| The options available with a web hosting package | | | | hosting and anonymous ftp site of spurious files. |
| are very wide ranging, and can be a bit confusing | | | | 5. Domains |
| to understand - especially since the options are | | | | This is the number of web addresses that can |
| presenting in a large number of ways, and | | | | point into your web hosting account. Almost all of |
| condensed in various ways, while shopping for a | | | | the providers offer sub domains, where your |
| package online. Hopefully I can give you a | | | | main site is and you have sub domains of and |
| breakdown of the categories these features fall | | | | Many will allow you to point externally hosted DNS |
| into and help you to focus on the features that | | | | entries pointed into your account s folder, but |
| are important to you. | | | | some do not. This may be referred to as Add-on |
| I break the features down into 10 categories, and | | | | domains, and most will offer in one of their |
| will discuss the categories one by one to give you | | | | packages multiple add-on domains. This allows you |
| a firm grasp of the options and make an | | | | to purchase additional domains and point it into |
| informed purchasing decision. | | | | separate folders within your hosted account. This |
| 10 Categories of Web Hosting Package Features | | | | way you can run multiple websites, which appear |
| 1. Operating System | | | | completely unrelated, to be physically located and |
| 2. Web Server | | | | managed together. |
| 3. Bandwidth | | | | Many of the web hosting providers offer a single |
| 4. Disk Space | | | | or even multiple free domains with their accounts. |
| 5. Domains | | | | Some even offer lifetime free domains, saving |
| 6. Email | | | | you the 10 dollars a year for the domain. Be sure |
| 7. FTP | | | | and shop for that option if you want to save a |
| 8. Database | | | | few dollars a year. |
| 9. Control Panel | | | | 6. Email |
| 10. Applications / Programming | | | | Almost all of the web hosting providers offer |
| 1. Operating System | | | | email accounts, which gives you an email address |
| The operating system is the underlying software | | | | of Most of them also offer web based email, POP |
| that runs on the host. It manages the physical | | | | and IMAP access, and spam filtering. Where they |
| hardware of the server and attempts to optimize | | | | will differ is the number of emails accounts they |
| the use of RAM, disk space, network, and CPU | | | | provide, the disk space total or per mailbox, and |
| for the requests coming into the machine. The | | | | advanced features such as mail list management. |
| underlying OS does not have to be the same as | | | | It is up to you as to how important email is to |
| your desktop or even the OS you use to develop | | | | you and your website - there are plenty of free |
| your website. In fact, due to most of the | | | | email providers on the internet so this has never |
| management functions being driven thru a web | | | | been an important set of features for me. |
| GUI, you might never know or care what the | | | | Many of the web hosting providers offer unlimited |
| server operating system is. | | | | emails, but again there is no such thing. As your |
| The predominant operating systems you will find | | | | email accounts grow, the bandwidth and disk |
| while shopping for a web hosting service are | | | | space used will also grow, and neither of those is |
| Windows and UNIX. With Windows you will see | | | | unlimited. So you eventually break their acceptable |
| versions available such as Server 2003 or Server | | | | use policies and are forced to upgrade into a |
| 2008, and with UNIX you will see many brands of | | | | bigger package - again, not a bad thing if it is your |
| Linux, usually CentOS, Debian, or Redhat. Choosing | | | | website that is growing and creating revenue for |
| between UNIX and Windows is an important | | | | you. |
| decision, and involves a lot of variables, but in the | | | | 7. FTP |
| end it simply means deciding if you want to build | | | | FTP is the file transfer protocol used to send and |
| your website with open source technology or with | | | | receive files back and forth to your website. This |
| Microsoft technology. | | | | feature may or may not be important to you, |
| Research the application you want to use or run | | | | depending on if you wish to server files up to |
| as your website and check to see if it has any | | | | anonymous people through this protocol. Most |
| Microsoft technology requirements (MSSQL | | | | websites today deliver files through HTTP through |
| database, MSAccess database, ASP, ASP.Net). If | | | | your website, which allows you to manage access |
| you find no pressing reason to use Windows, then | | | | and users through your website instead of |
| UNIX will most likely be a better choice for you. | | | | through the FTP accounts. |
| UNIX runs the open source scripting languages | | | | 8. Database |
| slightly faster and is also slightly cheaper than | | | | A database is server package that structures |
| Windows. | | | | data into an easy to store and retrieve manner. |
| There are a few specific sub-features of the | | | | The database is one of the items used to create |
| operating system that may be of importance to | | | | dynamic websites such as content management |
| you. | | | | systems and blog engines. You will want to take |
| Do you need a virtual private server? This gives | | | | advantage of the database also if you intend to |
| you a dedicated virtual operating system all to | | | | create any sort of ecommerce website to store |
| yourself instead of you sharing the OS with | | | | your user's information, catalogs of items for sale, |
| others. You still share a machine with others, but | | | | and orders placed. |
| there are stricter walls in place to guarantee you | | | | MySQL is available on most web hosting |
| bandwidth, CPU, and memory even if a website | | | | packages, whether it is on UNIX or Windows. |
| on the same machine is getting heavily hit. It also | | | | MySQL is open source and does not require |
| gives you great configuration choices with | | | | licensing per user, so it usually offers more |
| everything since it is your own OS. These | | | | instances available to your account. This is |
| packages are more expensive than the shared | | | | important so that you can have separation of |
| options, but are worth if as your site grows. The | | | | data within your website. For example, your |
| VPS packages mainly vary is the amount of RAM | | | | website may have a database for the content |
| dedicated to you, so I would recommend going | | | | management system, the blog within the CMS, |
| with the smallest package and monitoring the | | | | the items for sale catalog, and the shopping cart |
| RAM usage over time and upgrading into a bigger | | | | application. You could push all of those applications |
| package as needed. | | | | to use a single instance within the database, but |
| Do you need a dedicated SSL certificate? Most | | | | you may have compatibility problems if one of |
| sites offer a shared SSL certificate, which is fine | | | | those applications requires special database |
| for some smaller sites, but if you are running a | | | | connection information, or table name collisions |
| medium or large ecommerce site you will need a | | | | between the applications. Sharing instances |
| dedicated certificate. Some buyers justifiably will | | | | between applications is also a security risk, since |
| not send in their personal and credit card | | | | one part of your website could be hacked |
| information without a guaranteed valid SSL | | | | exposing all of the data stored, including user's |
| private certificate. Also some shopping cart | | | | financial information. If you are running multiple |
| applications require the dedicated certificate as | | | | websites then these problems, collisions, and |
| well. Be careful when shopping for this - some | | | | security risks will be compounded. Separation of |
| hosting services say they give a SSL certificate | | | | applications into distinct database instances is |
| with all their hosting plans but do not explicitly tell | | | | important. |
| you that it is a shared certificate. If the plan does | | | | MSSQL is available on most of the Windows |
| not include a dedicated IP, then it is a shared | | | | hosting packages, but is usually slightly more |
| certificate. | | | | expensive due to its commercial licensing |
| To directly remotely administer your site, you | | | | restrictions, and usually has lower instances and |
| may need to either shell into with UNIX or | | | | disk space available. But some website applications |
| Remote Desktop in with Windows. The UNIX shell | | | | are built to take advantage of its feature set, so |
| option is sometimes referred to as SSH Shell, | | | | you may require this as your database. You could |
| Secure Shell, or telnet. These options are only | | | | still take advantage of MySQL with as many |
| useful to you if you intend to do low level | | | | applications as you could, there is not any reason |
| maintenance and tweaking, mainly in the VPS | | | | a single website could not use multiple different |
| packages. With a good hosting package with a | | | | databases. |
| high powered control panel, you will not need | | | | MSAccess is the openly available database for |
| either of these. | | | | Windows that is more of a file level database and |
| You may see mention for the ability to schedule | | | | not a dedicated server running it. It provides |
| cron jobs - this is the UNIX version of scheduled | | | | adequate storage for lighter database usage, but |
| tasks. This ability is only needed if you wish to run | | | | would not be sufficient for any larger data |
| scheduled tasks at set times, such as a nightly | | | | storage needs. |
| backup. Most of the good control panels provide | | | | Researching the needs of the applications you |
| an interface for the cron job entry, but they also | | | | intend to run on your website, and planning the |
| provide interfaces for performing maintenance | | | | database requirements needed for each, will drive |
| tasks such as backups. You will probably never | | | | you to a conclusion of which hosting package to |
| need this feature. | | | | use based on these database needs. |
| 2. Web Server | | | | 9. Control Panel |
| The web hosting companies usually offer | | | | The control panel will be the location you will |
| Microsoft IIS or UNIX Apache web servers. Both | | | | manage all of the details of your web hosting |
| have their plusses and minuses, and it will only | | | | account. All of the providers give you a web |
| make a difference to you if the website you are | | | | based control panel that is easy to use and |
| developing or the application you are running | | | | provide sufficient help to understanding all of its |
| requires one or the other. Apache, being open | | | | features so that you can avoid calling them for |
| source itself, has slightly better hooks in it to run | | | | help. |
| many of the open source content management | | | | The web hosting providers will vary in the type of |
| systems and blog engines based on PHP, PERL, | | | | control panel they provide, however. The two |
| and Python, so go with Apache if that is all you | | | | main control panels are cPanel and Plesk, which |
| need. The Windows IIS also has quite good open | | | | are found on about 80% of the providers. The |
| source content management systems and blog | | | | remaining 20% give you a custom built control |
| engines based on ASP and ASP.Net, but I would | | | | panel. cPanel and Plesk are so popular because |
| suggest not going with a PHP/PERL/Python web | | | | they provide feature rich management utilities |
| application on Windows IIS - see the above | | | | right out of the box and both can be branded to |
| discussion of the operating system as to why. | | | | appear like the host provider's pages, but they |
| The SSL certificate is hosted by the web server, | | | | are expensive to license. Both work on UNIX and |
| and the web server has to do extra processing | | | | Windows hosted accounts and allow for complete |
| of SSL HTTPS requests - it has to encrypt | | | | management of the underlying operating system |
| decrypt and verify data passing between the | | | | configuration, web server configuration, web site |
| client and the server. For this reason, some would | | | | configuration, email ,ftp, DNS, etc. |
| argue that you should shy away from web | | | | If you are new to web hosting then it really does |
| hosting packages that offer free SSL shared | | | | not matter with control panel you choose, but if |
| certificates to everyone. You might end up | | | | you are familiar with cPanel or Plesk you may |
| sharing a server with 100s of other websites that | | | | prefer to go with a hosting provider which |
| overtax the server. A well run website will only | | | | provides you with the control panel you are |
| go into HTTPS SSL mode for the actual entering | | | | comfortable with. |
| of credit card data, not for the entire website - | | | | If you are interested in getting into being a |
| but you do not know if the other websites on | | | | hosting reseller, then you will want to ensure you |
| your server are well run. | | | | get licenses provided to you for your reseller |
| 3. Bandwidth | | | | account through the web hosting provider so that |
| This is a measure of the amount of data | | | | you can brand it and give it to your sub-hosted |
| transmitted in/out of you website, usually on a | | | | customers (and not have them call you with |
| monthly basis. Keep in mind that a typical website | | | | configuration needs). |
| only transmits a very small amount of the | | | | Many on the internet recommend removing |
| content to each user, and even though a package | | | | cPanel and Plesk from your virtual private server |
| only offers a few gigs of transfer a month, you | | | | since both can be major bandwidth, CPU, and disk |
| will most likely not overshoot your allotment. If | | | | space hogs. One of the great benefits of a virtual |
| you do, then your website is really popular with | | | | private server is being able to login as root or |
| thousands of visitors, and you should be | | | | administrator and manage the operating system |
| generating a nice revenue stream. Most of the | | | | and web server directly, removing the need to |
| web hosting companies will spell out what the | | | | obfuscate into a web GUI those tasks. Of course |
| penalty is for overshooting your allotment - it is | | | | you would need to be a lot more technically keen |
| usually a dollar to two per gig, which makes it | | | | on doing those tasks yourself, or you could pay a |
| cheaper to upgrade to the next highest package | | | | few dollars more a month and get a managed |
| of course. If your website is heavy on images or | | | | VPS package. |
| multimedia, you may need a bigger allotment of | | | | 10. Applications / Programming |
| monthly bandwidth immediately. Fortunately they | | | | No matter the type of website you plan to build, |
| all offer a monthly meter to watch your | | | | you will most likely use a few pre built packages |
| bandwidth usage so that you can plan accordingly | | | | as the foundation of your site. The pre built |
| as your site grows in popularity. | | | | packages are built with some sort of |
| Some hosting companies offer an unlimited | | | | programming or scripting language. They may be |
| bandwidth package - be wary of this. There is no | | | | using PHP, PERL, Python, Java, Ruby, ASP, |
| such thing as unlimited bandwidth, so what they | | | | ASP.Net, or Coldfusion. Most of these languages |
| are selling is unmetered bandwidth. Many of them | | | | run on any operating system, except for ASP |
| with unmetered offerings will inform you after | | | | and ASP.Net, both of which are Microsoft |
| you purchase an account of what their acceptable | | | | technologies requiring windows (and application |
| use policy is concerning bandwidth and disk space, | | | | probably requires IIS and MSSQL database as |
| disallowing you from performing nightly 500gig | | | | well). PHP, PERL, Python, and Java are cross |
| backups of your personal computer and such | | | | platform, but UNIX runs them slightly faster than |
| activities. In fact, many of these policies also | | | | Windows and is usually a slightly cheaper package. |
| stipulate that you must upgrade to bigger | | | | Ruby is a UNIX only language, and it may be |
| packages if your website begins to infringe on the | | | | referred to as Ruby on Rails. Not all web hosting |
| bandwidth of others on a shared hosted machine. | | | | providers give access to all of these languages |
| Once again, this is not a bad policy; if you get | | | | with all of their packages - make sure you shop it |
| notified of infringement due to the activity of | | | | carefully to ensure the host and the package you |
| your website, then it is so popular that your | | | | purchase has the language you need. |
| revenue stream covers the additional expense of | | | | The applications you decide run will tell you what |
| a bigger package. | | | | their requirements are. In fact, the web hosting |
| 4. Disk Space | | | | provider will give you the tools you need to install |
| This is the allotment of bytes on the hard drive | | | | the applications from the control panel, which |
| given to you for your website. A large website | | | | makes it a breeze to get up and running with the |
| with 100s of pages can easily fit into a gigabyte | | | | base installation of whatever application you |
| of space, so you actually do not need that much | | | | choose. These days all of the web hosting |
| for a typical website. If you website has a catalog | | | | providers allow you to get up and running with the |
| of thousands of items for sale, stored in a | | | | base installation of the most common blog engines |
| database with several images apiece, then you will | | | | and content management systems within minutes |
| need a significant upgrade in disk space. Usually as | | | | after purchasing. |
| your site grows in popularity and content, you will | | | | If you are interested in a blog, read up on |
| be upgrading for bandwidth first, and get more | | | | WordPress and BlogEngine.Net. If you are |
| disk space along with the upgraded package. | | | | interested in a content management system, |
| Some of the hosting companies will include your | | | | read up on Joomla, Drupal, DotNetNuke, and |
| database space and your email space in this disk | | | | mojoPortal. For a message forum, read up on |
| space allotment, so plan according to how they | | | | PHPBB and YetAnotherForum applications. There |
| segregate the space. | | | | are many more pre built applications to help you |
| As it was with bandwidth, many web hosting | | | | get up and running including shopping carts, mail list |
| providers offer unlimited disk space, and there is | | | | management, web authoring tools, and catalog |
| no such thing as unlimited disk space. What they | | | | databases. |
| are selling is unmetered disk space, with an | | | | Conclusion |
| acceptable use policy. It is difficult to breach their | | | | I hope that this article provides you with enough |
| acceptable use policy with a normal website, only | | | | understanding to make a wise decision when |
| by doing something outside the norm, such as | | | | selecting a web hosting package. Happy shopping! |