Webpage Hosting - Types Of Hosting Accounts

Basically, hosting companies have three primary types of hosting servers available. There is also a distinction between the hosting platforms you can have -- mainly Unix and Windows. The server and platform you decide upon will depend on the needs of your site, both now and in the future. Therefore, it's good planning to know exactly what type of plans are available and the major advantages and disadvantages of each.

The Main Types Of Hosting Servers

• Virtual Servers (Shared Hosting) - This is the most common account that people will choose (or need). These web hosting plans provide you with a defined amount of space on a server that's shared by several other web sites. This is referred to as "Disk Storage", and it varies from host to host. For most people, 50 MB of Disk Storage is more than enough. Virtual or shared hosting plans are typically the cheapest you will find, costing between $5.00 to $20.00 per month.
  
  The main issue to be concerned with on Virtual Servers is performance. Since other sites use the same hosting server that you use, the bandwidth usage of the other sites on the system you share might effect the performance of your site -- and can even cause your site to be down completely. This is where the "Guaranteed Uptime" features come into play. The hosts that do a good job of balancing the loads of their shared servers will provide their customers with better overall site performance. In our Cheap Domain Hosting section, we list some virtual server plans with proven track records when it comes to server uptime and site performance.
• Dedicated Servers - With this server type, you are given your own dedicated machine at the hosting company's facility. No one's web site is on this system but yours. Obviously, this server has the advantage on performance. All of the bandwidth and system resources on your dedicated server are only for your site to use. If you run a site that generates a good amount of traffic, or a site that uses databases and dynamic content, you may consider a dedicated server. They are a great choice for ecommerce sites that must always operate at peek performance.
  
  The other major advantages of dedicated servers is that you can install additional applications or modules, such as JSP, Sun ONE ASP, and the like. You can also host more that one site if you wish. The downside for this freedom is the price, as the monthly cost will increase with the capabilities and power of your server. Also, any additional applications that you install on the server are yours to maintain. So, dedicated servers can be more costly in both money and time.
• Co-location Servers - These are often confused with dedicated servers. The main difference is that you actually purchase the server hardware and set up the system yourself. The operating system, software, configuration -- its all you. The cost comes from renting space in the hosting company's data center and its Internet bandwidth. This server type provides the maximum freedom, but co-location servers are much more expensive and are for more technically-minded people. You would have to be a serious developer or a sizeable business to even consider co-location servers.

The Main Types Of Hosting Servers

• Unix - Unix is not a single operating system like Windows 2000, but a class of similar operating systems. It is the most common and affordable hosting platform. There are several implementations of Unix, such as Sun Solaris, BSD, and Linux. They all have their own basic programming, but all are derived from Unix. It is best known for its stability and web servers with a Unix platform are typically very reliable. We list some good ones on our Unix Web Hosting page.
• Windows - Microsoft has its own hosting platform based on the Windows operating system we are all familar with. In the past, Windows NT was the most widely used, but now Windows 2000 has become the standard for hosting. Windows hosting accounts are typically a little bit more expensive, but Windows supports many server applications which Unix does not. Most are developed by Microsoft and include Active Server Pages (ASP), MS Access databases, and Microsoft's SQL database software, among others. If you need these features in your hosting account for whatever reason, you'll need a Windows platform. We list some of these hosting plans on our Windows Web Hosting page.

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Additional Webpage Hosting Resources

• Low Cost Web Hosting Guide - A directory of hosting providers that charge as little as $5.00 / month!
• Unix vs. Windows NT Hosting - An insightful article from HelpWithHosting.com.