Data Koncepts

Website Hosting (& Website Special)

Data Koncepts

Website Hosting (& Website Special)

Website Hosting

...can be confusing: Too many offers that don't mean a thing to most people so I'll cover a few basics then let you in on TWO GREAT DEALS!

Hosting Options

Free Hosting

There are web sites that offer free web hosting! Now, you can't beat that price! The down side is that these sites are VERY slow and put their own branding on YOUR web pages ... INCLUDING a multitude of those annoying pop-up advertising messages! As a result, YOU have the appearance of a novice — VERY UNprofessional!

If all you want is a web page just for the sake of telling a joke or sharing holiday photos, by all means, get one of the "freebies."

Local Hosting

Your local ISP is often a good choice -- you have to have a connection for e-mail (as well as uploading your pages), don't you? The down side is that their services are rather poor (or non-existant) and can be quite expensive.

Remote Hosting

Using a specialised server can give you the necessary website services at lower costs — and virtual domain names are NO problem!

Server Choices:
- Linux utilizing Apache, the most popular server, offers the best features, is regularly updated and is "Open Source" which translates to both better security and lower cost.
- Windows utilizing IIS, Microsoft's server, forces webmasters to utilize Microsoft's Active Server Page technology on servers which are typically older and do not offer the wide range of options. Moreover, utilizing Microsoft's software translates into higher costs for hosts which must be passed on to their clients.
Domain Registration:
- Domain Registries abound and there is modest price competition so look for the registrar with a decent price AND which offers control over the "pointer" for your domain (via a simple control panel - this allows you to maintain your domain name while changing hosting companies).
- In the overall scheme of things, it's important to protect your domain name by securing different variations (.com is still the KING but .org, .net and "localized" domains with .co.nz, .org.nz, .net.nz, etc.).
Domains:
- Hosting companies can limit the number of domains per account to one or more - everything through unlimited. Since the "weight" of additional domains is a line in their DNS server file, there is no excuse not to use a host with unlimited domains.
- A hosting account will normally utilize a primary domain and add all additional domains as subdomains of the primary domain. The caution to this is keeping multiple domains in their own directories (subdirectory names).
Services:
- Scripting Language: Apache allows "plug-ins" for both PHP and ASP, PHP is routinely updated. Since it offers so much capability, including access to a variety of databases, it's the scripting language of choice.
- Databases: Just like domain names, the number of databases is highly variable. While it's better NOT to be "handcuffed" by numbers but, in reality, a database can be managed with a large number of tables handling different datasets.
- "Open Source" scripts are often available for automated installation. While this simplifies the initial setup, it makes updates more difficult.
- Website statistics: There several "flavors" of statistics programs available ... on Apache servers ... as well as the raw logs. For me, the AWStats program does a great job parsing the raw logs and presenting the information in graphical and numeric format.
Secure Server:
- Most (Apache) hosts provide a means to assign a dedicated IP address to a domain name and attach a secure server certificate (enabling encryption on the domain name). Due to the lack of IP4 addresses, there is likely a small cost for the dedicated IP address and Certificate Authorities typically charge every year but guarantee that you are who you say you are.

For me:

I can test on a Windows computer.
I can utilize Apache's mod_rewrite to redirect requests as necessary and I can utilize Apache's mod_speling to handle minor typographical errors by visitors.
There are far more hosts offering "Apache on 'nix" than any other server/operating system combination and this competition keeps prices low.

My Find-a-Host Process

As the Team Leader responsible for SitePoint's hosting board, I developed a checklist for members to use when looking for a new host. Contributions from others were eventually added (with citations) with the following result:

Establish your requirements, i.e., Linux, Apache 2.4+, PHP 5.4+, MySQL 5+, the preferred control panel (e.g., cPanel) and storage and bandwidth requirements. Remember to allocate for log files, databases, e-mail (attachments) and growth.

If you're looking for a VPS or dedicated server, remember to ask what the host's managed services provide. Remember, a non-managed host must be monitored by you 24/7/365¼!
Know what control panels you are willing to use, i.e., WHM/cPanel. cPanel is the standard bearer for Linux systems and Plesk for Windows systems.

Know how much CPU time/RAM you need. If you need a lot of processing power (like WordPress and other CMS's), this will be a major factor. These, however, are usually specified only for VPS/dedicated accounts and automatically throttled for shared/reseller accounts.

Know your target (the Internet is fast but some latency could hurt so the closer your server to your target audience the better) location and try to host as close to your target as possible.

SEARCH (using the above parameters) recording each feasible host as well how well it satisfies your requirements and budget. Spreadsheets are good for this as you can assign weighting to the different requirements and how well they were met to generate numerical scores.

Create a shortlist based on the database you've created in step 5 then SEARCH for comments about the host (avoiding obvious shills and websites which advertise for that host).

Eliminate anonymous companies - if a hosting company doesn't have a full office address and company registration details visible on their site, it's often down to the amateur status of the operator, which is unlikely to be consistent with longevity and reliability. (contributed by SitePoint's EastCoast)

Eliminate new companies - hosting has a very high fail rate because of the low barriers to entry. If a company makes it through it's first 5 years then it's likely it's jumped a few hurdles and knows what it's doing sufficiently to have made a viable business. Not all new companies are cowboys, but the percentage is high enough that it's not worth the risk of being the one to find out the hard way, when there are plenty other options. (contributed by SitePoint's EastCoast)

Eliminate companies which do not tell you exactly what you're getting for your money, i.e., the Control Panel, the storage, the bandwidth (traffic), the versions of the main daemons (Apache, PHP and MySQL), the SSL and dedicated IP charges, etc. That's where knowing your requirements comes in strongly!

The last step (other than selection) is to contact each shortlisted host with a question (I've used .htaccess and mod_rewrite availability, which services are managed by the host, the availability of IP addresses - you will require one for each SSL you use - or ask to test proprietary control panels - they may make life too difficult for you) and record the response time and your level of satisfaction with the response.

Finally, you'll have enough information to make an intelligent selection so, "Just Do It!"

Hosting Offer

Data Koncepts has arranged to provide a terrific web hosting package with many "freebies." Have a look here.

E-mail to ask about how to get started.