What is Web Hosting?
Think of Web Hosting as your hard drive but it's not hosting on your computer, it's hosted on a server that is available anywhere in the world. Most of the time when you are choosing providers you are comparing features and customer service. Some are better than others.
From Go Daddy:
Web hosting is what makes your website viewable to people all over the world. Hosting makes it possible for others to view your website over the Internet – without it; you're the only one who would ever see your Web pages.
A website hosting provider stores your site on their server, giving it a unique address (DNS). It is through this address that people anywhere in the world can find, open, and interact with your site.
Simply put, when you buy website hosting, you're buying space on a server. This is not unlike the space on your computer's hard drive – except that now your files can be opened from anywhere.
Host Gator uses the analogy of an Art Store.
Another way to look at web hosting is that it is similar to an art store. An art store provides you paint, brushes, canvases, and other tools you need to paint a masterpiece, however the art store does not create the actual painting for you. You purchase the tools you want to use from the art store, and then use those tools to build your website. Or hire a painter to paint a picture for you.
Similarly, a web hosting company like HostGator, provides you with a variety of tools that you can use to build your website, such as a server and web space where you can upload your files, control panels that make it easy to configure your hosting account, and even provides the ability to install scripts like WordPress, or use one of our many site building solutions. However, the web host does not actually create your website. You can choose to build it yourself using the complimentary tools provided, or hire a web designer to develop your site for you.
We specialize in providing the tools you need to build your website. But just like an art store, HostGator does not actually build the site for you. This is your creative space, allowing you to build the site of your dreams, any way you choose with the tools provided (and of course, you can always provide your own).
The video above by Inhosting Motion explains the 3 types of hosting using an analogy of a house or apartment.
The biggest question is do you want to and can you afford to live in a house or an apartment?
- Shared Web Hosting (apartment building): A cheap form of hosting
- VPS (town home): Bigger and gives you more control. You have control of everything and you have shared usage
- Dedicated Server (house): Owning a big house on a hill. The house is yours.