Web hosting - Do I need it and why?

[sarah_a]

Hi all,

Hope you are all well :)

So I am taking the leap and setting up my own website - design is complete. So whats next - I have the domain I want to buy but then I found this funny thing web hosting... Although I have designed a lot of websites the technical side I have left to my good friend a web developer - however he is on holiday in the middle of nowhere at the moment.

So my question to you guys is do I need it and why? Is there another way of setting up a website...?

Thank you for your help and time.

All the best

Sarah

[Boss Hog]

Well your website has to go somewhere and without hosting you cannot display it to the rest of the world. Shared hosting can cost around £30p.a, it just gives you space on a shared server where you can upload your website, this allows it to become visible online.

Hope that helps.

[dedwardp]

Think of it like a shop; your website and the design, content etc is what is inside your shop and the goods you're selling.

The domain you have bought is the address for your shop, but the hosting is the actual premises itself and the space for you to set your shop up. Without buying the hosting, there is no space and so the address simply leads you to a muddy field where no building work has started yet.

[Dave L]

Actually it's more like a cup of tea. Your company is the teabag and all of the information for your site is the leaves inside it; designing your web site is like pouring on the hot water but unless you put it all in a cup (or 'host' it), it's just a big messy puddle that no one can drink/see in their web browser.

Yeah: that's better.

[hawy89]

Haha some interesting views by Dave L and dedwardp but all three replies are correct.

I too didn't understand the concept of web hosting until a few months ago when I decided to make my own site. I've been working on websites for about a year now at work but I didn't know anything about how it worked behind the scenes.

I use a company called 1and1 for my web hosting and they do everything I need them to do. I don't have any experiences with any other hosters but I would be happy to hear people's opinions for my decisions in the future.

Good luck!

[neils]

I would steer clear of justhost, I have had a lot of disruption using these guys and they are based in the states with an asian chat support team. Can't wait to switch from them.

evohosting seem to be spot on so far. I have set up a site for a family member on there and the control panel seems so much smoother and faster.

[GlazedEye Media]

Loving the analogies,

I use "you've bought the car, but you need somewhere to park it." lol


Robin

www.glazedeye.co.uk

[richimgd]

Yea you need web hosting if you want to have your website.. er.. hosted!
1and1 is who I go with, they're reliable and cheap. Theres a link to them on my signature...

[Dave L]

Actually it's more like a sandwich: your website is like a jar of peanut butter which, although delicious, attractive and full of little crunchy nuts of information, is essentially laying dormant and inaccessible in the jar until such time as as you spread it on a couple of slices of bread from someone else's loaf or 'host' it. As has been said, some hosts are better for you than others (e.g. fresh wholemeal or granary), but SmartPrice thin sliced white is cheaper.

Yeah: that's better.

[byronc]

ok people, a host is a computer, somewhere on the interconnected network (internet).

most providers make you share a computer (but you wont know that).