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Sunday 9 June 2013

Choosing a Web Hosting Provider

Web Hosting


Unless you work with an organization that already has an established web site hosting environment, eventually you’re going to have to evaluate and purchase the services of a web hosting provider. Happily, this is an extremely crowded and competitive market, with providers vying for your business by offering an impressive array of services, disk space, and bandwidth at very low prices. 





Generally speaking, hosting providers can be broken into three categories:

  • Dedicated server hosting: 

Dedicated server hosting involves leasing an entire web server, allowing your web site full reign over server CPU, disk space, and memory resources, as well as control over how the server is configured. This solution is particularly advantageous because you typically have complete control over the server’s administration but you don’t have to purchase or maintain the server hardware, hosting facility, or the network connection.


  • Shared server hosting: 

If your website will require modest server resources, or if you don’t want to be bothered with managing the server, shared server hosting is likely the ideal solution. Shared hosting providers capitalize on these factors by hosting numerous web sites on a single server and using highly automated processes to manage system and network resources, data backups, and user support. The result is that they’re able to offer appealing pricing arrangements (many respected shared hosting providers offer no-contract monthly rates for as low as $8 a month) while simultaneously maintaining high customer satisfaction.


  • Virtual private server hosting: 

A virtual private server blurs the line between a dedicated and shared server, providing each user with a dedicated operating system and the ability to install applications and fully manage the server by way of virtualization. Virtualization lets you run multiple distinct operating systems on the same server. The result is complete control for the user while simultaneously allowing the hosting provider to keep costs low and pass those savings along to the user.

Keep in mind this isn't necessarily a high-priority task; there’s no need to purchase web hosting services until you’re ready to deploy your web site. Therefore, even inspite of the trivial hosting rates, consider saving some time, money, and distraction by waiting to evaluate these services until absolutely necessary.

Seven Questions for Any Prospective Hosting Provider

On the surface, most web hosting providers offer a seemingly identical array of offerings, boasting absurd amounts of disk space, endless bandwidth, and impressive guaranteed server up-times. Frankly, chances are that any respected hosting provider is going to meet and even surpass your expectations, not only in terms of its ability to meet the resource requirements of your web site, but also in terms of its technical support services. However, as a PHP developer, there are seven questions you should ask before settling upon a provider:

1. Is PHP supported, and if so, what versions are available? Many hosting providers have been aggravatingly slow to upgrade to the latest PHP version; therefore, if you’re planning on taking advantage of version-specific features, be sure the candidate provider supports the appropriate version. Further, it would be particularly ideal if the provider simultaneously supported multiple PHP versions, allowing you to take advantage of various PHP applications that have yet to support the latest PHP version.

2. Is MySQL/Oracle/PostgreSQL supported, and if so, what versions are available? Like PHP, hosting providers have historically been slow to upgrade to the latest database version. Therefore, if you require features available only as of a certain version, be sure to confirm that the provider supports that version.

3. What PHP file extensions are supported? Inexplicably, some hosting providers continue to demand users use deprecated file extensions such as .phtml for PHP-enabled scripts. Only providers allowing the standard .php extension should be considered.

4. What restrictions are placed on PHP-enabled scripts? PHP’s behaviour and capabilities can be controlled through the php.ini file. Some of these configuration features were put into place for the convenience of hosting providers, who may not always want to grant all of PHP’s power to its users. Accordingly, some functions and extensions may be disabled, which could ultimately affect what features you’ll be able to offer on your web site.

5. What restrictions are placed on using Apache .htaccess files? Some third-party software, most notably web frameworks, requires that a feature known as URL rewriting be enabled in order to properly function; however, not all hosting providers allow users to tweak Apache’s behaviour through special configuration files known as .htaccess files. Therefore, know what limitations, if any, are placed on their use.

6. What PHP software do you offer by default, and do you support it? Most hosting providers offer automated installers for installing popular third-party software such as Joomla!, WordPress, and phpBB. Using these installers will save you some time, and will help the hosting provider troubleshoot any problems that might arise. However, some providers only offer this software for reasons of convenience but don’t offer technical assistance. Additionally, you should ask whether the provider will install PEAR and PECL extensions upon request.

7. Does (insert favourite web framework or technology here) work properly on your servers? If you’re planning on using a particular PHP-powered web framework or a specific technology (e.g., a third-party e-commerce solution), you should make sure this software works properly on the hosting provider’s servers. If the hosting provider can’t offer a definitive answer, search various on-line forums using the technology name and the hosting provider as keywords.

>> At the end, choosing a web hosting provider might not be easy for you but it is important. So choose wisely!!!

2 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. chim lợn kêu báo điềm gì tớ đêm qua nó cứ đậu ở mái nhà mình và kêu 3 tiếng không biết điềm gì chứ nghe thấy sợ sợ và lo lo
    nuôi rùa trong nhà có tốt không ông bác mình đi công tác đem về cho cho rùa bảo nuôi nhưng mình không dám vì sợ linh thiêng, không biết đem lại điều xui gì không
    gà trống đẻ trứng có điềm gì gà nhà mình đẻ liên tiếp 5 trứng luôn đấy
    cho tru báo điềm gì âm thanh của tiếng chó trú là một sự việc báo hiệu cho một điềm chẳng lành sắp sửa xảy ra.
    gà mái gáy là điềm báo gì có làm sao không

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