What is web hosting?

Web hosting refers to the process of publishing a web site so that it is available to the world on the Web.  Paid web hosting also involves getting a domain name and not having forced ads displayed on your site.  Please see our Quick Start Guide for info on how to get started with a paid web host.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a sequence of letters and numbers which determine the address of your site.  This site's domain name is "WebHostingRatings.com."  You need to register a domain name before your web site becomes accessible at this address.  Please see our Domain Name Guide for all the details.

What are PHP, SQL, Java, IP, etc.?

Those acronyms refer to various features such as programming languages, databases, etc. that might be available with a hosting plan.  Please check out our Glossary for definitions.  To find plans that support these options, please use our Advanced Search page.

What is shared (virtual) web hosting?

Shared (or virtual) web hosting is the most fitting way of hosting for 99% of web sites.  It means that a web hosting company will have one or more servers (computers constantly connected to the Internet that run a web server software such as Apache or IIS) that will be running multiple web sites (it will be shared).  Unless a web site is exceptionally busy or requires a lot of bandwidth, this is the least expensive way to get a real web site.  You can still have your own IP address with virtual hosting and the site won't look any different to users.  Other options are dedicated, co-location, or doing it yourself web hosting.  In those options you have the whole computer to yourself and you can do things like install your own software.

Can I keep my domain name when I change a host?

Yes.  We recommend that you register your domain name with a separate registrar before getting a hosting plan (please see our Domain Name Guide).  Then, when you need to move to another host, you just need to point your domain's name servers to this new host.  If you registered your domain name with a host and now you want to move, you should find your registration records or contact this host and ask them how to control your domain