What is Web Hosting?

A website is a great way to spread your ideas or promote services and products. But this only works if visitors can actually reach the website. Web hosting ensures that visitors have access to your online presence at any time via the internet.

How does web hosting work?

Simply put, web hosting works by establishing a connection between the customer's domain name and the hosting provider's server. This is done using the Domain Name System (DNS). Once the domain name is registered and the data is set up on the hosting account, they need to be linked together to make the website accessible to visitors. The hosting provider's nameserver stores the information about which IP address corresponds to a specific domain. When a user enters the domain name in their browser, it sends a request through the internet and receives back the corresponding IP address where the website is located. Most hosts use multiple nameservers to ensure that domain name resolution continues to work correctly even in the event of hardware failure. It is advisable to use at least two different nameservers for each domain. Once the domain is set up on the host's nameservers and registered with the domain registry, the redirection typically takes effect within 24 hours, directing visitors to the correct web hosting.

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How to set up web hosting?

To successfully set up websites on web hosting and make them available on the internet, the following steps need to be followed:

• 1. Choose a web hosting package

Web hosting providers offer a wide range of hosting plans to their customers. Depending on the required performance and features, the options range from affordable web space packages for beginners to powerful server systems for professional users.

• 2. Register the domain name

The desired domain name can be registered with the same provider offering web space or with a different provider. Most web hosting packages already include a certain number of domain names, so there are often no additional costs for this.

• 3. Link the domain to the web hosting

As explained in the section above, the chosen domain name must be linked to the web hosting via DNS. If the domain and web hosting are provided by the same provider, the setup is done automatically. In this case, customers do not need to take any additional steps. Otherwise, the DNS entries must be configured through the provider's management software.

• 4. Creating the Website

In the final step, the website is created. This can be done by uploading pre-prepared files to the web hosting or by installing a Content Management System, such as WordPress. The CMS is then used to populate the website with content such as text, images, or videos.

How to choose the right web hosting?

Choosing the right web hosting is a challenging task that can be influenced by many factors. There is now a vast array of different web hosting providers and plans on the market. When making a choice, it's not just about the technical aspects; criteria such as customer service, costs, reliability, and contractual details also need to be considered.

There are major hosting providers such as 1&1 or All-inkl, with a large customer base, well-known through marketing efforts, and offering solid products for every use case. However, smaller companies like Netbeat, Netcup, or Manitu, which specialize in specific services or stand out for points like individual customer support or competitive prices, are also a good alternative.

Hosttest is dedicated to helping customers find the right web hosting. They gather information and reviews on individual providers to facilitate the decision-making process.

The Different Web Hosting Options:

Most companies offer various web hosting options, ranging from a simple web space package for a single website to professional server systems for complex and extensive web projects. Both the scope of the planned web presence and one's own technical knowledge should be taken into account when choosing the appropriate web hosting option.
 

Free/Ad-supported Web Hosting

The most affordable way to get your own web hosting is through so-called Free Hosting. Companies provide a corresponding package completely free of charge, on which your own website can be set up. However, there are often significant limitations in terms of configuration freedom and performance. Since many of these offers are financed through advertising, annoying ads may also appear on your own website.

• Free/ad-supported web hosting is primarily aimed at beginners who want to take their first steps with their own website for testing purposes.

Web Hosting Packages

Web hosting packages are among the most commonly used hosting offers. In this case, the hosting provider creates multiple web hosting accounts on a single server. All customers then share the available hardware resources and bandwidth of the system. Such offers are therefore also referred to as Shared Hosting. Web hosting packages are available in various performance classes, from the affordable starter package for creating a private website, to the professional package for running a professional online shop.

• Since a web hosting package can be used for almost any purpose, most webmasters are well advised with one of these offers.

Virtual Private Servers

Virtual Private Servers or VPS hosting are similar in principle to Shared Hosting. Here, multiple customers also share the resources of a physical server. However, the individual accounts are set up as independent virtual systems, offering their customers more extensive configuration options. Additionally, VPS hosting provides significantly more hardware resources to individual accounts compared to Shared Hosting, where several hundred customers often share a server.

• Virtual Private Servers are suitable for customers who need more power and extensive configuration options but still want to benefit from affordable prices.

Dedicated Servers

Known as Dedicated Servers or Dedicated Servers, these systems are fully under the control of a single customer. The entire physical system with all hardware resources and full bandwidth is available for exclusive use.

• Dedicated Servers are aimed at demanding customers who want to independently manage a complete system and use it for their own web projects.

Managed Server

Under the term Managed Server, systems are referred to that, like Dedicated Servers, are exclusively used by only one single customer, but the technical management and administration are taken care of by the web hosting provider. The costs for Managed Servers are significantly higher than for comparable Dedicated Servers, but the customer can focus on their core business, while the hosting provider takes care of the technology in the background, provides regular software updates to the server, and handles the updating of security measures.

• Managed Servers are ideal for professional web projects where the operator delegates the technical administration to the web hosting provider.

Serverhousing

With Server Housing, also known as Colocation, the web hosting provider only provides the customer with a space in the data centre along with the necessary network infrastructure. This way, the customer can connect their own server to the internet in a professional environment.

• Serverhousing is suitable for customers who want to use their own hardware but do not want to miss out on the advantages of a proper data centre.

Due to the numerous options available, it is often difficult to choose the right web hosting provider. Because the largest web hosting providers in Germany are not necessarily the best. The most important thing is to consider performance, features, and configurational freedom in advance and to thoroughly inform yourself about the various offers. Reviews and ratings from other individuals who are already customers of a specific provider can also help in making a decision.

Here on Hosttest, we have compiled detailed information and reviews on various providers. By thoroughly researching and weighing the different alternatives, the chances are good to find the perfect web hosting solution for your needs.

Go to Web Hosting Comparison

A web hosting is the basic requirement for setting up a commercial or private website. According to the general definition, it consists of various services running on one or more servers. Web hosting can theoretically be done on any computer permanently connected to the internet. However, due to the low costs, it is recommended to use a hosting provider that enables web hosting with high performance and fast bandwidth compared to having your own server.

Which services are essential for web hosting?

For operating a website, web hosting requires various services that collectively create and deliver content. Minimal environments include:

• A web server: This handles communication between the server and visitors, receives data, and delivers results back to the browser.
• Web space: The necessary content is stored on the web space, ranging from simple text documents to complex Content Management Systems (CMS) in a programming language like PHP.

Since the turn of the millennium, dynamic websites have become the standard over static ones. The difference is that with dynamic websites, the content is created individually from various sources such as a script and a database after each request. In contrast, a static website requires a fixed code in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format, which is read directly from the web space and output by the browser. This method is less flexible, complicates updates, and is considered outdated. When comparing web hosting services, the services offered should always be considered, including:

• Databases: In modern hosting, a database stores temporary content such as texts, links, usernames, or file paths. Most CMS use a MySQL or MariaDB server and one or more databases.
• Scripting languages: Content is generated by small programs in languages like PHP, Perl, or Python. These handle communication with the database during hosting and generate a variable webpage in HTML according to the specifications.
• Extended webspace: Web hosting usually includes a relatively small webspace suitable for content like images and a limited number of downloads. For more complex projects with numerous large downloads, it is recommended to incorporate a separate webspace.
• Mail server: A mail server is an integral part of web hosting, as every internet domain is automatically set up and configured for message reception. Some hosting providers limit the number of available addresses.
• File transfer: Web hosting typically utilises the efficient FTP protocol for file transfer. Alternatively, other standards like Samba or a web interface can be used.
• Shell access: Shell access (SSH) allows the execution of custom programs or scripts via the text-based command line. This is useful for manually creating accounts, using specific languages or combinations such as Perl and Python, or running external programs.

Not all services are directly required for hosting a website, but they can simplify configuration or expand application possibilities. The active use of these services primarily depends on the project. Free web hosting compared to paid hosting usually limits services or omits extras like shell access. In paid hosting, these are typically included in the package but may also be limited, for example, to a specific number of databases or mailboxes.

Combining webspace and web hosting for large data volumes

Larger storage capacities in web hosting are relatively expensive compared to web space. Therefore, in many cases, it is cheaper to use web hosting exclusively for the website and to resort to alternative hosting for data through an external web space. This can be linked for download, so that no difference is visible to a user. Another advantage is that simultaneous downloading of multiple large files negatively affects the performance of web hosting compared to a separate data storage. With high visitor traffic, it may happen that the bandwidth is primarily used for data, causing the website itself to respond slower.

Is paid or free web hosting recommended?

Free web hosting is sometimes funded through displayed advertising, which impairs the appearance of a website and in the worst case scenario restricts usability or overlays parts of the content. Possible further restrictions include the format and image resolution or display on mobile devices. The available web space is sufficient for a simple CMS, but usually significantly less than 1 GB for all data including high-resolution images and downloads.

Therefore, free web hosting is almost exclusively recommended for non-commercial projects such as a personal site with limited scope and few downloads. Otherwise, a paid hosting with an appropriate package is recommended. This is especially true when processing personal data, as in this case encryption must be done using an SSL certificate. According to EU jurisprudence, the definition of personal data is very narrow. For various reasons including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), encryption is advisable anyway and should only be neglected in a few justified exceptions.

For more information and useful basic knowledge on web hosting, check out our comprehensive Web Hosting 101 Guide.