarantee quality of service by not allowing the user to modify the server or potentially create configuration problems. The user typically does not own the server. The server is leased to the client.
* Colocation web hosting service: similar to the dedicated web hosting service, but the user owns the colo server; the hosting company provides physical space that the server takes up and takes care of the server. This is the most powerful and expensive type of the web hosting service. In most cases, the colocation provider may provide little to no support directly for their client's machine, providing only the electrical, Internet access, and storage facilities for the server. In most cases for colo, the client would have his own administrator visit the data center on site to do any hardware upgrades or changes.
* Cloud Hosting: is a new type of hosting platform that allows customers powerful, scalable and reliable hosting based on clustered load-balanced servers and utility billing. Removing single-point of failures and allowing customers to pay for only what they use versus what they could use.
* Clustered hosting: having multiple servers hosting the same content for better resource utilization. Clustered Servers are a perfect solution for high-availability dedicated hosting, or creating a scalable web hosting solution. A cluster may separate web serving from database hosting capability.
* Grid hosting: this form of distributed hosting is when a server cluster acts like a grid and is composed of multiple nodes.
* Home server: usually a single machine placed in a private residence can be used to host one or more web sites from a usually consumer-grade broadband connection. These can be purpose-built machines or more commonly old PCs. Some ISPs actively attempt to block home servers by disallowing incoming requests to TCP port 80 of the user's connection and by refusing to provide static IP addresses. A common way to attain a reliable DNS hostname is by creating an account with a dynamic DNS service. A dynamic DNS service will automatically change the IP address that a URL points to when the IP address changes.
Some specific types of hosting provided by web host service providers:

* File hosting service: hosts files, not web pages
* Image hosting service
* Video hosting service
* Blog hosting service
* One-click hosting
* Pastebin Hosts text snippets
* Shopping cart software

Obtaining hosting

Web hosting is often provided as part of a general Internet access plan; there are many free and paid providers offering these services.

A customer needs to evaluate the requirements of the application to choose what kind of hosting to use. Such considerations include database server software, scripting software, and operating system. Most hosting providers provide Linux-based web hosting which offers a wide range of different software. A typical configuration for a Linux server is the LAMP platform: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Perl/Python. The webhosting client may want to have other services, such as email for their business domain, databases or multi-media services for streaming media. A customer may also choose Windows as the hosting platform. The customer still can choose from PHP, Perl, and Python but may also use ASP .Net or Classic ASP.

Web hosting packages often include a Web Content Management System, so the end-user doesn't have to worry about the more technical aspects. These Web Content Management systems are great for the average user, but for those who want more control over their website design, this feature may not be adequate. You can always use any content management system on your servers and modify them at your will. A few good examples include wordpress, Joomla, Drupal and mediawiki.

One may also search the Internet to find active webhosting message boards and forums that may provide feedback on what type of webhosting company may suit his/her needs.