Benefits of Using the Linux Operating System

There are many benefits to using the Linux operating system in a web hosting environment, especially for consumers who are looking for low-cost web hosting services. The main benefits that are available from using Linux web hosting include:

• Open source – as the Linux operating system is open source, it allows web hosting companies to offer low cost web hosting services without compromising the quality of the web hosting service provided – when compared to commercial platforms such as Windows, open source operating systems are able to provide the benefit of full access to the operating system source code meaning that modifications can be made to the core of the platform if required as some larger web hosting providers may choose to do this if they are looking to offer improved levels of security and a more stable platform than what other web hosting companies can provide
• Reliability – when compared to Windows web hosting plans, Linux web hosting plans are seen as being more reliable and can provide customers with a worry-free web hosting experience – the issue that many web hosting companies are trying to overcome is downtime because this can be a major disadvantage to businesses that rely on their websites to provide them with a source of income, whether that be through advertising or sales of a product, because in such situations downtime can cost money – it is recommended that you choose a web hosting plan that can provide you with an uptime guarantee, simply so you know what to expect from your web hosting package
• Security – the security of Linux web hosting servers is seen as being stronger than that of a Windows server because there are many different measures that can be taken to provide a high level of security to Linux hosting customers – as well as using software firewalls to improve the level of security surrounding a Linux web hosting server, hardware firewalls are also recommended as well as measures to prevent SQL injections that could potentially take place through hosted web pages that are using weak code.

Disadvantages of Using Linux Web Hosting

There can also be disadvantages to using the Linux platform under some circumstances, include but not limited to:

• Management – the management of Linux servers can be seen as being an issue in some situations because you can only manage a Linux server through the command line over SSH meaning that you need to have some sort of basic knowledge as to how the Linux operating system functions so that you know what commands to use to complete certain tasks that will need to be done as part of maintaining your server – however, if you are inexperienced with server management then you can always consider using a fully managed Linux server hosting service as a way of having your needs met because this will take the responsibility of managing your Linux server away from you and will pass it on to an experienced support team who will do a professional job of it – if you do have experience with managing Linux servers then you can use this to your advantage by purchasing an unmanaged Linux server which you can then manage yourself, saving yourself money in the process
• Hacker target – because Linux is so widely used by large businesses and web hosting providers alike, Linux servers are often one of the main targets for hackers that are looking to gain access to systems illegally to steal the data and other information held on them – this can be an issue for some because it means that more advanced security measures have to be taken to protect Linux web hosting servers and the data that they hold and this can cost web hosting companies both time and money to ensure that the task is completed to a high level.

In conclusion, there are many different Linux web hosting companies to choose from and because of this you should consider each company based on their own merits as opposed to what they are able to offer in terms of web hosting plans as there is likely to be little difference between the services provided by individual web hosting companies. For the most part you won’t need to be worrying about the Linux distribution that is being used unless you are using Linux dedicated web hosting and have highly specific requirements as this will provide you with an opportunity to select an OS that has been designed for a specific purpose.

What defines green web hosting?

Green web hosting is a type of web hosting that is defined by several different features that may differ between web hosting providers. These features consist of:

• Power usage of equipment – the power usage of equipment can play a big factor in how green a web hosting company is because if they are using old and outdated equipment then this obviously wouldn’t have been manufactured to meet the current standards with regards to energy consumption – in order for a web hosting company to be able to provide green web hosting services, it is important for them to have invested in modern servers and networking equipment that are much more economical with the way in which they use energy and are able to provide a higher level of performance whilst using less energy – however, it is still going to be the case of the more powerful servers using up more energy than smaller, less powerful servers, but techniques can be applied to help stem the need for further servers such as the use of virtual machines
• Where the energy comes from – one of the most important factors for web hosting companies to consider if they wish to promote green web hosting is where the energy that powers their servers and network equipment comes from because if it is provided by fossil fuel-powered power stations then this isn’t going to aid them with the promotion of green web hosting to any extent – many data centres are now adding wind turbines on their own sites as this will allow them to generate their any electricity, whilst any spare capacity can be sold back to the National Grid which will provide any data centre with the opportunity to generate an extra source of income whilst reducing their own electricity costs through the reduction in reliance on external power suppliers
• Community involvement – some web hosting companies may choose to get involved with the local communities in which they are based with activities such as tree planting as these will allow the company to offset their carbon emissions to some extent by planting new trees that will be able to absorb the carbon dioxide produced by the web hosting provider’s activities – tree planting schemes can be costly and so for the most part web hosting providers don’t get involved to a great extent, but at the end of the day involvement in such schemes help to promote a positive company image and will aid them with the promotion of green web hosting services.

Are there any disadvantages to using green web hosting?

For individuals there can be some downsides to using green web hosting that need to be considered when weighing up the advantages of green web hosting. Such disadvantages may include:

• Cost – because of the extra investment that takes place in more expensive technologies in order to allow web hosting companies to offer green web hosting services, the cost of green web hosting services can be more expensive than web hosting services that are hosted on older hardware appliances and less energy-efficient data centres and this can place green web hosting services outside the budgets of many smaller businesses that are simply looking to establish their web presence, as at this time it is generally larger businesses that are looking to develop their green presence in multiple ways as a method of improving their corporate image
• Verifying green credentials – in some cases, particularly with smaller web hosting companies, it can be hard to verify the green credentials of the web hosting business because although some claim to be participating in tree planting schemes and using energy efficient hardware, verifying such claims can be very hard – however, most web hosting companies host their hardware in large data centres that usually put in efforts to offer green server hosting services meaning that if a web hosting company does claim to be using a data centre that offers green hosting then such claims are easier to verify than others.

In conclusion, green web hosting will allow businesses to reduce their carbon footprint which in-turn will allow them to improve their corporate image, especially to customers who are conscious of a business’s ethical and environmental policies. There are many different measures that web hosting companies can take to claim the green web hosting badge, but in order to offer carbon neutral web hosting services a web hosting provider will need to be actively engaged in community projects which involve growing trees and other environmentally tasks, whilst investment in modern servers and other hardware will need to take place to reduce a web hosting provider’s overall energy consumption. However, the investment will need to be passed on to the customer and so you may find that some green web hosting services carry an extra premium, this usually being with web hosting companies that specialize specifically in green web hosting.

PHP Content Management System

PHP content management systems are recommend for those considering low cost web hosting services and who would prefer to use a Linux web hosting package over one based on a Windows hosting server. A PHP CMS will typically use a MySQL database backend and this will help to enhance your user experience to provide you with a highly functional CMS that will be ideal as the base for even the largest of websites as such CMS systems tend to be highly scalable. If you are a web developer then you should choose a CMS that is based on the scripting language that you are most familiar with because this will allow you to develop and alter the system as your needs change. PHP CMS systems tend to be the open source alternatives as MySQL and Linux are open source alternatives to commercial products; this can be beneficial to beginners that are only getting started as it means that you won’t have to pay anything to use the application and under most circumstances will be able to use the open source CMS as you wish to create and manage the content for your website.

ASP Content Management System

Content management systems that are developed using either classic ASP or ASP.NET are designed for hosting on Windows servers as this is the only platform capable of hosting ASP based web pages and scripts. Classic ASP and ASP.NET web scripts tend to use either Microsoft Access databases or Microsoft SQL Server databases as these are the arguably the two best systems for use on Windows servers; any scalable ASP CMS is going to be using a Microsoft SQL Server database as to ensure that you are provided with the best levels of reliability and scalability possible. As Windows is a commercial product it is going to cost more to host an ASP content management system than it would cost to host a PHP CMS meaning that classic ASP and ASP.NET CMS systems are aimed at businesses rather than individuals. An ASP CMS is also unlikely to be open source in most situations, adding to the cost as it means that you’ll need to pay for a license in order to use your chosen ASP content management application.

Benefits of Using a Content Management System

A content management system will make it easier for you to manage the content that forms of your website as if you are using static HTML web pages then it can be a complicated process of first manually updating the files on your local computer and then having to upload them to your web space using a technology such as FTP. A CMS will provide you with a web interface that can be accessed through any web browser that will allow you to manage all aspects of your website; such an admin interface will allow you to upload videos, pictures and other files to form your content as you wish. As well as saving you time, a CMS can also save you money as if you are paying for someone to update your website every time you wish to add content or make a change then you can combat this by doing it yourself through a CMS, you can also setup additional users if you wish to spread the load of the management of your website.

Disadvantages of CMS Hosting

There are also disadvantages to using content management systems in some situations because they may not always be beneficial to some webmasters, for example those who are running smaller websites that aren’t updated on a regular basis. If the database backend of your website fails then the CMS base of your website will fail because it will be unable to access the content that your website requires to function, thus meaning that your website will be rendered inaccessible to your visitors. If you are looking to use a commercial CMS then you may be at a disadvantage because you will have to pay for the software that you are using when a open source solution may be more fitting for your needs, although the disadvantage of using open source applications is that you can’t always be sure that the software will be updated on a regular basis.

In conclusion, a CMS will improve your management experience if you are the webmaster of a site that needs to have its content updated on a regular basis in order to remain fresh and to keep the target audience focused and returning. Your choice of CMS system should be one that is based on a review of your specific needs and how scalable you need a system to be, although it can be safely concluded that some open source CMS systems are some of the best web applications available.

• How professional is the budget web host?

  The main thing to consider when evaluating a budget web hosting company is its home page on its website. Does it look professional and can you find all the information you need easily. Secondly, can you readily find the company’s contact information? Do they mention their contact number, email address or physical address? If they do not provide any contact information, then it may be best to leave them, as they may not be reputable, nor have a solid business foundation in place. Another thing to look for is the support functions that the budget web host provides. Do they provide technical support, live chat or e- mail services?

• Does the budget web host give a satisfaction guarantee?

  It is a wise move to find a budget web hosting company that provides a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee term to its clients. This way, you can trial the budget web host for a length of time and decide if you are happy with the service you receive. If you are not, then you can move your site to another hosting company and receive your money back. Most companies will offer a money back guarantee term; usually within 30 days of purchasing the hosting plan. If they do not guarantee the money back then it may be worth looking elsewhere for a budget hosting plan.

• What is the budget web host’s uptime guarantee?

  The uptime guarantee means the percentage of time that the hosting company assures that your site will be live on the internet. Several budget hosting companies provide 99% uptime, which means that they guarantee that the site will work 99 % of the time.

In short, opting for budget web hosting shouldn’t mean you have to compromise features, service or quality. Just do your research thoroughly and hopefully you will find a budget hosting plan that enables you and your business to make the most of the internet.

What defines an affordable web hosting package?

An affordable web hosting package is one that is going to be within the budgets of most low end users meaning that there will be a wide target audience that are likely to be interested in cheap hosting services. The most affordable web hosting services available tend to be shared hosting packages as web hosting companies are able to provision a larger number of hosting accounts per server than any other form of web hosting, thus meaning that this is where the largest profits lie for web hosting providers. Although other forms of web hosting may be affordable for others, you are going to require a fairly large budget in order to class a VPS server as affordable, for example. Linux hosting packages are deemed the most affordable if you see the platform being used as your primary concern as it is an open source platform; using open source software can save you money because it means that you won’t have to pay any additional costs for licenses as it is free to use and can provide you with the same benefits as commercial alternatives.

How can I find an affordable web hosting package that represents value for money?

When browsing various affordable web hosting packages, your main aim should be to find the one web hosting service that can offer you large resource assignments for a low cost. It is important to find a web hosting package that can offer you access to a control panel so that you are able to manage your own web hosting account; cPanel hosting services are generally the cheapest and most feature-packed control panel based web hosting services. Other control panel options available include Plesk and DotNetPanel, although these are more specific to the Windows hosting platform. With more web hosting companies becoming more generous with the resources that they offer for the prices, finding an affordable web hosting company that can offer you Linux hosting or Windows hosting that is within your budget isn’t a mission; you need to make sure that you select hosting services from a wide variety of hosting companies that you can then compare to help you find the best deal.

Should I consider Windows hosting or Linux hosting?

The choice between Windows hosting and Linux hosting is one that you should make based on what your requirements of a web hosting service are rather than what your budget for a web hosting package is going to be. If you are going to be starting with web hosting for the first time then a Linux based web hosting package is likely to be the most attractive option for you as the features provided are going to be more in line with what you need; the price of a Linux shared hosting service will also be the winning factor here because these are seen as being the most affordable hosting services available. When reviewing Windows web hosting services you will discover that they are better suited to businesses rather than individuals; the main reason for this is that Windows is a commercial product and so Windows web hosting services may not be the most affordable, although the features of the Windows operating system will benefit businesses mainly.

What should I watch out for in a web hosting company?

When looking for an affordable hosting package, you may want to stay away from smaller web hosting companies and instead see what larger web hosting providers are able to offer. Smaller web hosting companies may be able to offer better deals in some situations, but you will need to review the support that is going to be offered as otherwise you could end up with a web hosting service that you can’t rely on because your web hosting company doesn’t have the support infrastructure in place to deal with problems as they arise. Larger web hosting providers on the other hand may be able to offer quirks such as 24×7 support meaning that you will be able to contact your web hosting company at any time to report an issue with your web hosting service.

In conclusion, the definition of affordable web hosting will depend on what your budget is as well as what you are specifically looking for in a web hosting package. For most users shared web hosting is going to be the benchmark of affordable hosting as these are usually the cheapest hosting services available, although for someone considering a dedicated server as VPS server could be deemed as affordable based on their budget. You should always review the hosting company that you are going to be using as well because you don’t want to get caught out with an unreliable hosting package or hosting company that refuses to provide a good level of support.

Types of Web Hosting Control Panel

There are different web hosting control panels available for different purposes as the needs of the different forms of web hosting have to be met in order for a web hosting control panel to be effective at its job. Most web hosting control panels are designed for shared web hosting environments and are aimed at beginners that are still getting use to the experience of having their own web hosting package. Control panels that are designed for shared hosting environments will allow you to complete simple tasks such as manage your email accounts and modify the files that are stored in your web space. Another popular type of web hosting control panel are going to be control panels that are designed for VPS servers. As Virtuozzo is the only VPS hosting platform to have its own official control panel, there are a few unofficial ones floating about for other platforms; the main purpose of a control panel for a VPS server is to provide you with a location from which you can restart your VPS server if necessary and to reinstall the OS if something has gone wrong as this removes a burden from your web hosting provider’s support team.

Linux Hosting Control Panel

cPanel is probably the most popular control panel in use on the Linux platform as it provides web hosting companies with two separate control panels – one for clients so that they can manage their hosting accounts and one for resellers and server administrators. This means that cPanel can provide you with two separate panels that are designed for specific tasks, rather than just a single interface designed for a many different tasks as otherwise things can end up getting muddled up which can then increase the time it takes to complete specific tasks. Plesk is another control panel that is available for Linux systems but provides you with a completely different interface to cPanel. Out of the two, cPanel is the most popular because it is cheaper and is seen as more efficient because it can be run on Linux VPS servers without using up any large amounts of resources. cPanel hosting packages are popular with those on a budget because the low cost of the control panel combined with an open source operating system allows web hosting companies to offer Linux hosting at affordable price points, regardless of whether you are going for a Linux shared hosting package or a Linux dedicated server.

Windows Hosting Control Panel

The control panel choices for Windows hosting are far less than those for Linux servers meaning that if you are after choice then a Windows web hosting package may not be the best form of web hosting for your needs. The Windows variant of Plesk is one of the most adaptable Windows hosting control panels available and can offer you many features that will make it easy to manage your entire hosting account. Although Plesk is the most popular choice for Windows, DotNetPanel does offer more variety. Plesk is designed purely for a shared hosting environment even though it can be used on Windows VPS servers and Windows dedicated servers; DotNetPanel on the other hand can offer you much more flexibility and possibilities for expansion, such as the feature for Hyper-V VPS servers that will allow you to setup and automatically provision Windows VPS servers. Prior to Hyper-V, Virtuozzo was the platform used for the hosting of Windows VPS servers but since that is unable to support Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V has taken over in the leader of Windows VPS server hosting.

Control Panel Reliability

The reliability of a control panel is something that hosting providers are going to consider important as the downtime of a control panel can mean that clients won’t be able to manage their accounts which in turn will cause inconvenience. As most control panels also control the services on a server such as the web server and database server; if the control panel is down then this could cause other services to crash, which in turn could lead to websites hosted on the server in question being bought down. However, at the end of the day problems shouldn’t occur if a server is being managed properly.

In conclusion, a web hosting control panel makes it easier to manage a web hosting service of any type. There are different control panels for different purposes and although you are going to have access to a control panel with any shared hosting service, if you are going to be looking at dedicated web hosting then you don’t have to have a control panel at all. Web hosting control panels usually cost more money on top of what you are already paying when using a dedicated web hosting service meaning that the added cost may not always be justifiable.

Control panels are highly recommended for shared hosting and dedicated hosting services because they provide you with an easy way to manage your web hosting account without the need for any help from your web hosting company. cPanel can make it very easy for you to manage any Linux hosting package as it is recommended for both Linux shared hosting services as well as Linux VPS servers and Linux dedicated severs. Within the context of a shared hosting environment cPanel will be able to provide you with the features necessary to manage a shared hosting package properly; such features are also available to your own hosting clients if you are using a cPanel reseller hosting package. When exporting cPanel into a dedicated hosting environment you are more likely to use the WHM (Web Host Manager) control panel that forms part of this collection of software as this is much more orientated towards the management of servers; as well as enabling you to manage the core components that will affect the client accounts you have hosted under cPanel, you can also take more control of your Linux VPS server or Linux dedicated server without the need to login to it via SSH.

Having two separate control panels for based hosting account management and reseller/server management is something that has proved to be very useful for server administrators because it removes a certain level of confusion that can rise when the same interface is used for both. It has also enabled the developers for cPanel to develop one complex interface that is aimed at experienced professionals whilst allowing them to make the other much simpler so that novices will be able to find their way around their web hosting account and typically cPanel is used for low cost web hosting services that are popular with novices. The cPanel control panel provides you with the features that you require to manage a hosting account properly; this means that you can expect to find MySQL database management tools and file management tools as part of your web hosting account as standard. With WHM on the other hand you can expect to find tools that will allow you to create and manage client accounts that can then be managed through cPanel; basic server management tools are also available so that you can restart services in the event that they have crashed or the entire server if needs be.

The reliability of cPanel and WHM doesn’t ever need to be questioned because both are very stable, although if you are attempting to host a large number of websites on a low to mid specification server then you can expect to see some stability issues, regardless of whether you are running cPanel or not. It is important for you to make sure that the server that you are using meets the minimum system requirements needed in order for cPanel/WHM to run properly – the most important one being that you are running a supported Linux distribution on your server. Traffic heavy websites are going to be the most taxing on your server’s resources meaning that you should avoid hosting more than one busy website per cPanel server; although this may seem inconvenient, unless you have a high specification server you could seriously compromise the stability of your cPanel hosting configuration.

Although you have to pay for cPanel if you have your own Linux server hosting service, you have to consider the benefits that it will bring to you in terms of aiding you with the management of your server and hosting accounts. The license fee that you pay for cPanel is only usually very small in comparison to what you are paying for your Linux VPS server or Linux dedicated server – if you do your research then you may be able to find a web hosting company that can offer it to you for free. When using cPanel in a shared hosting medium, access to the client side control panel will be provided as a standard feature with your Linux shared web hosting package as your web hosting company will be managing the server and will want to let customers do things for themselves where possible.

In conclusion, cPanel is a highly useable control panel that is ideal for novices who are using web hosting services for the first time. As Linux shared hosting packages are generally the cheapest available, they are the most popular with novices and so it is important for web hosting providers to consider this when creating web hosting plans. If you are an experienced Linux server administrator then you may not necessarily have the need for cPanel on your server, although it is recommended because it will make certain administration tasks a lot quicker for you meaning that you can focus your time on more important activities.

So, it is easy to see why more and more businesses are going online. But in order to make the most of what the internet can offer your business, you don’t just need a good website, it is also important to choose a good web hosting company.

Web hosting

Web hosting is a service that enables a website to be accessible on online. In order to make a website live, it has to be hosted on a server which is owned and managed by a web hosting company and connected to the internet. There are several types of hosting services available, so it is important to choose the hosting plan that suits you and your website’s
requirements. Below are some good tips to help you find the best hosting plan.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is a hosting service where the server is shared by a number of different websites.

Shared hosting is the most affordable hosting service and is generally used by webmasters who have basic websites with basic hosting requirements. With shared hosting the server is managed by one hosting company who provides server maintenance and customer support. The level of support provided varies from company to company and can depend on the plan chosen. Therefore before signing up to a hosting plan, it is a good idea to ensure that the package you choose suits the exact requirements of your website, both today and if your enterprise grows.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting provides clients who have large or feature-heavy websites with their own server.

Dedicating Hosting is the best solution for large companies who need to secure their data and who need to run resource- heavy databases or software on their websites. Dedicated hosting is commonly chosen when a company does not want their websites to share resources with other websites where they could be negatively affected by problem code etc.

Windows Web Hosting

It is important to understand the different hosting platforms that are being offered by the hosting companies you are looking to host your website with. The most common platforms are Linux and Windows. Although Linux hosting is primarily the most common hosting environment, Windows is the platform which is used by developers who use Classic ASP or ASP.net code and have SQL server databases in their websites.

Linux web hosting

The Linux web hosting platform has a great deal to offer as a hosting environment. As well as excellent reliability, Linux is flexible, open source and can handle heavy traffic.

E-Commerce Hosting

E-Commerce hosting is a type of hosting that can run on either Linux or Windows hosting platforms. It provides all the marketing and/or advertising tools for a website, something which could be a great asset for those just starting up a business. For those websites which run financial transactions and hold and secure personal information, e-commerce hosting may also be the best solution.