Web Hosting – Presentation
Seemingly simple and easy to access, the world of the Internet turns out to be vast and complex. As a simple visitor, you just need to type in the search bar of a browser to access a page or several sites that are the result of this search. Depending on the quality of the connection, a few seconds will be enough to have access to this information. However, another criterion is the ability to dispose of sites quickly.
Indeed, the latter find a place in which they wait to be patiently solicited, and are, at any time, available. Nevertheless, a website, or internet link, is made up of a set of files that can weigh its weight in storage, so imagine the billions of sites that may be available. It was necessary to find a location that can contain all the websites on the web. That’s why we will see through this article what web hosting is, why we use it, and what its characteristics are.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting as a service is often misunderstood, even by the most experienced IT developers. Why? Because it operates in the back-line, these services are not visible at first glance. However, it is just as important as the web content itself, because to create a website, you have to start by finding a web host.
When you go to a website, from any browser, the computer launches an algorithm and receives a message written in its language (the web language), which is translated into our language, in the form we know it as: images, texts, buttons, etc… The web language comes from different files that need storage space, so it is available at any time when a person searches. This space is called a server, which is another computer with memory, a hard disk, and an operating system.
The web host is therefore the one who owns the servers in which the information related to the websites are stored. In general, they sell storage space to site owners, but may also offer IT support or backup services. In simpler terms, web hosting is a way to make room for online content, whatever form it takes. It works exactly like a mailing address, and it is from this address that you could send or receive data.
Why use web hosting?
A web hosting service is necessary to be able to publish a website on the Internet, at least for the site to be visible. Indeed, the host can get you a place on one of its servers and place your files there. Permanently connected, these will be visible at any time, and by all, via the Internet, by typing in the domain name you have chosen. However, searches must be done in a web browser or using a search engine such as Google or Bing.
So, in theory, it is possible to host your own website, but it requires the permission of your internet service provider and an administrative process. Otherwise, it would be cheaper to ask for a web host than to try to host yourself. In addition, the speed of search affects the performance of a server. So, if you were looking to host yourself, your computer must have the performance for it, to avoid your site taking too much time to load.
The domain names
Web hosting makes your domain name accessible to all users. But what is the domain name exactly? Computer science is a set of technical terms that we will explain here.
The Internet address of a site, as mentioned above, can be considered as a postal address, but on the web. This is simply the domain name. It consists of the prefix “www”, which means “world wide web”, followed by a string and an extension related to the language used, for example “. Fr», relating to France. The domain name can represent the content of your site: “www.recettesdecuisine.fr” can request content on cooking recipes, or can also express your creativity, by choosing words and extensions.
The choice of a domain name is normally free, as long as it is not plagiarized or does not already exist. In other words, it is necessary to have thought about it before, and once taken, it belongs to you. Several types of domains can be distinguished, depending on the geographical origin of the extension: «. fr» relating to France, «. es»; «. it” or “us”, or the nature of the activity, one can have “com” for a commercial site, “. asso” for the official website of an association, “. org” for a non-profit organization.
The characteristics of web hosts
Applying for a good web host brings together specific characteristics, but before mentioning them, it is necessary to differentiate between the different types of hosts that Internet users face. Find our comparative guide of the best web hosts for 2025.
The different types of web hosting
We distinguish web hosting in two categories: shared, and dedicated. The former group several sites on a single server, with a capacity of several thousand sites. Its main advantage lies in the fact that this hosting solution is low cost.
Dedicated hosting consists of a single server on which the site is managed and administered. The provider of the server remains the owner of the server, but it is the client’s responsibility to take care of all the management of their site. Here, there is no latency, no performance drop, although a little more expensive than the mutualized one.
Storage
Very important criterion; this is the first element to take into account when choosing a web host. The space available to you will determine the number and size of files that you can store on your dedicated server. Depending on your content, you will need to provide storage space accordingly to avoid any lack. In general, texts do not require a lot of space, unlike images and videos that easily fill a hard disk.
The database
The database represents the place that stores all content in the raw form of a website. As explained above, this is the web language, but also information about dates, identifiers or any other data related to the holder of the site. To be able to manage its content properly, it is necessary to have a database of a large size and space.
The allocation of bandwidth
Considered as one of the most important factors, bandwidth represents the amount of data allocated by the host to display all elements of a site, namely pages, texts, as well as images or videos. All of these elements determine the need for bandwidth allocation. Otherwise, the more elements your page is loaded with, the more bandwidth it will need.
Otherwise, your site will not load entirely, omit elements that may harm the visitor, or take time to load completely. Nowadays, it is advisable to allocate unlimited bandwidth.
Setting up the server
A server is a computer through which stored data is routed. This computer must work in such a way that the operating system can achieve adequate performance, particularly in terms of speed and page loading. An incorrect configuration could cause an error when connecting to the page or a loading problem.
WordPress hosting: how to choose it?
When you want to start creating a website or blog, it is important to choose a quality WordPress hosting to overcome certain issues. Even if this choice is sometimes difficult in the face of the various offers offered, it is important to take a WordPress hosting that provides you with some tools that will help you boost your site.
Find a WordPress hosting
When you have the idea to create a website, it is essential to choose a free WordPress hosting. Indeed, some sites allow very interesting formulas to host your site and find the domain name that will best suit your business. In addition to the features presented, you can install your WordPress site in a few clicks and start developing your site.
Quality hosting to grow your business
When you need to choose a web host service, it is always important to find out about the offer. Indeed, depending on the host, it is possible that you have additional tools to measure your audience or send newsletters. In addition to this, your host should have responsive customer service in case of problems.
Conclusion:
Choosing the right web hosting
In absolute terms, there is no better web hosting, but rather a hosting that is more suitable for you than others. To make this choice, it is necessary to take into account the criteria of a web host, and to put a clear point on your needs, in terms of space, bandwidth, or configuration. Understanding the basis of web hosting is only the tip of the iceberg, you will then have to choose the appropriate solution for particular needs.
For example, if you want to publish a community page, free hosting seems to be the most relevant choice, because it does not require a lot of performance, but greatly solicits your presence on the site, to exchange with users, while maintaining total control.
