Most people contract with web hosting companies to access the benefits offered by server storage. A web site works by downloading data from a server, which is basically a storage device that allows other computers to download requested information from it. When you contract with a web hosting provider, you are buying space on one of their servers. This is fine for plenty of web masters. Maybe you are not a savvy computer user, and don’t feel comfortable making any part of your home computer available over the internet, even if it is only available to people with the password. Maybe you like the support a web hosting company provides. Even budget web hosting frequently offers customer service and will automate things like scripts and code that you might not otherwise know how to use.
Then there is the cost issue. Maybe you only have a certain amount of money, and you would rather sink it in to the site itself than its upkeep. These are all valid reasons, but if you’re computer savvy, you might want total control over all aspects of what you’re trying to build. If you have the proper knowledge, a home server can give you a great deal of flexibility, and it eliminates the problem of being on hold with your web host provider forever.
Home servers are not just for running websites, either. You can also play private versions of online games, or make files available to the other people you invite on to your server. You can also access those files remotely, allowing you to get to your song collection or movie archive from any computer. Through the use of Apache, you can configure your home server to your specifications. All you have to do is go to the Apache website, download and install their HTTP server, and configure it to share the files you want to share. If this sounds too complicated but you want the speed and space offered by a home server, consider dedicated hosting. Dedicated hosting devotes a whole server to your information, but is supported by a web hosting company. In other words, it is still your server, but it is server web hosting.
Dedicated web hosting still puts the responsibility for its management in to your hands. You control the operating system and the software. Managed web hosting, however, gives you the resources of having your own server, but is managed by the web hosting company. There are other reasons to choose dedicated or managed server options. Setting up your own home server is always a security risk. Your computer must always have an updated operated system, you must be knowledgeable about firewalls, and your version of Apache must also be up to date all the time. Dedicated and managed plans often come with other features. Some even allow you to choose the type of server you will be renting. There is, of course, the benefit of being able to ask questions or get help from the web hosting company. When the power goes out at your house, your server goes down too. A web hosting company, however, will usually have a backup for your data that will keep it from being unavailable or lost. With a managed plan, you can call and get answers to technical questions. With a home server, you just have to hope you are equal to any problem that may arise. Dedicated and managed plans can be very affordable. Running a server at home can be as well, if you have more than one computer with the specifications to function as a server. Using your personal computer is not a wise idea, since one security breach could destroy or otherwise compromise all of your files. So especially if you don’t have the resources to run a home web server on a computer other than your personal machine, server web hosting is a good alternative and can frequently be obtained on a budget.
Look for a website that is very plain about what sort of servers it is offering. Compare prices, since server web hosting will be a little more expensive than other types of web hosting and you will want to make sure your dollars are well spent. At least one website offering dedicated hosting showed pictures of its servers as well as offering lists of specifications, just so you were doubly sure to get exactly what you wanted! If you have a computer you don’t otherwise care about, try out server web hosting at home. The more elaborate and sensitive your pages the more security you are going to need, so consider dedicated or managed plans on an outside server for businesses and other valued information.
