Linux Web Hosting

As mentioned previously, Linux web hosting is the most affordable and flexible hosting option for most website deployments. When it comes to choosing a hosting plan, the following is at a minimum should be included on your options checklist:

- Managed server and database backups
- Upgrade path for features, such as backup and recovery
- Upgrade path for additional bandwidth as needed
- Upgrade path for additional disk space
- Guaranteed uptime of 99.9 percent or better
- Guaranteed 24/7 customer support via e-mail and telephone
- SSL capability for secure pages if shopping cart functionality is required
- PHP and mySQL installation plus any other required applications
- Dedicated CGI-bin (Common Gateway Interface) for scripts
- Shell access via SSH
- Web-based control panel sich as cPanel for managing your account
- Access to detailed server logs
- Access to detailed statistics if not using a 3rd party statistics tracker
- Ability to support Server Side Includes (SSI)
- POP3 email with spam blocking
 

Hosting Plans

In addition to choosing the options for the hosting plan, choosing the type of plan which can handle your expected initial traffic as well as provide a migration plan for the future is equally important. The three common types of hosting plans are: shared, dedicated and collocation.

 

Shared Hosting: Suitable for most small business operations

Shared hosting involves multiple customer's websites being run on on a single server with computational resources and bandwidth shared among all sites. Such hosting accounts are usually well maintained by the provider, but may run the risk of experiencing poor site performance due to other customers being hosted on the same server.

 

Dedicated Hosting: Suitable for secure or higher traffic web applications

Dedicated hosting involves use of a server that is owned and maintained the hosting company and rented exclusively to you for your daily operations. Dedicated hosting eliminates the potential for other customers to hog system resources with their sites and there is a high level of security as no hardware is shared with others. Costs for dedicated hosting will typically run several hundred dollars per month.

 

Colocated Hosting: Suitable for unique, specialized web applications

Colocated hosting involves installing your own servers in a data center where you rent the space and pay a fee for your connection to the internet. All server maintenance is the responsibility of you - the site owner. For nearly all website operators this option is overkill.