What is Web Hosting?
by Mitch Keeler

Before you can own your own stake to Internet glory, you must know what runs the backend of it. For the most part, Web hosting plays the biggest part in how the Internet has been shaped in the past and shall be shaped in the future. Before you can own your own Web hosting account, you must first know what Web hosting is. What is Web hosting and how does it impact you yourself someday starting up your own Web site?

Sure somebody has explained it to you before, maybe several times. However, not every definition can be understood by the untrained eye, what is needed is a translation from Web hosting geek into regular speak.

Web hosting can be broken down into two parts, the Web hosting server and the Web hosting domain name.

Web Hosting Sever

Your Web hosting sever is the place in which your Web page is stored. When you sign up with a Web hosting company, you in effect rent space off of a shared Web hosting server hooked up to the Internet. No mater what Web hosting company you sign with or what promises they give you, at the fundamental core of all of that is that idea. Think of it as one file in a large filing cabinet. You can put as much stuff inside of that folder as you have room for. Folks can pull it out and look at it anytime they want to.

Web Hosting Domain Name

Your domain name acts as a tool to direct your visitors, or yourself to your own Web site. Simply, your domain name points to your Web hosting account so that when you type in, "http://www.mitchkeeler.com" you in return go to MitchKeeler.com. Think of the domain name as a way to label the folder mentioned earlier. If none of the folders in the filing cabinet had labels it would be awful hard to tell what content was in which folder. The same could be said about domain names in relation to Web sites they are directed to.

Need More Help?

Try searching Google for the definition of Web hosting, you are given a plethora of definitions and options other than these above.