Why Do You Need Web Hosting?

What is web hosting? And why do you need it?

Web hosting is the business of providing storage space and access for websites. But what does that really mean? Let’s break down some of the technical jargon around what we do for our clients in a way that anyone can understand.
What is Web Hosting?
A major portion of the world is now connected to the internet. Many of us interact with it every day, whether it’s to contact one another or to access information that would otherwise be difficult to find. Can you even remember what life was like before Google? It may be difficult. The information on the web is stored on millions of websites around the world, and each of these sites is comprised of data – like text or images – which is stored on a physical computer somewhere, most likely at a data center.
Popular sites like Google.com or Facebook.com don’t just float in the air for us to send and retrieve information; cloud computing actually happens on solid ground. The information accessed when visiting these sites is recorded on hundreds (if not thousands) of computers known as servers. These servers are connected by a network, through which the data we request is delivered – via routers – to our devices.
For example, you turn on your computer and open your web browser (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc). When the web browser opens, you type in Midphase.com and press ‘enter’. At that second a request leaves your computer and heads to your internet provider who searches through IP addresses (the numerical representation of a domain name) to find the IP associated with Midphase.com. Once found, the request will retrieve the data you are requesting from a server in our data center that manages Midphase.com.
To find out more about this process check out this post.
All of the data which comes together to display the Midphase.com website is waiting on a server for citizens of the web to access 24 hours a day. Without the server holding the data, Midphase.com would not work. Instead, those sending requests to our IP would receive an error message stating that the site cannot be reached.
How is data stored?
The way in which data is stored and served across the network can change, depending on the demands of the website or application that a server supports.. The three types of hosting that Midphase offers are shared, dedicated and cloud.
Shared:
Shared hosting is one server that stores data from many different users. It is a cheap and reliable way to host a web page, as it is fully managed by our technical support team. For those who are looking to host small personal or business pages and for those who are new to the world of web hosting, shared is an excellent way to go.
Dedicated:
Dedicated hosting is one server that is dedicated to a single user. Dedicated hosting packages allow users to have complete control over how the server is configured, and as all of the resources on the server belong to one user, that user benefits from improved data transfer speeds (bandwidth) and increase storage space. It is helpful to have some technical knowledge before hosting a dedicated server, but is not essential.
Cloud:
Cloud hosting is made up of multiple servers working together to provide more power and redundancy, meaning that if there is a problem with an individual server’s hardware another server can pick up the load and service will not skip a beat. Cloud hosting is flexible and affordable, allowing users to quickly and easily add more or less storage depending on what is needed.
Why Do You Need Web Hosting?
In a nutshell, you need web hosting if you are looking to run any personal or professional website. Blogs, online retail stores and any other web pages need a web host to keep them up and running.
Web hosting from Midphase is cost-effective, reliable and offers around the clock technical support, taking the stress out of trying to host sites yourself. Having our experts on hand day or night makes hosting your site a breeze, and allows you the time you need to worry about the important stuff.

Still have questions about web hosting?

Contact our experts at: Midphase.com/support/