4.5 Web Hosting & Publishing

Introduction to Web Hosting

Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page onto the Internet. A web host provides the technologies and services needed for the website to be viewed on the Internet.

Key Components of Web Hosting

  • Web Server: The computer that stores your website's files
  • Bandwidth: The amount of data that can be transferred from your site to users
  • Storage: The amount of server space allocated for your website
  • Domain Name: The address users type to access your website

Types of Web Hosting

1. Shared Hosting

Multiple websites share the same server resources. This is the most economical option for small websites with moderate traffic.

Best for: Personal websites, small businesses, blogs

2. VPS Hosting (Virtual Private Server)

A virtual machine is sold as a service by an Internet hosting service. It runs its own copy of an operating system.

Best for: Medium-sized businesses, e-commerce sites, high-traffic blogs

3. Dedicated Hosting

An entire server is dedicated to a single organization or for a single purpose, such as a website.

Best for: Large businesses, high-traffic websites, applications with high resource requirements

4. Cloud Hosting

Uses multiple servers to balance the load and maximize uptime. Resources can be scaled up or down as needed.

Best for: Businesses with fluctuating traffic, growing websites, applications that need high availability

Domain Names

A domain name is the address where Internet users can access your website. It's used to find and identify computers on the Internet.

Example Domain Name Structure:

https://www.example.com

  • https:// - Protocol
  • www - Subdomain (optional)
  • example - Domain name
  • .com - Top-level domain (TLD)

How to Register a Domain Name

  1. Choose a domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains)
  2. Check domain name availability
  3. Select your domain name and extension (.com, .org, .net, etc.)
  4. Complete the registration process and pay the registration fee
  5. Configure DNS settings to point to your web hosting

Publishing Your Website

1. Prepare Your Website Files

  • Ensure all files are properly linked
  • Optimize images and other media
  • Test your website locally

2. Choose a Web Host

Select a hosting provider that meets your needs in terms of:

  • Storage space
  • Bandwidth
  • Uptime guarantee
  • Customer support
  • Price

3. Upload Your Files

You can upload your website files using:

  • FTP (File Transfer Protocol): Using clients like FileZilla, Cyberduck
  • Web-based File Manager: Provided by most hosting control panels
  • Git: For version-controlled deployments

4. Test Your Live Site

After uploading, thoroughly test your website:

  • Check all links and navigation
  • Test on different devices and browsers
  • Verify that all forms and interactive elements work

Free Hosting Options

GitHub Pages

Free hosting for static websites directly from a GitHub repository.

Best for: Personal projects, portfolios, documentation

Firebase Hosting

Google's hosting service with a generous free tier.

Best for: Web apps, progressive web apps (PWAs)

Netlify / Vercel

Modern hosting platforms with continuous deployment from Git repositories.

Best for: Static sites, JAMstack applications