The Domain Name System

Introduction

A key component of the Internet and how it works revolves around the Domain Name System, otherwise known as DNS. The underlying technology behind the Internet, is that when a computer needs to talk to another computer on the Internet, they communicate via the computer's IP Address. The IP Address is a unique set of numbers associated with a particular machine, which will be discussed in a separate article. An example of an IP Address is 216.213.19.27, which is the IP Address that corresponds to www.want2host.com.

As the predecessor of the Internet, ARPANET, grew larger, connecting to remote machines by their IP Address grew cumbersome. It became more and more difficult for people to remember the IP Addresses associated with the machines they were trying to reach that a system was created to translate easier to remember symbolic names to their equivalent numerical IP Address. Thus the Domain Name System was born.

Domain Name System

The Domain Name System is the system used on the Internet for the mapping of names, such as www.google.com, to IP Addresses such as 216.239.51.99. Every time a new domain, like want2host.com, is registered, that domain is entered into one of the 13 Root Servers spread throughout the world and overseen by an organization called ICANN. Because your domain is in one of these servers, it can be reached and understood by the rest of the users on the Internet.

Another key element of the Domain Name System are DNS Servers run by Companies and Internet Service Providers. Every time you connect to a site, you are asking your ISP's DNS Server to resolve, or convert, the hostname such as www.google.com to a an ip address such as 216.239.51.99. If your ISP's name server is not working or can not be reached, then you will not be able to traverse the Internet using hostnames, but instead would have to use their IP Address equivalent.

Any time you connect to a site, your ISP DNS Server must find out what name server has the information about the domain for the site you are trying to reach. Your ISP's DNS Server will connect to a Root Server and ask it who the name server is that knows the information about the site you are trying to reach. The Root Server will tell your ISP's DNS Server what server they should next contact for information. Next your ISP's DNS Server will then contact the server that the Root Server told it to contact, where it will be given the IP Address associated with the site you are trying to reach.

Real Life Example

A lot of what has been discussed may be a bit confusing, so lets do a real life example. In the flowchart below labeled Figure 1, you will see a computer trying to connect to www.google.com and the steps it takes.

We will discuss these steps below:

1. A User opens a web browser and tries to connect to www.google.com. The operating system not knowing the IP Address for www.google.com, asks the ISP's DNS Server for this information.

2. The ISP's DNS Server does not know this information, so it connects to a Root Server to find out what name server, running somewhere in the world, know the information about google.com.

3. The Root Server tells the ISP's DNS Server to contact a particular name server that knows the information about google.com.

4. The ISP's DNS Server connects to Google's DNS server and asks for the IP Address for www.google.com.

5. Google's DNS Server responds to the ISP's DNS server with the appropriate IP Address.

6. The ISP's DNS Server tells the User's operating system the IP Address for google.com.

7. The operating system tells the Web Browser the IP Address for www.google.com.

8. The web browser connects and starts communication with www.google.com.

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Guide to cPanel Web Hosting

Among the most frequently neglected web hosting plan functions for Bloggers/Website Developers is the control panel provided by your Hosting providers. Sure, you have to understand the resource limitations, the number of websites are available to host on the server, and exactly what kind of customer assistance they provide.

One of the famous Control Panel is — cPanel

cPanel  -  Simple one tab access to your e-mail functions, file management backups, DNS management, databases, and more. All Web Hosting will tailor the appearance of their Control Panel a little. Lots of Web Hosting companies providing cPanel, three are the best that provide you the very best Web Hosting with cPanel.

InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting is an exceptional option for company web hosting. Account info can be discovered on the left side of the desktop. Be conscious that — If one alter to particular styles then choose you truly choose the previous design; you might require to call assistance to have them alter the Website back.

SiteGround

SiteGround is a fantastic option for WordPress Hosting. SiteGround — One can use cPanel by signing into the account. The SiteGround cPanel have SuperCacher status(Extra Paid basis only) which can drastically improves the loading time by using 3 levels of Cache

BlueHost

Bluehost offers best shared hosting. Bluehost is another leading web hosting business that uses cPanel.

cPanel enables you to quickly access all the features and info one have to run the Website effectively. For both brand-new and skilled site owners, We advise you think about selecting a Hosting strategy that consists of cPanel as the control panel UI.

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Reseller Hosting Account vs. Dedicated Server

Dedicated server or reseller hosting account? That is a question that most people who are ready to start a web hosting business ask. In this article we will help you decide whether a Reseller hosting account or a Dedicated server is best for you.

Why Should You Choose a Reseller Hosting Account?

You should choose a reseller hosting account if you are a new business owner who does not know how to manage a dedicated server. Managing a dedicated server can be time consuming if you are not proficient at server management. With reseller hosting our team of experts manages the server that your web sites are hosted on. A reseller account is also a fraction of the cost of a dedicated server. Usually a reseller hosting account is a good place to start because you can upgrade to a dedicated server at any time.

Why Should You choose a Dedicated Server?

You should choose a dedicated server if you need more control over your server than a reseller account. A dedicated server is for someone who is proficient at server management. With a dedicated server you can choose your own control panel as well as what software to install. With a dedicated server you get root access to the server, something that you do not get with a reseller account.
Cost is usually the number one disadvantage of dedicated hosting. It is certainly more expensive that shared hosting plans and in some cases, much more expensive. Although some dedicated solutions are available at prices that are almost comparable, the majority of dedicated server solutions will cost at least 5 to 10 times what a shared hosting plan will cost.

If you are not familiar with administering a server, a dedicated server can be very confusing and hard to understand. You will need to have a good grasp of the many features and problems that come with running your own server before jumping right in. If you are not familiar with telnet, SSH, or administering your site at this level, it can be very difficult to perform even simple tasks on a dedicated server. This will depend on the type of control interface your host offers, as many are moving to control panels that make this task much easier. Downtime is another issue, especially if you are unfamiliar with the points we stated above. If you make a mistake on a dedicated server, you can cause the server to crash, necessitating rebooting. This means that your site will be inaccessible until it has completely rebooted.

In addition to a high price tag, many dedicated hosting plans have penalties if you exceed your disk space, bandwidth or other allotments. If your site is consistently busy, this can spell disaster. Many hosts do not feature a stop-gap system which will take your site down if you do exceed your limits, which means that your site will just go on racking up your bill. This can result in hundreds of dollars above and beyond your current monthly fee.

Advantages of Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting is sale of both server and bandwidth within web hosting plan to customer with option to resell further. This is a web hosting service as a middleman from parent company to user or customer. Here are some of the advantages of Reseller Hosting:

Reliability

Additional bandwidth and storage remove instability issues or allow reseller to sell for more profits. Sales from resellers are greater from reliability of gains due to preferred services.

Tools

Includes automated tools for making the process of hosting easy and simple that reduce the time spent on processing of reseller hosting very convenient.

Lower costs

Reduced prices and overall cost effectiveness.

Complete control

You can resell the hosting plan altogether to other purchasers. Administration and systems provides the necessary upgrades and updates to the reseller hosting.

Durability

Long range of available options over a large time period.

Additional services

Services integrated with the reseller hosting plan including merchant accounts, SSL certificates, SEO and domain name administration provide more income to retailer.

Generated incomes

Allows customer choice of server applicability to business. From the reseller hosting plan a firm or customer can reap major benefits for one’s business.

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File Hosting vs. Cloud Computing

In an age when digital file sharing has become the norm among businesses and individuals alike, it's easy to get swept away with catchphrases like "cloud computing" and "file hosting." These buzzwords often get people excited about products they don't fully understand. Many people assume that file hosting and cloud services are interchangeable; what they don't realize is that each comes with a set of pros and cons, and each actually differ in a few key ways. The following guide outlines the benefits and drawbacks to file hosting services and cloud storage networks.

File Hosting vs. "The Cloud"

For starters, file hosting services provide a broad range of services to businesses, including building an intranet and managing an overall internal network. These services have existed for decades, ever since businesses turned to the Internet for storage solutions and project management. Conversely, cloud computing is a relatively new phenomenon that many traditional hosting services claim as their own. In reality, cloud computing has an even broader scope, meaning that it connects with all aspects of a company’s software and computing to provide file sharing across a huge spectrum. If people think of a cloud as a literal cloud, or nebulous entity, then it will help them to understand the difference. File hosting is more localized and focused on an internal basis of getting everyone in an office complex on the same page. Cloud computing goes beyond this.

File Sharing: Pros & Cons

Pros: File sharing allows businesses the option of a personalized team of experts handling a specific network. For smaller companies, file sharing makes more practical and fiscal sense in that they can choose a platform that works for them without paying for extra unnecessary services. Because file sharing is an industry standard among IT personnel, companies won’t have as much trouble fixing problems when they arise.

Cons: File sharing is limited in its scope, which is why cloud computing came about in the first place. Businesses may think they’re getting a comprehensive sharing solution only to discover that the hosting site doesn’t work between servers and software. For example, Microsoft Outlook often has trouble connecting with Mozilla Firefox, so companies that utilize these services may have issues.

Cloud Computing: Pros & Cons

Pros: Cloud computing works across all platforms because it is not a locally stored piece of technology but rather an intangible network of shared information. While it shares some characteristics with its file sharing predecessor, cloud computing takes the information to the next level by offering practically unlimited space depending on the services a business chooses.

Cons: Cloud computing offers somewhat of a risk due to its nature of being intangible. Many businesses who choose to utilize a cloud computing site take a chance by hosting their entire network on something that is remotely monitored. In lieu of hiring IT professionals, some companies may rely solely on their cloud computing company to handle their technical snafus, only to discover that they need a real person with working knowledge to solve some issues.

Some argue that the major con for both file sharing and cloud computing is the shift away from IT staff entirely, which causes a company to spend more money over time fixing problems that a trained technician should handle. Still, cloud computing and file sharing provide many benefits to businesses, large and small, that want to get more work done easily and efficiently. With customer integration and customizable plans, some businesses would do well to choose either type of remote network capabilities to save money on costly project management software packages. As technology continues to develop, more cloud-based computing will inevitably supersede traditional means.

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The difference between website hosting, email hosting and email exchange

A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients, as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for other servers located in their data center, called colocation, also known as Housing in Latin America or France.

Email hosting is a Web or Internet hosting service which rents out and operates email servers. Email hosting services are usually premium services which differ from the typical free webmail sites such as Yahoo and Google. These hosting providers cater to more demanding users like high-email-traffic small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that require their own domain name in order to distinguish them more. The typical hosted business email address is in the format of person@companyname.com. Larger enterprises usually host their own email servers and forgo email hosting services.

Firstly we need to understand the difference between website hosting, email hosting and email exchange.

Website hosting

In simple terms, web hosting is limited space allocated on a server where your website lives. This space can run out. Kind of like a USB. There is a limited amount of space on a USB, so when it becomes full, you cannot add anything more. The same goes for website hosting.

Please access your website by typing your domain name into your browser. The domain name directs the browser to the web server where all of your files for your website are being kept. If the allocated amount of disk space is exceeded, your website won’t work.

Email hosting

Email hosting is also server space, but this is where your emails are stored. If someone sends you an email it actually goes through your email server where it is stored. You can access this email by using your Webmail details. To ensure that you don’t run out of space on the server, you would need to

◈ increase your disc space (will incur an additional cost)
◈ delete emails
◈ download your emails to a third party software using POP settings (Outlook, Mail etc) and then remove the original file from the server

If emails are not managed or maintained, they will stop working once the disc space has been filled. You will then need to follow the above instructions or if you’re not comfortable with technology, contact and IT professional to fix the problem.

Email exchange

Email exchange is a far more efficient way to manage the complexity of email communication. Similar to email hosting, email exchange allows you to not just create email accounts, but also gives you the ability to access your email, contacts, calendar and notes across all of your devices. Set up using IMAP (not POP) emails that you send or receive from your phone will sync with your desktop, laptop or tablet, giving you the control to manage your business on the go. Email exchange is no longer just an email service, it is the ultimate business tool for communication, planning and organisation.

A little bit of history

Traditionally, and this is how we came to have clients who have their email through our server, smaller businesses had their web and email hosting in the one place. Emails were a simple form of communication back then as we’d simply download the emails to our desktop and it would delete from the server. As it wasn’t being stored on the server, clients wouldn’t run out of disc space.

Historically it was only the larger organisations that split web hosting and email onto two different servers. Splitting the services like this meant that they had to have IT staff to manage the emails, but over the past few years many businesses have been getting the benefits of dedicated email hosting by utilising cloud services like Google Apps. This may require an IT professional in the setup, but once set up, it’s usually good to go.

Technology has changed so much since we started building websites, and emails have certainly changed in the way that we use and access them. The reality is that website hosting (which we provide) is very limited in the email service it can provide for people who would like to access their emails on the go and have them sync with all of their devices. Our service for email is restricted to POP accounts, limited disc space and Webmail access. Once a third party software system comes into play, this is the space for an IT professional.

We take great pride in the work that we do. Please note that with the constant changes to technology and the realisation that this is not our strong point, we will continue to offer website hosting, but as of 1 January will not provide email hosting or support. We highly recommend that business owners move to an email exchange system to enhance their user experience and ensure that their emails are easily managed, synced and stored.

Why use a dedicated email host/exchange?

◈ Dedicated email hosting offers more storage space and better options for accessing email via web browsers and mobile devices than all-in-one hosting

◈ Having lots of storage space means you never have to delete any emails so you can always see all of your messages and send emails from anywhere (from your your computer in the office, your phone while you’re on the road and your iPad at home, for example). This also means if your hard drive crashes you won’t lose all your emails.

◈ Separating email means your web hosting server has more space, less load and can be optimised to serve your website fast and securely.

◈ You can access and manage your email, contacts, calendar and notes all from one server, making life more efficient and productive.

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Colocation vs Dedicated Server Hosting

What is the difference between colocation and Dedicated Server hosting?

The difference between dedicated server hosting and colocation is that clients of dedicated hosting leases an entire server housed in an off-site datacenter that is dedicated solely for their own use and without anyone sharing the facility with them while a clients for colocation chooses to lease a rack or a cabinet in an highly secured off-site datacenter to house their server hardware and shares the use of the facility and its services with other colocation subscribers. While both of them are on lease, one has the whole datacenter to himself while the other shares the datacenter with others. Another major difference between them is that, with colocation, you own the hardware which gives you the total control when it comes to the choice of hardware and OS you want to use while the service vendor owns the hardware in dedicated hosting which means you need to pay for upgrades of your machines.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Colocation?

The relative freedom of colocation brings with it a lot of advantages and disadvantages. The following are the advantages of colocation:

◈ Higher bandwidth which means higher speed
◈ You get to decide upon the server machines’ hardware and software
◈ Opportunity and freedom to install any software and application
◈ You get to decide on the specs and capacity of your disk which is dependent upon the technical requirements of your server
◈ Full control over the removal, addition and change of any of the files in your system
◈ Full control over the processes and users in the system
◈ A 24/7 technical and service support
◈ Increased Flexibility
◈ Scalability
◈ Redundancy service and reliability, ensuring a high uptime guarantee
◈ Guarantee of a reliable power capacity that can fully accommodate and serve your computing needs

The following are the list of disadvantages of colocation:

◈ Difficulty of finding geographically available colo centers
◈ It can be more expensive than dedicated hosting specially the high initial cost of equipment purchase
◈ Necessity to hire personnel with expertise to run and manage the server
◈ There is need to travel from the business center to the colo center to perform off-site work on server and
◈ Fluctuation and variation in monthly bills makes budgeting difficult.

What advantages and disadvantages can I get from Dedicated Server Hosting?

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of dedicated server hosting:

◈ You are assured of a top calibre server performance because you do not share the system resources like processor power, disk space and memory with any other subscriber using the facility.
◈ As the whole system is dedicated for your use only, you do not run the risk of being crashed, swamped or slowed down by any other site.
◈ You don’t need to worry about anybody within the server accessing your files as nobody else has access to it but you.
◈ Custom Configuration of server suited to your needs.
◈ Custom Firewall to enforce access control policy.
◈ You have your own unique IP address.
◈ Memory, more processor and disk space can be added by provider should the need arise.

These are the known disadvantages of dedicated server hosting:

◈ High monthly cost of operation and
◈ The need to hire competent staff and experts to run and maintain server.

Which is better, colocation or dedicated server hosting?

Both hosting options has its own merits and disadvantages and there is no straight answer to the question of which is better. However, here is your guide; if your project is budget sensitive, go for a dedicated server but if you have the resources, colocation would be best for you.

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Shared vs. Reseller vs. VPS hosting. What’s the difference?

We get a lot of requests asking “What is the difference between shared hosting, reseller hosting & VPS hosting?” We’ll give a brief description on what each type of hosting is below & who would use these types of hosting plans.

Shared Hosting:

Shared hosting plans are “single user” plans that are designed for single website applications. This typically is used by a small business that has a single website or an individual looking to host their portfolio site. Shared hosting plans can also host multiple websites using what’s called “addon domains”. These are simply sub-directories under the main account with DNS maps that point to them. While hosting multiple sites on a single account may sound good, there’s actually a lot of performance & security issues from doing this.

For example, let’s say you have a shared hosting account with 10 addon domains and one of them were to get hacked – now the hacker has access to all other websites residing on this account. To add to security concerns, you will have performance issues. Each account (cPanel account or shared account) is allocated a certain amount of resources (memory/cpu/I/O). As more & more websites are added to this single account, each one consumes a chunk of those resources. As more websites are added, they start to compete against each other for memory/processing power, which ultimately will slow down all of the websites hosted on the account.

If you plan to host multiple websites, please see the description below for “reseller hosting”.

Reseller Hosting:

Reseller hosting is similar to shared hosting with one major difference: You have a dashboard to manage multiple single accounts. This means with a reseller hosting account, you can create multiple “shared” style hosting plans and use a single dashboard (WHM) to manage them. As you add more websites, you can assign each website its own cPanel account. Each account then has its own unique login, username & password, email accounts, and most importantly, its own resources.

In addition to simply using a reseller plan for hosting multiple websites, many “hosting resellers” utilize reseller plans from a parent provider such as want2host to sell web hosting to their clients. You can utilize the included billing software (WHMCS) to automatically bill your clients, provide a support desk & automatically provision hosting accounts from automated ordering.

Reseller hosting accounts are also great for web designers, development firms, and companies that need to host multiple website accounts.

VPS Hosting:

A step up from shared and reseller hosting  is VPS hosting. VPS hosting is referred to as a “Virtual Private Server” or VM “Virtual Machine”. A VPS is similar to a physical server except that it is virtual. We utilize very powerful physical servers that host multiple virtual servers on high speed RAID 10 SSD arrays with many disks for safety and performance. A VPS is a solution for those who require one or more of the following:

◈ Isolation from other websites (other customers)
◈ Custom scripts
◈ Specialized server settings
◈ Larger amounts of resources
◈ Company policies/guidelines that require isolation

There’s two types of VPS solutions: Managed VPS & Self Managed VPS.

A managed VPS is a virtual server that is fully managed by our staff. Our technicians respond to any issues, maintenance or website problems that come up from time to time. We handle all of the server-side tasks, daily backups as well as customer requests that may need to be completed. A managed VPS is ideal for those who require an isolated solution or larger amounts of dedicated resources but don’t want to hassle of managing a server. Our managed VPS’s also include a licensed version of cPanel & WHM, firewall, Softaculous script installer, R1Soft backups & more.

A self-managed VPS is managed by you. Self-managed VPS’s are less expensive, however, we only provide the server itself and make sure that it is online. These types of servers do not include backups, control panels or any type of maintenance. A self-managed VPS is a good solution for those who have the expertise to manage, secure & maintain a server.

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Shared vs. Managed WordPress Hosting

Web hosting is an absolutely critical aspect of any online business. Without the proper hosting, you won’t have a website, it’s as simple as that. However, choosing the right kind of web hosting package for your needs is another thing entirely.

There are a variety of options you’ll come across. The most common being basic shared hosting, VPS, managed hosting, and running dedicated servers. To keep things simple we’re going to look at two of the most commonly used hosting providers and options for websites that utilize the WordPress CMS.

Below we dive deeper into the world of web hosting as we compare WordPress hosting, versus shared hosting plans with basic hosting services where you’re just using WordPress as a CMS.

What is Managed WordPress Hosting?

Managed WordPress hosting is a hosting environment that’s specifically designed to cater to WordPress websites. Think of this web host as wearing a well-tailored suit, custom fitted to your body. Rather than grabbing a suit off the rack, with your eyes closed!

Managed WordPress hosting advantages when using their features for your website include:

• It’s incredibly fast. Every aspect of the server has been tweaked to cater to WordPress’s setup. This level of hosting can often drop page load speeds by a second or more.

• It’s much more secure. This kind of web hosting service offers increased security protocols and more individualized attention. Plus, if you do get hacked you’ll have a support team who has experience with WordPress-specific attacks.

• Your server is always up to date. The team who manages your hosting will always ensure the server is running the latest software, so your site will perform as efficiently as possible. Their goal is to keep you, and your website, happy.

• Dedicated customer support. The support teams who run managed WordPress hosting accounts are generally WordPress experts. Who would you rather have looking after your site?

• Increased uptime. Since your site will be sharing resources with less websites, and in some cases, none, your site is able to use a greater portion of the server resources.

Are There Any Drawbacks?

Since managed WordPress hosting is a more customized hosting solution, there are a few drawbacks that come with the upgraded service. For instance, the costs for this kind of hosting are generally higher.

Sometimes, there are also limitations on the amount of customization you can do across your site. Some managed WordPress hosts won’t allow your site to use certain plugins. So, if your site requires certain plugins to function, and those plugins are on the host’s restricted list, and then you might need to find another hosting option. 

Also, you can only run WordPress on managed WordPress hosting. Any other kinds of CMSs aren’t allowed.

Why Would I Use Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting can be great if you’re just getting started with building a website and are unsure if you want to commit all the way, or not. But, if you’re looking to grow your website and are expecting to receive a very large amount of traffic, then you may want to consider upgrading to something more reliable.

For instance, when you use a shared hosting option your website is put on a server with hundreds, and sometimes thousands of others. You have no idea who these other websites are, and whether or not they have proper security measures in place, or are using a properly coded theme.

The resources on the shared server will get divided between every website using the server. This means that if a website on the server experiences a large surge in traffic from a post going viral, then your site may load slowly as a result.

Shared hosting providers just isn’t as reliable and custom tailored to the WordPress environment.

There’s no “right” hosting choice for every kind of business out there. But, if you can afford the additional costs of WordPress managed hosting, and have plans to grow your website in the future, then utilizing the hosting services of managed WordPress hosting is generally the way to go.

If you’re unsure about the higher price point, then stick with the basic shared web hosting, you can always upgrade in time, as your site grows!

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Cloud Hosting vs VPS Hosting: Know The Difference

The misunderstanding about the technological difference between Cloud Hosting vs VPS Hosting in the web hosting industry is becoming quite a buzz now.

Most of the people generally tend to misread the basic difference between the two. This is due to the lack of awareness about the differentiating factors of these two web hosting technologies.

With the advent of virtualization and remote operations, there is a considerable increase in most of the established organizations and even startups opting for the similar solutions to host their websites.

They no more need to own a physical architecture (a CPU with the certain specifications of processor, RAM, and storage), an operating system, on top of this hardware, and then the particular web application (like WordPress, Magento, Drupal, Joomla, and many more etc.) on which website is to be hosted.

And, that’s not it! Further, this arrangement will require efficient and redundant power supplies and periodic maintenance to ensure the server is up and running at all times.

Firstly, let’s jump to basics for a while about what cloud and virtualization are. In simple words, cloud and virtualization is something that separates the hardware, operating system, and the application running on that hardware from each other.

The basic concept remains the same in both of the technologies. However, reliability, flexibility, and availability have been some major separating indicators between the two.

What Is VPS Hosting?

VPS (Virtual Private Servers) Hosting, sometimes also known as “Private Cloud”, is based on servers which are crafted using virtualization mechanism.

The architecture is one which has multiple individual dedicated slots on the same virtual machine. Each slot can be assigned to dedicated resources. Nonetheless, the technology generally works on a time-shared or resource-shared phenomenon.

One of the major disadvantages that are stopping the VPS hosting industry to reach to the next level is its vulnerability that can cause a particular slot or resource go down in any crash scenario and the application or website on that particular space will be unavailable with no redundant online availability unless and until the issue is fixed.

However, rest of the applications on different slots will be up and running without any disruption in service.

But, there remains a possibility, although in exceptional cases, where a major trouble hitting a certain slot, such as unexpectedly excessive traffic on a random day or DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack, can cause the entire machine and the subsequent applications to go down as all the resources belong to the same machine.

However, VPS hosting does have some useful points as it brings the margin closer between the dedicated and shared hosting solutions.

Benefits of VPS Hosting

◈ VPS hosting offers total and complete freedom. Free to manage your server as you like, you have access to everything and you can install all the software you need.

◈ Hosting in VPS is very efficient. Unlike shared hosting, the VPS is not dependent on traffic or audience. You have your own resources and you are isolated from other servers.

◈ Hosting in VPS is secure. All your files are private and inaccessible to other clients regardless of their rights on the server.

What is Cloud Hosting?

Cloud hosting is the top-of-the-line website (or application) hosting solution available presently. The technology has already achieved a tremendous level of acceptance in a short period of time.

Websites hosted on the cloud are accessible anytime, anywhere. This means that hosting resources for each website are replicated on every cloud server in the cluster. For example, if one cloud server has maximum traffic already, then it automatically routes the query for the specific site to the idle cloud server in the cluster.

In other words, cloud runs the web hosting services, like files storage, SSH, FTP, SFTP, and email services (for e.g. SMTP), etc., on many different servers simultaneously.

This simultaneous allocation of equal resources on the cloud servers in the cluster provides a great deal of reliability. For example, if one of the machines malfunctions, it will not cause a failure or disruption in the entire hosting service.

Benefits of Cloud Hosting

◈ Cloud hosting is relatively reliable because your website is hosted on a virtual partition that takes advantage of multiple physical networks. When one of the servers goes offline, it will slightly reduce the resource level to the cloud but will not add up to your website. No inaccessibility or anything else.

◈ Cloud hosting is secured by many physical servers that are protected from third-parties who want to access their premises or interrupt their services.

◈ Cloud hosting is extensible, flexible, and scalable. It does not have the same constraints as a single server. Resources are available according to your requests and in real time.

◈ Cloud hosting is economical because you only pay for what you use.

Which Server to Choose? Cloud Hosting vs VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is generally less efficient since it allocates a specified amount of computing resources to each client. Hence, if the requirement increases, the system would not be able to handle the additional inflow. It will simply crash. Same would be the case if the server malfunctions.

Cloud hosting, on the other hand, tackles the increase differently. Under the cloud environment, the website is hosted on a pool of unified computing resources. This simply means that if one server is reaching its optimum level, then a second server is ready to function. Similarly, if a server fails, the website will still be running as other servers will continue to serve the incoming traffic.

If you want reliability and powerful functionality, then Cloud hosting is a great choice. The recent price slashes in cloud infrastructure from Amazon and the likes shows that the market has immense growth potential. Furthermore, it shows that cloud hosting is getting affordable too.

VPS is made for people who are interested in hosting just a website. While it is powerful, VPS does not guarantee uptime should your website fails due to high traffic or a technical glitch.

The comparison below shows the differences in both the infrastructure.

	VPS Hosting	Cloud Hosting
Server Deployment and Management	Yes	Yes
Server Sharing Model	Private Server	Dedicated Cloud Server
Scalability (auto/manual)	Yes	Yes
Low Cost	Yes	Yes
Pay As You Go	No	Yes
Flexibility	No	Yes
Customization	Yes	Yes
Security	Yes	Yes
Instant Provisioning	No	Yes (in managed hosting)
Performance	Depends on vendor	Fast
Reliability	Yes	Yes
Multiple Data Centers	Depends on vendor	Yes

Why Cloud Hosting Stands out as the Best Hosting Solution Available Currently?

The cloud-based hosting, however, is more stable as there will not be any effect on performance when a part of the component goes down as it is decentralized.

In the Cloud, there is an option to integrate additional resources if needed. RAM, disc space, or bandwidth, etc., can be added with few clicks and dismissed when no longer needed without financial loss. Thus, Cloud hosting can also be defined as a web hosting solution that provides resources on demand. It is dynamically scalable and customizable according to the needs of the customer. No large investments are required. Unnecessary resources can be removed without any cancellation or further fees.

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What is Wiki Hosting and when one should opt for Wiki Hosting?

Wiki hosting is used to generate content and bases of knowledge. It helps to expand ideas and other topics through updates, revisions and adding more to the information already available via virtual means anytime. They all have separate domains. Wiki hosting is also used to publish content, share documents, connect with people and create communities.

Wiki hosting supplies users with a simple way to build a knowledge database that can be edited by assigned individuals or other visitors. Wiki hosting is known as a professional collaboration solution. It facilitates its users with such tools that make it easier to communicate within a community. The workers are given the access to the vital contact tools. It also helps in building a wiki website which allows people to create a single resource that covers a specific topic about which they are passionate about.

The website can be given a specific theme to match the respective topic and multiple users can contribute to single wiki. It provides a built in search bar which helps the visitors find a specific topic of their interest. Editing of items can be done just by a single click through wiki hosting. Users can also control the advertisements displayed on their wiki pages. It is specially created to make it easier for anyone to collaborate making the work more efficient, find solutions or come up with new concepts quickly and easily. Wiki hosting is usually used to compile a list of pages on any subject or theme so that people can edit and update or find information on the topic they need. It can also be referred as as a service where any business can host his own workspace to manage certain projects and work together. On a website hosted by wiki, several people can interact in the same workspace and adjust the happening and content on it. One can find one of the best communities on the internet on Wiki hosting websites. It is very popular because it is the only hosting service which allows one to work with friends and co — workers on the same documents, share data and files instantly. One can register to companies that host wiki for free or a reasonable price. It is very useful to register with such companies as it allows easy usage of the website and one doesn’t has to face the problems of understanding or using complex programs and systems like Ruby, Apache, PHP or SQL. Hence, it becomes the duty of the Wiki Host to serve you with all the facilities and make your business grow. There are various kinds of Wiki Hosting services. List of such hosting services available are as follows :-

1. @Wiki (AtWiki)
2. Fri host
3. GForge
4. Intodit
5. MemeBot
6. MyWikis
7. OddWiki
8. Shout wiki
9. Source Forge
10. Tiddly Spot
11. Wet Paint
12. Wiki
13. Wikidot
14. Wiki — site.com
15. Wiki spaces
16. Wiki spot
17. Wiki.yt
18. XWIKI
19. Edit.this.info

These different categories of Wiki Hosting services are also known as Wiki Farm servers but shouldn’t be confused with Wiki “families” i.e. a group of Wikis which are located on a common server. Wiki farms could be non-commercial or commercial and both can be found online for the usage and benefit of the people.

The Wiki farms or wiki hosts are area great advantage as prior to their discovery and usage, people had to install and manage the necessary software themselves. 

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