How to choose the best hosting for a website? Complete guide

If you are planning to launch a blog, website or eCommerce you have surely heard about web hosting, the essential and indispensable element to bring your project online.

In this article you will find an overview of all information related to the web world: what is a hosting and how it works, a comparison of all types of shared and dedicated hosting, what features a web hosting should have and how to manage the hosting plan you choose.

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Table of Contents:
What is a web hosting
How a web hosting works
Domain
SSL certificates
Installation of software and CMS
Backup
Using an FTP client with hosting
How to configure an FTP client
Differences between domain, web hosting and website
What are the different types of web hosting
Shared Hosting or Shared Hosting
Pros and cons of shared web hosting
VPS Hosting
Pros and cons of VPS Hosting
Cloud Hosting
Pros and Cons of Cloud Hosting
Dedicated Hosting
Pros and Cons of Dedicated Hosting
eCommerce Hosting
Pros and Cons of eCommerce Hosting
CMS Hosting
Pros and Cons of Hosting for CMS
Reseller Hosting
Pros and Cons of Reseller Hosting
Multisite Hosting
Pros and cons of multisite hosting
Essential features of hosting
Cost
Bandwidth
Speed
Scalability
Uptime and downtime
Storage space
SSD disks
Email accounts
Support and service
Customization
How to make your hosting solution perform better with additional services
Which management panel to use?
Plesk
cPanel
Shellrent Manager Panel
Website creation: how to choose between HTML, CMS and Site Builder
Static website
Dynamic website
How to improve the speed of a website?
CDN
TTFB
Last but not least: web hosting glossary, useful terms to know
DNS
IP address
Uptime and Downtime
FTP
SSL
Database
MySQL
HTML
Redirect 301
Error 404
Error 502
DDoS attack
CMS
Crawler
Bottom line.
What is web hosting
The term web hosting refers to the space hosted on a server where the data needed to display the website can be saved. The amount of space available will vary depending on the hosting solution chosen, which, in general, can be shared or dedicated.

Within the hosting space are hosted all the elements that make up the website such as pages, files, images and the database used to build the website itself.

When a user wants to view your website, he or she simply has to type your domain name into the browser and the computer will send a request to the server that contains your website files and will redirect the user to the site he or she wishes to visit.

How web hosting works
The first step in setting up a Web site is to find a hosting provider who will provide you with the necessary server space to host your Database. This will be responsible, first and foremost, for recommending the best solution based on the needs of your web project. In addition, it will be responsible for the operation of the server hosting the web space (with the database, resources and more), taking care to keep the server up to date and in good condition, both in terms of performance and security.

Obviously, there are different types of web hosting, from shared to dedicated solutions: in the case of a shared hosting, the provider will have to provide much of the management of the service; on the contrary, a dedicated space will require more technical expertise and more responsibility on the part of the user.

In addition to web space, the hosting provider also provides a number of services closely related to website management: let’s analyze the main ones.

Domain
To build a website, hosting is not enough: you also need the domain, which is the name of the website itself that users type into the address bar to access your content by sending a request to the Domain Name System (DNS), the network of servers.

Each website has a unique domain name and, at Shellrent, we include free registration with the purchase of web space. This can be a money saver as well as a time saver in managing your web project.

SSL Certificates.
Often hosting providers also include in every hosting solution the SSL certificate, which is necessary to apply the HTTPS secure protocol to web pages instead of http, also showing the padlock in the URL bar. Using SSL is considered practically mandatory since Google started marking sites without it as insecure.

The SSL certificate provides an encrypted and authenticated connection, protecting users’ sensitive data and online transactions. Secondary effects should also be considered: first, better SEO ranking since Google prefers sites with SSL. Also, the increased trust from visitors who perceive the site as secure.

There are free SSL certificates such as Let’s Encrypt, and paid SSL certificates: while both implement the SSL protocol, they differ in some respects.

• Validity: Let’s Encrypt lasts 90 days while a paid SSL certificate usually lasts 1 year. This is an important advantage because it gives you peace of mind without having to resort to constant replacements.
• Validation: paid SSL certificates often provide for verification of the website owner, making sure the actual match.
• Domain type: paid SSL solutions are not limited to single certificates but also offer cross-domain certificates that are certainly very useful.
• Technical support: Let’s Encrypt does not offer any support in case of problems, unlike paid SSL certificates. In fact, in the latter case you will be able to turn to your provider for any eventuality.

Installation of software and CMS
Many users use software and CMSs to manage the site and its content: think for example of WordPress, the most widely used content management system worldwide. That’s why it’s helpful if the related installation is quick, preferably one-click.

Backup
Backup is among the indispensable strategies for responding to unforeseen events or possible problems. We know that in an increasingly digital environment, web operations run fast-that’s why Shellrent’s hosting plans include a weekly backup.

Of course, there must be no shortage of additional backup options: daily, monthly, for web, for email, and so on, with the goal of customizing each solution to the maximum by defining a level of protection appropriate to each business tool.

Using the FTP client with hosting
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used in the web world for data transfer based on a client-server system to upload and move files within your hosting directories.

For the transfer system to work properly, you need an FTP client through which to manage file uploads and downloads in an easy way, also taking advantage of drag-and-drop modes.

Through port 21 the client sends commands to the server, which in turn responds with status codes. Thanks to the remote connection you will be able to view two windows at the same time: on one side, the files and folders present locally on the PC, and on the other side, the files and folders present on the remote server.

Here you can simply drag and drop the files to be uploaded to the remote server, into the appropriate folder, and release them to start the upload.

How to configure an FTP client
Typically, the configuration of an FTP client varies depending on the client you choose; however, there are generally settings that the major clients have in common.

• Host/Hostname: this is the FTP address communicated by the provider. It often coincides with the domain name or IP address.
• Port: usually the default connection port used is number 21.
• Username and password: these are the credentials communicated by the provider during activation that you will have to use to access the service.

Differences between domain, web hosting and website
To function properly, a website needs 3 aspects:

• It must be reachable through the domain.
• The domain relies on a server/hosting.
• The server hosts the files that make up the website itself.

We can better understand the correlation between these elements through a simple metaphor. Imagine the domain as a telephone directory: computers on the network communicate with each other through numbers, i.e., IP addresses, just as we use a phone number to call a person, and if we want to find a third party or be found, the number must be in the directory.

If phone number A matches company B on the directory, so too is domain A hosted on server B. If the domain were not there to do this, to visit a website we would have to enter the IP of the server, a 12-digit string that is much more difficult to remember than a simple domain name, into search engines (think, for example, shellrent.com)

Web hosting, on the other hand, can be compared to a piece of land that we rent: it includes nothing more than the land itself. Similarly, web hosting does not automatically include a website but represents a simple space to be filled, to be “furnished.” Thus, we can define hosting as the space in which to host our website or web application.

How to furnish our space? With files and content: each has its own extension, for example .php or .html. The server reads these files that contain instructions on how to display web pages and makes them reachable and navigable to users.

What are the different types of web hosting
Almost all hosting providers, including Shellrent, offer different web hosting solutions so that the user can choose the ideal option based on the project he or she intends to implement: for example, an eCommerce portal with 10,000 products will definitely require a web space with greater resources than a showcase site.

Obviously, each type of hosting has certain features and advantages that must be taken into consideration for the project you intend to implement.

Shared Hosting or Shared Hosting
Shared web hosting is probably the most common form of hosting.

In this case, the provider will manage the web space that will be shared with other users, each with their own unique domain but all placed within the same server, and therefore with the same IP address.

Web servers are pre-configured and equipped with advanced features precisely to allow certain performance also in terms of security of all projects involved that, while sharing resources, have autonomous management of content and files.

Shared web hosting is ideal for simple websites with moderate traffic that do not require excessive autonomy and resources. It is the perfect starting point for a new web project: in fact, shared space initially allows you to save money and, at the same time, to understand the limits and potential of your project: in this way it will be easier to decide which solution to move toward when the project is well underway.

Pros and cons of shared web hosting
Pros:

Low price
Almost complete management of hosting by the provider
Web server pre-configured and kept up-to-date with the latest features
Cons:

Server space and resources shared with other users
Increased risk of spam caused by other websites within the server
Possibility of slow website in case of traffic peaks
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server Hosting) means a physical server divided among multiple virtual spaces used to host individual websites. Even if the host supports multiple websites and therefore you share the same server with multiple users, you still have an exclusive partition for yourself, with associated resources, somewhat like a dedicated solution.

The VPS solution is often referred to as an intermediate between shared hosting and dedicated solutions, a kind of stepping stone: in fact, with the right technical skills, it is possible to customize the VPS according to the needs of the project.

Pros and Cons of VPS Hosting
Pros:

Dedicated hosting space
Scalability
Better performance because server traffic spikes will not affect your web space
Greater customization and autonomy
Cons:

Technical expertise needed to manage your share of the server
Higher price
Cloud Hosting
The advent of cloud technology has introduced a new type of hosting to the market: cloud hosting. This solution is designed to host individual web projects and operates on several interconnected servers that provide a scalable infrastructure.

Working in the cloud, in fact, in case of any inconvenience, traffic is automatically moved to a different cloud reducing downtime and keeping performance unchanged.

Pros and cons of cloud hosting
Pros:

Reduced likelihood of downtime
Scalable solution
Autonomous management of resources
Cons:

Root access is not always provided
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting provides an entire server, in fact dedicated to a single customer who will have access as administrator and can manage it independently, controlling every aspect related to configuration and operation.

Due to the high cost and the necessary technical skills to manage it, it is a solution recommended for large companies that need a lot of disk space and can take care of the server completely.

Pros and cons of Dedicated Hosting
Pros:

Maximum control over server management and configuration
Root access to your server
Space dedicated exclusively to your web project
Cons:

Higher cost than other solutions
Technical skills required for server management
eCommerce Hosting
eCommerce Hosting responds to a solution that integrates the ideal features for building online stores.

For example, eCommerce hosting is optimized with advanced sales features such as inventory management and payment processing.

Most hosting providers include advanced eCommerce features within each plan, both to make it easier for the user to choose the best hosting and to offer a high-performing product in an increasingly online business-oriented environment.

Pros and Cons of eCommerce Hosting
Pros:

Additional sales features
Resources designed for eCommerce
Cons:

Root access is not always provided
Space shared with other users
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CMS Hosting
CMSs are content management systems through which you can easily and intuitively manage web projects. The most common platforms include WordPress, PrestaShop, Joomla and Magento.

CMS hosting is designed to offer maximum compatibility and secure, comprehensive management with WordPress and other CMSs. The web space usually comes with the CMS already pre-installed to facilitate the relevant configuration and often also with the main plugins recommended for each platform.

Pros and cons of CMS hosting
Pros:

Reduced cost since it is a shared solution
CMS already pre-installed and ready in one click
SSD disks for increased speed
Cons:

Root access is not always provided
Space shared with other users