Web Hosting Explained
Choosing the right Web hosting plan for your Web site can be confusing. Do you need Shared Hosting or a Dedicated Server? Should you choose a Unix or Windows plan?
At Discover IT we offer Unix and Windows Shared Hosting Plans and Dedicated Servers. Find out more about our web hosting plans.
Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting is perfectly adequate for more than 90% of Web sites, and it is the cheapest option. Your Web site will be hosted on a server along with other sites. As long as the server hardware and Internet bandwidth are adequate for the number of Web sites hosted, sharing the server with other sites should be fine.
What operating system should my Web server be running?
The choice is Unix or Windows. Statistics from the January 2005 Web Server Survey from Netcraft show that approximately 72% of servers use Unix and 21% use Windows.
Unix
Unix is traditionally the operating system of choice. It has been around a long time and is widely regarded as the most reliable. It uses memory and disk space efficiently and is able to do more with fewer resources than comparable Windows systems. There are many Web server applications available on the Internet written for Unix. These include scripts written in Perl, C, Java, and PHP, which add functionality and interactivity to Web sites.
Unix systems are less user-friendly than Windows systems. If you are developing a simple Web site, this should not be a problem, since your only access to the Unix server will be via FTP to upload your site. However, if you are developing an advanced site you will need to become familiar with Unix commands.
Windows 2000/2003
Microsoft's Windows 2000/2003 is becoming much more popular with Web developers with its powerful ASP and ASP.NET programming environments.
It also integrates well with .NET server technologies such as SQL Server 2000, Commerce Server 2002 and BizTalk Server 2004. Recent advances in Windows Server technology and the release of the new Windows 2003 Server provide what is now arguably the highest performance server environment. It provides exceptional support for the developer community and has a single vendor (Microsoft) commitment to its ongoing development.
On the down side, software licensing costs are generally higher but the cost of server hardware is often lower than for Unix-based systems.
Dedicated Hosting
With a Dedicated Server you rent an entire Web server. You can specify the hardware, operating system and software configuration to match your exact requirements.
A Dedicated Server is extremely convenient for those not proficient in server management. Connection with the Internet, security, daily backup and 24x7 monitoring and management are all provided for you.
Dedicated Servers are suitable for high volume, business Web sites or if you have complex hosting needs which require special software installed on the server.
It is important to remember that you are responsible for the purchase of any software other than the operating system. This could include databases, a virus checker, a Web statistics package to monitor Web activity and any other software that you need to run your server.
The Bottom Line
If you have no advanced requirements, you could choose either Unix or Windows. If you have a simple "brochureware" Web site with no special features you should choose a Unix Shared Hosting plan. They are generally cheaper.
If you plan to use specific Unix programs (such as SendMail, MySQL or PHP), you need to choose a Unix Hosting plan.
If your Web site is to be built using Microsoft development technology such as ASP, ASP.NET, Access or SQL Server, you need to choose a Windows hosting plan.
Shared hosting will probably be suitable, unless you:
- have very high disk space requirements
- have very high bandwidth requirements
- need special application software installed on the server.
See our web hosting plans offer.
If you are unsure, contact us and we will point you in the right direction.