Getting started with web hosting

Being present on the Internet went from being an avant garde to a must in the space of less than a decade. A company that does not have an online presence doesn’t feel right somehow. This article will go through the different aspects of website hosting. This will make it clear what each component does.

The hosting server

If you want people to access your website any time, any day, you have to store the website somewhere. That’s where hosting servers come into play. These servers will run 24/7 and will allow you to host websites built in most languages like PHP, Python, Ruby and the list goes on.

The database server

The database stores all the content on your website. For example, if you have a blog, the blog posts will be stored in the database. Then depending on which URL you access, the code will show the relevant post. In brief, the database is a convenient way of storing data that is to change over time. Popular technologies used here are MySQL, PostgreSQL and such.

The caching server

If you have a popular website, caching is a crucial element. Basically, caching is like your side desk at work. You might have a store room full of documents, but the most recent documents will be on your side desk. That’s because you know that a trip to the store every time will be a waste of time. Caching servers use a similar technique to minimize trips to the database.