Web hosting service

A web hosting service is a type of organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providingInternet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.

The most basic is web page and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded via File Transfer Protocol or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with little processing. Many Internet service providers (ISPs) offer this service free to their subscribers. People can also obtain Web page hosting from other, Personal web site hosting is typically free, advertisement-sponsored, or inexpensive. Business web site hosting often has a higher expense.

A complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that providesdatabase support and application development platforms (e.g.PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, and ASP.NET). These facilities allow the customers to write or install scripts for applications likeforums and content management. For e-commerce, SSL is also highly recommended.

An interface or control panel for managing the Web server and installing scripts as well as other services like e-mail. Some hosts specialize in certain software or services. They are commonly used by larger companies to outsource network infrastructure to a hosting company.