Describes some of the most common hosting technologies.
Windows Hosting
Windows hosting means hosting of web services that runs on the Windows operating system.
You should choose Windows hosting if you plan to use ASP (Active Server Pages) as server scripting, or if you plan to use a database like Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server. Windows hosting is also the best choice if you plan to develop your web site using Microsoft Front Page.
Unix Hosting
Unix hosting means hosting of web services that runs on the Unix operating system.
Unix was the first (original) web server operating system, and it is known for being reliable and stable. Often less expensive than Windows.
Linux Hosting
Linux hosting means hosting of web services that runs on the Linux operating system.
CGI
Web pages can be executed as CGI scripts. CGI scripts are executables that will execute on the server to produce dynamic and interactive web pages.
Most Internet service providers will offer some kind of CGI capabilities. And many will offer preinstalled, ready to run, guest-books, page-counters, and chat-forums solutions written in CGI scripts.
The use of CGI is most common on Unix or Linux servers.
ASP - Active Server Pages
Active Server Pages is a server-side scripting technology developed by Microsoft.
With ASP you can create dynamic web pages by putting script code inside your HTML pages. The code is executed by the web server before the page is returned to the browser. Both Visual Basic and JavaScript can be used.
ASP is a standard component in Windows 95,98, 2000, and XP. It can be activated on all computers running Windows.
Many web hosting providers are offering ASP, as it is becoming a more and more popular technology.
JSP
JSP is a server-side technology much like ASP developed by Sun.
With JSP you can create dynamic web pages by putting Java code inside your HTML pages. The code is executed by the web server before the page is returned to the browser.
Since JSP uses Java, the technology is not restricted to any server-specific platform.
FrontPage
FrontPage is a very common web site design tool developed by Microsoft.
FrontPage allows users to develop a web site without any deep knowledge of web development. Most Windows hosting solutions support FrontPage server extensions for users that use FrontPage to develop their web site.
If you plan to use FrontPage, you should look for a Windows hosting solution (meaning not Unix / Linux).
PHP
Just like ASP, PHP is a server-side scripting language which allows you to create dynamic web pages by putting script code inside your HTML pages. The code is executed by the web server before the page is returned to the browser.
Cold Fusion
Cold Fusion is another server-side scripting language used to develop dynamic web pages.
Cold Fusion is developed by Macromedia.
Secure Server
A secure server can transmit data encrypted.
If you plan to do online credit card transactions, or other types of web communication that needs to be protected against unauthorized access, your web host must provide a secure server.
Web Databases
If your web site needs to update large quantities of information via the web, you will need a database to store your information.
There are many different database systems available for web hosting. The most common are MS Access, MySQL, SQL Server, and Oracle.
Using the SQL Language
SQL is the language for accessing databases.
If you want your web site to be able to store and retrieve data from a database, your web server should have access to a database-system that uses the SQL language.
SQL Server
Microsoft’s SQL Server is one of the most popular database software for database-driven web sites with high traffic.
SQL Server is a very powerful, robust and full featured SQL database system.
Oracle
Oracle is also a very popular database software for database-driven web sites with high traffic.
Oracle is a very powerful, robust and full featured SQL database system.
Access
When a web site requires a simple database solution, Microsoft Access is a very popular option.
Access is not well suited for very high-traffic, and not as powerful as Oracle or SQL Server.
MySQL
MySQL is also a popular database software for web sites.
MySQL is an inexpensive alternative to the expensive Microsoft and Oracle solutions.
Shared (Virtual) Hosting
Shared hosting is very common, and very cost effective.
With shared hosting, your web site is hosted on a powerful server along with maybe 100 other web sites. On a shared host it is common that each web site have their own domain name.
Shared solutions often offer multiple software solutions like email, database, and many different editing options. Technical support tends to be good.