What is a Dedicated Web Server ?

A Dedicated Web server is a web server exclusively used by one customer to host their website. 

Possible advantages are: Performance (hardware resources are not shared among several customers) you are also given the flexibility of configuration to suit your needs.
Possible disadvantage is cost – it is more expensive than shared hosting plans; administration overheads here the customer not the hosting provider is usually responsible for the configuration and administration of the server. A customer needs IT expertise to administer a dedicated web server. 

What is a Shared Web Server ?

A Shared Web server is a web server used to host more than one site of different customers
Advantages are (as compared to a dedicated server) is the simplicity of the administration and maintenance (done by the hosting Company) combined with reliability and performance of the commercial server.
Disadvantages are (as compared to a dedicated server): less control over server configuration and changes on the part of client; possibly some performance loss.


Things to consider while selecting a Web Hosting Provider (Web Hoster)

There are many things to consider when choosing a web-hosting provider one should consider your level of expertise, how much money you want to spend and the type of web site you want to create. Do you want a custom site with e-commerce? If so, your needs will be different than if you want to build a site showing photos of your new baby to family and friends. Free web hosting is great for simple websites without much traffic and most free web hosting providers offer site building software online so you can create your site quickly. 

However, make sure you check out what your web host offers. If you have more than a few pages you’ll probably determine to pay a little each month for better quality service. How much time is the service guaranteed to be up? How much space do you need? Do they offer FTP support? Can you host your own domain or do they require you use a sub-domain? How many email addresses are offered? Do they offer services geared towards or shopping cart software? Does the web hosting provider offer web stats? Are there setup fees? Is there a money-back guarantee? Just do a little homework before moving forward with any web hosting provider so you don’t waste time getting things set up only to discover the hosting service you selected doesn’t fit your needs.


Choosing a cheap web hosting provider

Choosing a cheap web hosting provider is often a tricky-decision, since there are many hosting providers who claim to be cheapest but offer very poor level of services like customer support, availability of components etc. There is always a trade-off between price and features. There are top hosting companies, which provide best features, but their cost is also on the high end.

Virtual hosting does not give all the options and flexibility as a dedicated hosting plan where you can install and configure the components of your choice, but then when we are talking about cheap web hosting, Virtual Hosting is the way to go.

It is strongly recommended to check a list of websites hosted by a hosting provider. Price should not be taken as a main consideration in choosing a website even if you are looking for cheap hosting service providers, since in case of qualitatively cheap service providers who invariably claim to be cheap, one will end up in spending more if some problem is encountered. 

It is also advisable to ask the hosting provider for a free trial (Many hosting providers provide a trial during which you can test their features and performance). You can also set-up a free trial account and test their services, which is a good option if you are testing and comparing other hosting providers, since you can only get the actual hang around the hosting quality only after actually checking its features in action.



What is Web Hosting? What is Shared/Virtual hosting ?

How does Windows Hosting compare Vs Linux Hosting?

What is dedicated Web Hosting vs Shared Web Hosting ?
 
What Is DNS? What is the Domain Name Server/Domain Name System?

What is FTP? What is Frontpage ? What are the Scripts: ASP-PHP-PERL-Cold-Fusion?

What is an IP Address? Where do I get an IP Address? Do I need an IP address for my website ?