Haha, since you clicked on this article, I guess there is a good chance that you are a web developer. Although developing a website is much more interesting than considering hosting issues, the choice of hosting is indeed a very important matter and should not be made hastily, otherwise there will be endless consequences.
This article points out 20 issues that must be paid attention to when choosing a website host. I hope it will be helpful to you.
1 capacity
When choosing a host, the first thing you consider is "How much data can I store?" For most small and medium-sized websites, a few gigabytes of capacity is enough. Some hosting providers provide "unlimited space" hosting (mainly foreign hosting providers), which is actually a lie. Read their "Terms of Service" carefully, they will often say: Yes, we provide unlimited capacity hosting, provided that you must be a "normal" website. But what is a normal website? That’s not up to you. Therefore, it is safer to choose a host with a set capacity.
In addition, special attention should be paid to the fact that some domestic hosts calculate the database capacity and web space capacity separately, so be sure to pay attention before purchasing.
2 Bandwidth (traffic)
Bandwidth is sometimes called traffic, and the two concepts are easily confused with capacity. Capacity refers to the hard drive space you have, such as 100MB, then you can only store up to 100MB of web pages, data or multimedia files. Bandwidth refers to the total capacity that your host allows users to upload/download within a certain period (usually one month). For example, there is a 1MB webpage on your host. When a user views this webpage 1,000 times, 1G of traffic (bandwidth) is generated.
If the capacity is full, no new files can be uploaded at most. But if the bandwidth is used up, the hosting provider will ban visitors from accessing your website until the bandwidth reaches zero next month. Therefore, you must always pay attention to bandwidth consumption and leave redundancy in bandwidth selection to cope with traffic explosions.
3 Number of domain names/subdomain names
For many junior users, they only build one website and one domain name is enough. But there is no guarantee that they will not build more websites in the future, or open subdomains under the current website. So try to choose a host that allows binding multiple domain names/subdomains to leave room for future development.
4 Email accounts and functions
Many hosting providers provide users with email account functions, and you can create an email address using your own domain name. If you want this feature provided by the hosting provider, then you need to pay attention to the number of accounts allowed to be created, whether there is an online email control panel, whether it can be integrated with Gmail, whether it supports POP3 sending emails, etc.
Of course, you can also choose free services such as Google Enterprise Suite and Tencent domain name mailbox. Their service quality is often more reliable than that provided by hosting providers.
5 database support
On the Internet today, no matter how small a website is, there is a database behind it. Most hosts support MySQL databases, but if you are using PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server or other databases, be sure to find out whether your host supports it.
6 framework support and one-click installation
Many foreign hosting providers provide one-click installation functions for popular frameworks, blog systems, and CMS. This is great for newbies, but may not be of much value if you're a veteran.
7 Mobile App or Website
Do you want to manage your website and view access data through your mobile phone? If the hosting provider provides a mobile app, this is very simple. Unfortunately, currently only Media Template and SliceHost have launched apps that support iPhone and Android. But I believe this is a trend and other consoles will follow it.
8 Technical support
Very, very important! Be sure to find out what technical support methods your hosting provider has: Does it have a customer service phone number? Does it have customer service QQ? Does it support email customer service? Does it have a ticket system (not common in China)? How long does it take to respond to problems? How long will it take to solve the problem? Wait, wait, etc.
9 Shell access
This is an advanced feature that only professionals will use. Shell access allows you to manage the host from the command line via SSH: securely copy and delete files, quickly change file permissions, perform multi-threaded tasks, and more.
10.htaccess file support
The .htaccess file allows the Apache server to handle URL rewriting. Simply put, it can help you create clean URLs, which are required by famous website building systems such as WordPress, Drupal, and Discuz. You can also use it to add passwords to folders, redirect web pages, and more.
11 Cron jobs
Cron allows the host to perform specified tasks at a specified time, such as "regenerate the web page cache every 8 hours" or "send emails to non-logged in users every 3 days", which all require cron support. Having cron is always a good thing, and hosts that support shell access generally support cron.
12 Programming language support
There is actually no need to mention this, but now some hosts support multiple programming languages. For example, the Mint host supports PHP, Perl and Ruby at the same time. Of course, if you only use PHP as a language, you don't need to consider this.
13 Free AdWords
Some foreign hosting companies will give away Google AdWords advertising credits (usually 50$), or other forms of advertising. It’s better than nothing, right?
14 Website Backup
Don't think that the data saved on the server will be more stable than your own computer. The server may also crash and cause data loss. Remember, the server is just a large computer that everyone can access. Pay attention to what kind of data backup strategy the hosting provider provides. If your hosting provider doesn't provide frequent backups, then you need to consider your own backup strategy.
15 operating systems
For most people, this isn't a problem. Unless you use asp.net, you can only go to a Windows server; other times, Linux-based operating systems are the mainstream choice. However, the situation in China is different. Piracy has also resulted in many Windows operating system servers. However, please note that the shell access and .htaccess mentioned above are only supported by Linux-based servers. I have met many friends who use Windows+IIS servers that do not support .htaccess, causing problems with WordPress links.
16 additional applications
The "one-click installation" mentioned in Article 6 actually belongs to applications other than hosting services. Maybe you also need mailing lists, traffic analysis and other related programs, so pay attention to them.
17 The latest version of the server program
If possible, try to find a server with the latest software installed. Some service providers do not update their software frequently. For example, the server is still running PHP4 at this time, which is a failure. In addition, updating software in a timely manner is also a good way to prevent security risks.
18 online rate (uptime)
I don’t have to tell you that you also know the importance of online rate. Be sure to choose a service provider with a good reputation. Their online rate is often more guaranteed. However, a 100% online rate is impossible. Be sure to read the online rate promised by the service provider and use tools to monitor it. Pingdom, which I introduced before, is a very good tool for monitoring online rates.
19 free domain names
Some hosting providers give away free top-level domain names, which is a good thing for users who don’t have domain names yet. However, please note that there are actually traps here. Once you use the domain name given by the hosting provider, if you want a refund, the hosting provider will deduct the domain name separately.
20 Virtual hosting? VPS? Or dedicated server?
Virtual hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers all have their own advantages and disadvantages. I won’t analyze it in detail here. You can read an article I wrote before, which contains a detailed analysis.
Original editor/compiler, please give me face for reprinting: Reprinted from Web, original link of this article: 20 issues you must pay attention to when choosing a website host
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Editor in charge: Yang