If you would like to build a website and establish your online presence, you ought to learn web hosting. What is web hosting, anyway? It's not hard to understand. First, you have to know the basics of IP addresses, domain names, and domain name systems.
Each computer that is connected to the Internet -- whether it's a desktop PC or a massive web server that houses websites -- has a unique number to identify it. This number is called an IP address. Take, for example, this server IP address: 68.142.255.16.. Think of how tiresome it would be if you had to memorize this number in order to visit the website that it points to. This is what domain names are for. Domain names are like nicknames that turn IP addresses into names you can easily remember. For example, if the number were Yahoo's IP address, instead of remembering the number, you only have to visit Yahoo's domain name, Yahoo.com.
How does the system know which IP address a domain name corresponds with? This is the responsibility of a Domain Name System server (DNS server). Every time you go to a domain name, a DNS server directs your request to the correct IP address.
How do you get a domain name for your website? You have to register it with a domain registrar. Registrars are licensed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to register domain names. Domain registrars also take care of the DNS servers for their registered domain names.
As mentioned above, each web server has an IP address through which it serves up websites. But how do you get your website on a web server in the first place? This is what web hosting is for. Websites are made up of data. They may contain code such as HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript; multimedia files such as images, music, and videos; or information databases. All this data must be stored in a computer that's connected to the Internet all day, every day. Web servers fulfill this purpose. When you register with a web host, they let you rent space on their web servers for a fee.
If you want to have a successful website, be sure to register with a quality web host. Avoid free web hosts -- they offer minimal customer support, limited features, and overcrowded servers. Many of them place unwanted advertisements on hosted websites. Also, you can't tell how long they will stay afloat, since they're not very profitable. It's best to sign up with a regular paid web host. Decide on your web host carefully. Consider the amount of disk space and bandwidth they provide. Also take a look at their features, such as website building tools, design templates, application installers, supported programming languages, database support, and others. Lastly, research on the helpfulness of their technical support. A good web host is vital if you want to be successful in building and growing your online presence.
Roald Madison teaches businesses how to buy web space, launch their website, and establish their online presence.
