Choosing A Web Hosting Provider by Thomas Burke
When I was first looking for website hosting, it seemed that nowhere on the Web
could I find a definitive chart of what coding languages belonged where and
what tools I would need from a server--statistics programs, FTP access, and all
those other necessary technical details I felt I needed to be familiar with.
Granted, I wasn't running a business, so I had a little more time to ponder
these things. But even if you're not interested in the "geek talk"--all those
acronyms like FTP, PHP, ASP, and MySQL--you as a manager need to be at least
somewhat familiar with these terms, what they do and why your web developer
needs them.
Unfortunately, hosting is not hosting is not hosting. Several variables apply
when determining which Web Hosting Provider you should choose for your site.
Some of these variables depend on your progress in determining what kind of
website you will need--mostly dynamic, with searchable and interactive content,
or mostly static, with set page content--and what kind of programming languages
you might be using, if any. This article is a quick primer to help you know
which Web Hosting Provider you should choose, and why.
First, talk to your developers. Get their input regarding what database types
are right for your project, what programming languages they are using, and
other concerns they have. If you're outsourcing the work, make sure you know
which language your contractor will be using and that all necessary elements
will be available on your hosting server: programming language APIs, database
access and necessary storage space, statistics, etc. Any competent contractor
should be able to help you with these details as well.
Choose a platform and programming language. Two operating systems (OS) dominate
the world of hosting: Windows and Linux. These operating systems are much like
the one you use on your own computer: they provide a base on which all other
programs on the server run. While most home and office computers use Windows,
Linux runs about 65 to 70 percent of the servers on the Internet. For all
intents and purposes,
Linux is the best choice because of its unsurpassed stability and
security. If a cracker ("hacker") does happen to compromise a Linux server, he
will have access only to a limited number of files, and these most likely will
not be core operating system files which he could use to do real damage.
Windows, however, acts as both the OS and the server, so it harbors more
vulnerabilities.
Security and stability are almost paramount in determining a server type, but
other factors play in, such as which language you or your team will use to
build your website. These languages are like HTML (and often are used to create
it), but special in that the server itself interprets them and displays dynamic
content to the user based on how the site is coded. The user never sees this
"server-side" code. Linux or Windows:
Which language? Your team will most likely have a coding language they
are already familiar with, which will dictate the answer to this question. If
you're running a small business and outsourcing this work, though, the question
will dictate how and where you can migrate your site if you ever want to switch
hosting providers, so it's good to familiarize yourself with the strengths,
weaknesses and common uses of these languages.
PHP coupled with a MySQL database is a great way to build small or large
dynamic sites that pull from databases. You can build polls, surveys, tracking
software, and lots more with PHP: it is very versatile and powerful, and is
most at home on Linux.
ASP is normally used with MSSQL databases and helps build product
inventories and large searchable websites. Microsoft has included some features
with Windows hosting that allow for fast and easy website development. If you
have existing elements of your site that run better with Windows, you will want
to consider Windows hosting.
Perl and ColdFusion are both platform-independent, meaning they will run
on all types of servers. Perl is great for statistics reporting, and can also
build whole websites and interact with each database type. ColdFusion requires
a special installation that many servers do not have, but it is a popular way
to build dynamic websites and interacts with programs like Macromedia
Dreamweaver and Flash.
JavaScript exists in the end user's browser--be it Netscape, Internet
Explorer, or another--which means its effects will vary depending on the user.
Good web developers take this into consideration, which is important, because
JavaScript usually validates forms and controls user behavior so that invalid
content is not inserted into your database.
XML is great if you want to syndicate your content. It is usually
created by PHP or another server-side language in order to provide constantly
updated content in a uniform format that can be read by RSS programs. This is
by far not the only use for XML, but it is a common one.
Choosing a company. Once you have a language nailed down, you can
find the best hosting provider for your site. Here we encounter the
ever-present questions of how much storage the site needs (measured in
megabytes, "MB", or gigabytes, "GB"), how much transfer (or "bandwidth")
you require, and which peripherals are included, like statistical reporting
and unique IP addresses.
Storage is usually the first detail that comes to mind. It's not uncommon for
many hosting providers to offer gigabytes of space, but does your site really
need so much storage? Usually for a small to medium-sized website, 25 to 100
megabytes of space is enough.
You must also consider how the storage capacity figures into your monthly
bandwidth. Bandwidth, or "transfer" as it is interchangeably called, is how
much information goes to and from your website on a monthly basis. The "pipes"
that move information around the Internet are only so large, so information
transfer has to be regulated to avoid clogging those pipes. If your site
includes heavy multimedia content--images, video, Flash movies, downloadable
files--you may find that not only your storage, but also your bandwidth
requirements will be quite high. Small sites require about one to two gigabytes
of storage per month, larger ones 10 to 15 gigabytes.
In order to know who visits your site and how often, you need statistical
reporting. One of the best reporting programs out there is Advanced Web
Stats, or AWStats. Look for a hosting package that includes this
program, which will give you specifics on unique visits, total hits, search
engine phrases visitors come in on, visitor locations, and a lot more.
AWS Web Hosting includes AWStats with all its hosting packages.
When choosing a Web Hosting Provider, keep all these features in mind, ask lots
of questions, and always make sure you are comfortable with the answers given.
If you compromise on one necessity, you may find yourself regretting it when
the time for upgrades or extensions comes. Stick to your guns, talk to your
contractor or your team, and don't be afraid to spend a little more if it means
your website will be better equipped to perform. Happy hunting!
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