History and Classification of Web Hosting Services
– Internet restricted to research and education until 1991
– Limited web pages until end of 1993
– Web hosting services emerged to host websites
– Companies like GeoCities offered free hosting in 1995
– Online presence became crucial for companies
– Web page and small-scale file hosting
– Free hosting with limited services
– Personal website hosting options
– Larger hosting services for companies
– Comprehensive packages with database support
Types of Web Hosting
– Shared web hosting with common server resources
– Reseller web hosting for clients to become hosts
– Virtual Dedicated Server (VPS) with allocated resources
– Dedicated hosting with full control over the server
– Managed hosting with limited control for quality assurance
Static Page Hosting
– Basic web page and file hosting
– Offered by ISPs and alternative service providers
– Limited features and flexibility compared to paid hosting
– Single page hosting for personal websites
– Higher expense for business website hosting
Larger Hosting Services
– Large companies need permanent web connection
– Use computer as website host to provide details
– Complex sites require comprehensive packages
– Database support and application development platforms
– Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for encrypted data transmission
Types of Hosting Services and Host Management
– File hosting service: Hosting files, not web pages
– Image hosting service
– Video hosting service
– Blog hosting service
– Paste bin
– Racks of servers for managing web servers
– Control panel or interface for server management and script installation
– Specialized hosts for specific software or services (e.g. e-commerce, blogs)
– Headless servers that do not use a control panel
– Web hosts offering modules and service applications like e-mail
Reliability, Uptime, and Security
– Availability of a website measured by the percentage of a year it is publicly accessible
– Uptime refers to the system being online, not necessarily reachable
– Service Level Agreement (SLA) may include scheduled downtime for maintenance
– SLA may offer partial refunds for downtime below the agreed availability
– Not all providers release uptime statistics
– Web hosting services responsible for site security
– Potential attacks include uploading malware or malicious code
– Attacks may aim to steal credit card data, launch DDoS attacks, or spam
– Security level offered by a hosting service is crucial for customers
– Online security is a major factor in choosing a hosting provider
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that hosts websites for clients, i.e. it offers the facilities required for them to create and maintain a site and makes it accessible on the World Wide Web. Companies providing web hosting services are sometimes called web hosts.
Typically, web hosting requires the following:
- one or more servers to act as the host(s) for the sites; servers may be physical or virtual
- colocation for the server(s), providing physical space, electricity, and Internet connectivity;
- Domain Name System configuration to define name(s) for the sites and point them to the hosting server(s);
- a web server running on the host;
- for each site hosted on the server:
- space on the server(s) to hold the files making up the site
- site-specific configuration
- often, a database;
- software and credentials allowing the client to access these, enabling them to create, configure, and modify the site;
- email connectivity allowing the host and site to send email to the client.
