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Hosting FAQ

What is Hosting?

Hosting is basically renting space on a computer that is connected to the Internet and runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  This computer is called a "server."

Why do Hosting Costs vary so much?

There are many factors that influence the prices charged for hosting services.  If you think of a website as a traditional business, hosting is similar to renting office space.  And just like offices vary greatly in quality, location, and amenities, so do hosting accounts. 

Continuing with this analogy, rented offices need more than just the physical space to be useful.  They also need electricity, phone, water, lawn & cleaning services, etc.

Websites also require many support services to be useful.  Many of these are offered free with certain hosting accounts, or they can be purchased through outside vendors when they are not provided with hosting.

Differences in Cheap vs. Expensive Hosting?

Anyone shopping for hosting services can quickly be overwhelmed with the differences in offerings and prices.  Why would anyone pay $100 per month for hosting, when they can get a hosting account for free? 

One of the biggest factors in the expense of hosting is the portion of the server you chose to rent.  If you think of a server as an office building, you can chose to rent a cubicle, an office with a door, an entire floor, or the whole building. 

Named-Based Hosting (cubicle)

With this hosting option, you share your office with 100s (sometimes 1000s) of other web sites. 

• The advantage here is cost. 
• The disadvantages include:
• if your server is overloaded, your site will be sluggish and may not always be available
• if one of your fellow cube-mates is tagged for spamming, your site ends up being tagged as well.
• custom server settings are usually not allowed by the hosting provider.
• security is easier to compromise.

IP-Based Hosting (office with a door)

With this hosting option, you now have your own IP address. 

• Advantages include:
• custom SSL certs can be installed
• search engines may rate site higher
• depending on your provider, custom server settings are *sometimes* allowed.
• depending on your provider's configuration, you *may* be insulated from the bad neighbor problem (i.e. being flagged for spamming).
• Disadvantages include:
• security can be easier to compromise.
• your server can still be overloaded (i.e. the office next store might have 1000 cubicles)
• slightly higher cost than Name-Based hosting.

Virtual Private Server (entire floor)

With this hosting option, you receive a fixed portion of a server that is isolated from any other tenants in the building. 

• This hosting offers the following advantages:
• can host multiple sites
• custom server settings allowed
• system upgrades may be included
• you are insulated from bad neighbors
• your site is not affected by heavy traffic to other sites in your building.
• Disadvantages include:
• site capacity is limited by the amount of server resources you've been allocated.
• relatively new technology, not as stable as other options.
• higher cost than IP-Based hosting.

Dedicated Server (entire building)

With this hosting option, you receive an entire server that is completely dedicated to serving your site. 

• Advantages include:
• more reliable than a VPS
• can safely host more sites than a VPS
• offers greater traffic capacity than a VPS
• Disadvantages include:
• system upgrades not usually included
• higher costs than a VPS

Are there Other Options to Consider?

Yes, there are several important ones. Here's a short list:

Operating System (Microsoft vs. Unix/Linux)

While Microsoft owns the desktop market, Unix/Linux is the most popular server platform, and the one that YWP recommends.

Connectivity (T1, DS3, OC12, Multiple)

Another performance consideration is the way your server connects to the Internet.  Just like Broadband performs better than Dialup at home, web servers perform better with better Internet connections.  Opt for the service that has the best and most connections.

Limitations

Usually, the less expensive the hosting option, the more restrictions and limitations they will put on your account.  This can include things like physical storage, bandwidth, # of email accounts, etc.

Support

While nobody likes to think about the day your server crashes, it happens to every server at some point.  The best way to handle this is to select a service with good support.  Check and see if they have 24/7 phone support, a physical address listed, etc.

Note:  A server with a 99% uptime guarantee can still be offline for more than 3 days per year!  Also note that most recovery processes are designed to get your service back online and running again.  They are not designed to restore your site to its pre-crash state.

Additional Services (FTP, SSL, MySQL, etc.)

In addition to the basics, as web sites grow, they will often need additional services that may or may not be available on any particular hosting platform.  As a minimum, YWP suggests you start with the following:

• FTP -- easy way to access the server
• SSH -- secure way to access your website
• Urchin -- one of the best statistic packages
• MySQL -- one of the best database packages
• PHP -- server side programming language
• Control Panel -- easy interface to manage server settings
  (especially important for VPS and Dedicated Server options)

What are Typical Hosting Costs?

For Linux servers, here are some ranges:

Named Based Hosting: IP-Based Hosting: VPS Server: Dedicated Server:

$0 - $49 per month $5 - $99 per month $25 - $150+ per month $75 - $350+ per month

Can YWP Suggest a Hosting Provider?

Yes.  While no hosting provider is perfect, and they all experience problems from time to time, please see Support Services for a list of our preferred providers.