Dummy's Guide to Web Hosting
By David Dunlap
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One of the terms that new Web users see over and over is "Web Hosting." A basic question we get from these folks is, "What is a Web Host?" and "What is Web Hosting?" This is natural for people who are new to the terminology of the Internet. They see the term "Web Host" pop up all the time on the Internet at various sites. Who better to ask for a definition than WebHostMagazine.com?
Definition
The term "Web Hosting" is simple, but the mechanics behind it are not. Web Hosting is a term that was coined to explain the services performed by someone that "hosts" a Web site on the World Wide Web. You already know that a host is someone that facilitates an event, or a function, like the host at a party, or an emcee on the radio or TV. In our case, a "host" involves a computer that is setup to control the networking and communications necessary to allow a Web Site to display specially formatted documents on the World Wide Web. Typically, these documents are formatted using a special language called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) that supports mouse click connections to other similar documents on the World Wide Web. These HTML documents are normally called Web Pages, and you are looking at one such page now in your browser window. To keep track of these Web pages in an organized manner, individual and specific areas are set-aside for them called Web Sites. A Web Site may hold one Web page, or thousands. Web sites are stored on "host" computers that are connected to the Internet and setup to communicate their contents to the rest of the Internet. The people and companies that handle these special computers are called Web Hosts. The computers that handle the Web Hosting chores are called Servers, and they may serve any number of Web sites, one or even hundreds.
A Web Host ensures that the Web Servers that contain the Web Sites are functioning properly all of the time. That may include adding a customer's Web sites to the Servers, moving Web sites from one Server to another, deleting old Web Sites, monitoring the amount of Internet traffic and activity taking place and a multitude of other tasks required to ensure smooth operation. Web Host companies come in various shapes and sizes, and many specialize in certain types of Hosting. Our staff at WebHostMagazine.Com refers to these special Web Hosting types as Web Host Communities.
Impact
There is little argument in the fact that the Internet and the World Wide Web have changed the world forever. The Internet has greatly affected the economies of all the major industrial nations, and is beginning to have its affect on other nations as well. However, it is important to remember that the Internet would be nothing without the Web Host. Every single one of the millions and millions of Web sites, from simple one-page advertisements to e-commerce online super stores, reside on a Web Server that is administered by a Web Host in some capacity.
URLs, Domains and Addresses
Each Web site has a "home" on the World Wide Web and each home has an address. In fact, this is much like your own home where there is an actual physical area where each Web site resides. As mentioned above, this physical area is called a Web Server. A Web Server "serves up" Web pages and is actually somewhat similar to your personal computer except that it is capable of connecting to the Internet in a manner that allows the rest of the Internet to see the Web sites residing there.
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About the author, David Dunlap -
David is a prolific author of countless articles, blogs, commentaries, white papers, and reviews for well over a decade. Having written for newspapers, print and online magazines in topics ranging from marketing to business economics to search engine optimization and web design, David presented the qualifications necessary to become the Editor in Chief of Web Host Magazine & Buyer's Guide, the Hosting Authority. David uses both his unique analytical skills and indelible wit to ensure that Web Host Magazine remains a source for web host information while remaining light and entertaining.
Along with his active journalism career, he has supplied marketing and SEO consulting for companies both inside and outside of the Web Host industry.
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(Published 8/8/2001, )
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