A website is a folder of files (pages, images, code) and, for most sites, a database. For anyone to see it, those files have to live on a computer that is switched on all the time, connected to the internet, and ready to answer requests. That computer is a server, and renting space or time on one is web hosting.
Web hosting is renting part (or all) of a server that stores your website and sends it to visitors’ browsers. You pay a host for the hardware, power, network and, depending on the plan, the upkeep.
What happens when someone visits your site
- They type your domain, such as
example.com, or click a link. - Their computer asks DNS which IP address that domain points to. See how DNS works.
- Their browser connects to the server at that address and asks for the page.
- The server’s web software (Nginx, Apache or LiteSpeed) reads the files, runs any code such as PHP, fetches data from the database, and sends back the result.
- The browser draws the page. Images, styles and scripts each arrive as further requests.
Hosting is everything on the server side of steps 3 and 4.
What a host actually provides
- Hardware: processors, memory and storage in a data center.
- Network: a fast connection and one or more IP addresses.
- Power and cooling: backup power so a grid failure does not take sites offline.
- Software: an operating system and web server, often a control panel such as cPanel.
- Upkeep, on some plans: security updates, backups and monitoring.
What runs on a web server
A typical server runs a small stack of software, each layer doing one job. You will see these names on hosting plans and in error messages.
| Layer | Common choices | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux | Runs everything else; almost all web servers use Linux |
| Web server | Nginx, Apache, LiteSpeed | Receives requests and sends back files |
| Language runtime | PHP (through PHP-FPM), Node.js, Python | Runs the site’s code to build each page |
| Database | MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL | Stores posts, users, orders and settings |
| Control panel (optional) | cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin | A web interface for managing sites, email and DNS |
WordPress, for example, needs a web server, PHP and MySQL or MariaDB. A static site needs only the web server. When something breaks, knowing which layer failed is most of the diagnosis: a 502 Bad Gateway means the web server could not reach PHP, while Error establishing a database connection means PHP could not reach the database.
Hosting is not the same as your domain
Your domain name is registered separately, with a registrar, even when the same company sells both. The domain is the address; hosting is the building. You can move hosting without changing your domain, and you can point a domain at any host by editing its DNS records. That separation is what makes moving to a new host possible.
The main types
| Type | In one line |
|---|---|
| Shared | Your site shares a server with many others; the host runs everything |
| VPS | A private virtual machine with guaranteed resources; you or the host manage it |
| Dedicated | A whole physical server for you alone |
| Cloud | Virtual servers rented by the hour and resized on demand |
The differences are covered in shared, VPS, dedicated or cloud.
Terms you will see on a hosting plan
- Storage is disk space for files, databases and email. Most small sites use under 5 GB. The type matters more than the size: NVMe and SSD are much faster than HDD.
- Bandwidth or transfer is the data sent to visitors each month. A page of about 2 MB viewed 10,000 times uses about 20 GB.
- Inodes are the number of files allowed. Shared plans often cap them at a few hundred thousand, which email and cache folders can fill faster than you expect.
- CPU and memory limits decide how many visitors you can serve at once. On shared hosting they are often hidden in the terms; on a VPS they are the headline numbers.
- Uptime guarantee is a promise about availability, usually 99.9%. See what 99.9% uptime means.
- SSL certificate makes the site load over HTTPS. Free certificates from Let’s Encrypt are standard now, so a plan that charges extra for basic SSL is overpriced.
- Email may be included, limited, or not offered at all. Many people host email separately with a dedicated provider.
- Backups may be daily, weekly or none. Check how long they are kept and whether restoring one costs extra.
How to choose your first host
- Start from what you will run. A WordPress blog, an online shop and a Node.js app need different things. Check the host supports your software and its current version.
- Pick the location nearest your visitors. A server in the same region loads noticeably faster for them.
- Read the limits, not the headline. “Unlimited” plans have limits in the terms. Compare CPU, memory and storage type.
- Check the renewal price, which is often two to three times the first-term price.
- Make sure you can leave. You should be able to download your files and database at any time. That is what keeps any host honest.
- Test support before you need it. Ask a technical question before buying and see how quickly, and how well, they answer.
Most new sites are fine on shared hosting, and moving up to a VPS later is routine.
Do you need hosting at all?
Not always. Website builders and blogging platforms bundle hosting into one subscription, and static sites (plain HTML with no database) can be served free from several platforms. You need your own hosting when you want full control of the software, run something like WordPress yourself, or host email and applications alongside the site.
Related
Something out of date? Software changes. If a step no longer works, tell us and we will check it and update the page.
