Hosting from A to Z: what it is and how to choose the best one for your website

Хостинг від А до Я: що це
22.08.2025

Hosting is a service that provides storage of your website files on a special server and 24/7 server operation with Internet access. In simple terms, it is renting space on a powerful computer where your website “lives.” The website owner places all the necessary files (texts, images, programs) on the hosting, and the hosting provider guarantees their availability to Internet users. The right choice of web hosting is one of the most important components of a successful website, because it determines the speed, reliability, and uninterrupted operation of your resource.

The second important component is the domain – the unique address of the website on the network. Unlike hosting, which can be compared to a house for your website, a domain is its address or “street.” For example, in the address www.example.com, the part example.com is the domain. It is the domain that users enter in the address bar of their browser to get to your website. Hosting provides file storage and quick delivery of files when requested at this address. Together, the domain and hosting form the basis of any web project, but now you know that the domain is responsible for the name and addressing, and hosting is responsible for the placement and operation of the site.

Types of hosting

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There are several main types of hosting, which differ in terms of how they work, their power, and their price. Each of them is suitable for specific needs:

Free hosting

Free hosting is a service that allows you to host a website without paying. It is convenient for educational projects or testing ideas. In this case, the provider offers a limited amount of disk space and resources, often with minimal or simplified tools. The advantages of free hosting are no costs, ease of getting started, and the ability to quickly deploy a website. But the disadvantages include severe limitations: little disk space, limited bandwidth, often intrusive advertising from the provider on your website pages, and low reliability (frequent downtime). Also, such hosting usually does not provide its own domain (the site will run on the provider’s domain or as a subdomain). Free hosting is suitable for beginners and small personal projects with very low requirements, but its use is not recommended for serious sites and business projects.

Shared hosting

Shared hosting is the most common and affordable option for regular websites. It involves several websites being hosted on a single physical server and sharing resources (CPU, RAM, disk space). Each website gets its own “folder” on the server, but they all use the same software. The advantages of shared hosting are its low price and the fact that you don’t have to configure the server yourself. It is ideal for small blogs, business card websites, and simple corporate websites. Disadvantages: performance may drop if other sites on the server start to overload resources (known as the “neighbor effect”). In addition, customization options are limited — you use a standard set of features from the provider. As they say in the hosting community, shared hosting is the easiest and cheapest way to get started, but it comes with limitations in terms of speed and features.

VPS (Virtual Private Server)

VPS (Virtual Private Server) is an intermediate option between shared hosting and a dedicated server. In fact, one physical server is divided into several virtual machines, each of which works as an independent server. This provides more resources and control compared to shared hosting: with a VPS, you get your own dedicated processor, memory, and disk space, as well as administrator-level access (root access). On the other hand, the cost of a VPS is higher than shared hosting but lower than a fully dedicated server. VPS is suitable for websites with medium traffic — small online stores, forums, corporate resources — when you need more flexibility in server configuration and confidence that excess traffic from neighboring websites on the server will not affect your website.

Dedicated server

A dedicated server is the most powerful but also the most expensive type of hosting. In this case, you rent an entire server for your project. No one else uses its resources, which guarantees maximum performance and security. A dedicated server gives you complete control over the hardware and software: you choose the operating system yourself and configure the software and content according to your needs. This option is necessary for large projects with high traffic (large online stores, high-load web applications, game servers, etc.). The disadvantage is the high price and the need to have or hire a technical specialist to configure and maintain the server.

Cloud hosting

Cloud hosting is a modern type of hosting that uses the combined power of several servers in the “cloud.” Your website data is dynamically distributed across different servers simultaneously, and if one server goes down, traffic is automatically redirected to another. This approach ensures high reliability and scalability: you can instantly increase resources (add RAM or disk space) during peak loads and pay only for the resources you actually use. Cloud services are flexible and fault-tolerant, making them ideal for websites with uneven or growing traffic (large online stores, news portals, internet services). For example, giants such as Google and Amazon use cloud technologies to ensure the smooth operation of their resources.

Colocation

Colocation is a service where you place your own physical server or equipment in a provider’s data center. The provider gives you space in a special rack (server cabinet), an Internet connection, and a guaranteed power supply with an uninterruptible power supply system, cooling, and security. In simple terms, your server is located in a “data center” with all the necessary conditions: guaranteed power, cooling, round-the-clock technical monitoring, and a backup network connection. Colocation is suitable for large companies that have their own server equipment and want to ensure its maximum stability. It is often used by Internet providers, large portals, or services that require powerful infrastructure. Among the advantages are complete control over your equipment and a high level of security and reliability, while the disadvantages are the complexity and high cost of related services (rental space, electricity, cooling).

How a domain differs from hosting

A domain and hosting are two key components for publishing a website, but they perform different functions. A domain is a unique website name that you register with a special organization (registrar). It is the address that users enter in their browser to find your website on the Internet. For example, for the address www.example.com, the domain is example.com. Hosting is a service that stores your website files on a server and delivers them to users upon request. To draw an analogy, a domain is an address (like a street and house number), and hosting is the house or apartment where the website files “live.”

It is important to understand that domain and hosting are interrelated: both are necessary for a website to function. First, you register a domain name (so that no one else can take it), and then you configure the domain’s DNS addresses to the hosting server where your files are stored. Without a domain, the website will not have a clear address for users, and without hosting, nothing will be posted or displayed on the Internet. However, these concepts should not be confused: a domain is just a name, and hosting is a place on the Internet where your website is located and operates.

How to choose hosting depending on the type of website, needs, and budget

When choosing a hosting provider, it is important to consider the requirements of your project and your available budget. First, assess the needs of your website: what data and volume of pages it will have, how many potential users will visit it daily, what technologies will be required (e.g., a database or specific programming languages). A business card website or blog with low traffic will usually suffice with shared hosting or even a free subdomain platform. For a medium-sized online store or corporate portal, it is better to choose VPS or cloud hosting to ensure stable operation with increasing load. Very large projects (high-traffic online stores, media portals, specialized applications) may require a dedicated server or cloud platform with flexible resource scaling. In general, a more economical web hosting option is suitable for small websites, while more powerful solutions are better for large projects.

When choosing, consider the future development of the site. Carefully estimate the amount of disk space required for file storage and leave room for growth (number of pages, download volumes, media files). For example, experts advise calculating the required disk size, taking into account the average page size and the prospects for the development of the resource. Also pay attention to traffic and visitor numbers: a hosting plan may have restrictions on monthly traffic or the number of simultaneous visitors. If possible, take advantage of a trial period for hosting — this will help you check the speed of the server and the quality of the provider’s support before purchasing an annual plan.

In addition, pay attention to the budget. Budget shared hosting is suitable for starting a project, but if the site needs to scale, check in advance the possibility of switching to a higher plan or another type of hosting. According to experts, you should not immediately choose the cheapest solution: evaluate the technical capabilities of the selected tariff and reviews from other users. And remember: saving money on hosting for a serious project can be dangerous — sometimes a cheap server cannot handle the load, and then overpaying for more reliable hosting will pay off with better website performance.

What to look for when choosing a hosting provider

When choosing a specific hosting provider and pricing plan, you should evaluate a number of important characteristics:

  • Reliability and speed. Check the guaranteed server uptime. A good hosting provider should guarantee at least 99.9% uptime. Also, pay attention to the availability of high-speed SSD drives instead of traditional HDDs—this significantly speeds up the delivery of website files.
  • Technical specifications. Review the resources provided by the selected plan: disk space, RAM, number of processor cores. It is important that the resources are sufficient for your current needs and potential growth. Also, check whether the hosting supports the technologies you need (PHP versions, database, additional modules, etc.).
  • Control panel and convenience. Many providers offer a user-friendly control panel (such as cPanel or DirectAdmin) and a one-click installer for popular CMS. This simplifies website administration.
  • Security. Check whether the hosting provider offers a free SSL certificate for secure connections (https). The availability of a ready-made SSL is an important standard, especially if your website accepts user data or payments (the padlock next to the address is a sign of a secure connection). Also, inquire about the backup system (automatic backups) — this allows you to restore your website in case of unforeseen failures.
  • IP address. For commercial projects, it is better to have a dedicated static IP address (not one that is shared with dozens of other sites), as this increases security and reliability. For example, a separate IP may be required for SSL configuration or FTP operation.
  • Technical support. Pay attention to whether the provider offers round-the-clock support, how quickly it responds to requests, and how competent it is. Having prompt and professional support (chat, phone, email) available 24/7 is very important, especially for business websites.
  • Legal and additional services. Make sure that the provider offers clear terms of service (SLA) and guarantees. You can also ask if they offer other useful services (domain registration, SSL rental, DDoS protection) — it can be convenient to have everything in one place.

Remember: don’t rush to choose the cheapest hosting. The cheapest tariff may be limited in terms of resources or have poor support. It is better to study several options, compare technical capabilities, and choose a provider that can guarantee the reliable operation of your website.

Conclusion

Hosting is the foundation of your website, and the right choice of hosting and domain determines the speed, stability, and security of your web resource. In summary, you need to consider the type of website (blog, store, corporate resource, etc.), the projected traffic and technical requirements of the project, as well as the ratio of your budget to the capabilities provided by the provider. Carefully study the characteristics of the tariffs and check the availability of key functions (backup, SSL, support for the necessary software, etc.). Do not choose the lowest price segment if your website needs stability and speed.

Don’t put off registering your domain and choosing a hosting provider until later — do it today. For a reliable website launch, we recommend choosing a trusted provider. For example, you can register a domain right now, which will allow you to secure a unique address for your resource and ensure stable website operation on reliable hosting. Thus, the right domain paired with suitable hosting will become a solid foundation for your web project and provide a comfortable experience for your users.

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We have been cooperating with Hostpark for several years. We are very pleased with the highly coordinated work! The company always provides quality services and offers favorable conditions. The technical support team responds quickly to requests and, if necessary, provides consultations and explanations. If you have any technical issues, the specialists solve everything promptly! We can safely recommend it.

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CFJ Trading LLC expresses its gratitude to HOST PARK GROUP LLC for the successful implementation of the project on the introduction of a new virtual infrastructure hosting based on the Atman data center. Over the three years of cooperation, HOST PARK GROUP LLC has proved to be an expert in its field, with certified engineers and qualified technical specialists involved in the projects. The specialists of HOST PARK GROUP LLC actively participated in the design, construction of infrastructure in accordance with the project requirements, in the development and expansion of the data center, and in its active support. Engineering support in the data center itself was provided in a timely manner and at the appropriate professional level, and the implementation of new capacities was carried out with the highest quality and in the shortest possible time. We would like to note the high professional level of the specialists of HOST PARK GROUP LLC and thank them for the prompt and high-quality implementation of the project. All works were completed in full in accordance with the contractual obligations and terms of reference and in compliance with the deadlines. We look forward to further fruitful cooperation.

Sincerely, V.Yu. Cherniavskyi, Director of Business Development and Support Department, CFJ Trading LLC

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