What is web hosting?

Web hosting: definition and purpose

A website consists of files, databases and program code. For visitors to be able to open it at any time, these components must be stored on a server that is permanently connected to the internet. Web hosting is the rental of such server space from a provider that takes care of the data center, power supply, network connection and basic maintenance.

A hosting plan typically includes storage space, one or more databases, email mailboxes, an SSL/TLS certificate for the encrypted connection, and backups. Domain and hosting are separate services but are often booked from the same provider. The server runs the software that generates your website, for example PHP and a database.

Hosting types at a glance

Which option fits depends on visitor numbers, the application and in-house know-how. A simple company website runs reliably on shared hosting; an online store or a custom-built web application usually needs more performance, guaranteed resources and controlled software versions. Anyone running their own software also needs access to the server.

• Shared hosting: many customers share one server—inexpensive, but with limited performance
• VPS (virtual private server): a virtual server with guaranteed resources and more control
• Dedicated server: a physical server just for your applications
• Managed hosting: the provider operates, updates and monitors the server for you
• Cloud hosting: resources are added flexibly and billed according to usage

Real-world example: when the site slows down on Monday morning

A tax advisory firm runs its WordPress website on an inexpensive shared plan. After a newsletter to all clients, loading times collapse and individual pages are briefly unreachable. The server is not broken; it has hit its resource limit because many customers share the capacity and the provider throttles during peaks.

The remedy is a plan with dedicated resources, complemented by caching and a content delivery network (CDN). It is important to plan the move so that email and website stay reachable in the meantime—which also means carrying over the DNS entries cleanly and choosing a switchover time outside office hours.

What businesses should look for when choosing

Besides price, availability, speed and security matter. Check, for example, which PHP version is supported: older versions no longer receive security updates; for PHP 8.1 they ended at the end of 2025, and for PHP 8.2 they end at the end of 2026. For GDPR purposes, the location of the data center and a data processing agreement are also important.

Nano Concepts advises on the selection, sets up hosting environments and, if you wish, takes over operations, updates and backups, so your website runs reliably and your team does not have to deal with server issues. If needed, we first check whether your existing environment is sufficient for the planned project.

• Availability (uptime) and support hours stated in the contract
• Automatic, separately stored backups with a restore test
• Current PHP and database versions
• Data center location and a data processing agreement under the GDPR
• Scalability in case visitor numbers or functionality grow