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Every website needs a place from which visitors can reach it: an always-on server connected to the internet that someone has to run, update, protect and back up. A hosting service does this work for you: you rent space on a provider’s server and can focus on your website rather than the server room.
In this article, we sum up what a hosting provider does, what types of hosting services there are, which one suits whom, and what to look out for when choosing.
What does a hosting provider do?
- Hardware and data centre: servers, storage, redundant power and network, cooling, physical security.
- Network: a fast internet connection, DDoS filtering.
- Software: installing, updating and tuning the operating system, web server, PHP, database server and mail system (on shared hosting).
- Security: firewall, malware scanning, isolating accounts from each other.
- Backup: regular backups to a location separate from the server.
- Monitoring: continuous monitoring of the servers, fixing faults, availability.
- Control panel and support: an interface where you manage your own part, and a support team that helps when you get stuck.
How much of this is the provider’s job and how much is yours depends on the type of hosting.
Types of hosting services
| Type | Who is it for? | Who runs the software? |
|---|---|---|
| Shared web hosting | Presentation site, blog, small online shop | The provider |
| WordPress hosting | WordPress sites, with WordPress management tools | The provider |
| Static hosting | Pre-generated HTML pages, without PHP or a database | The provider |
| Email hosting | Email only, with your own domain | The provider |
| Reseller hosting | Agencies and developers who provide hosting for their clients | The provider; you manage the accounts |
| Managed server (dedicated cPanel, managed VPS) | Has outgrown shared hosting but does not want to run a server | The provider |
| VPS | Own software environment, guaranteed resources | You |
| Dedicated server | High load, a whole physical machine | You |
Shared web hosting. The websites of several clients run on one server, with resource limits per account. It is the cheapest and most convenient solution, and enough for most websites. At aWh, the KeyHelp-based web hosting and cPanel hosting are of this type.
WordPress hosting. Shared hosting tuned for WordPress, with WordPress management tools. On aWh’s WordPress hosting, WP Toolkit lets you install and update with one click and create a staging environment.
Static hosting. For HTML pages built with a static site generator (Hugo, Jekyll, Astro) or written by hand. It is cheap and fast, and offers little attack surface. You upload files to aWh’s static hosting over SFTP. Static hosting is covered in a separate comparison.
Email hosting. For when you want to manage email independently of your website, or have no website at all. aWh’s email hosting comes with webmail, spam filtering and daily backups.
Reseller hosting. A larger allowance from which you can create your own cPanel accounts for your clients. Our reseller guide covers it.
Managed server. Dedicated cPanel is a server all to yourself with the cPanel interface, and a managed VPS is a custom software environment; we run both for you.
VPS and dedicated server. Your own guaranteed resources, root access and complete freedom, but running the software is your job. The differences are covered in our VPS vs web hosting comparison.
What makes a good hosting service?
Speed: NVMe SSD storage, sufficient CPU and memory limits, up-to-date PHP versions, caching options. See our article on fast hosting.
Reliability: availability guaranteed in an SLA (99.9% is the usual level), redundant infrastructure, monitoring.
Security: free SSL, DDoS filtering, malware scanning, account isolation, two-factor authentication on the control panel.
Backup: daily backups kept separate from the server, which you can restore from yourself.
Ease of use: a clear control panel (cPanel, KeyHelp or another), and a one-click app installer if you need one.
Support: clear, fast help, ideally in your own language, and a useful knowledge base.
Transparent prices: a known renewal price, clarity about what the price includes, and a money-back guarantee.
The steps of choosing and the questions to ask a provider are collected in our checklist before buying hosting, and the parameters of the plans are compared in our hosting plan comparison.
aWh’s hosting services
- Web hosting, cPanel, WordPress, static and email hosting on NVMe SSD
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL, DDoS protection, ImunifyAV+ malware scanning on the cPanel servers
- Daily backups on paid plans, with self-service restore on cPanel hosting
- 99.9% availability
- Expert 24/7 support team, clear invoicing
- Free migration, 14-day money-back guarantee
- When you outgrow it: dedicated cPanel, managed VPS, KVM and Windows VPS, dedicated servers
Besides the free Web Free plan, web hosting plans start from €6.53 a year (excluding VAT).
Take a look at our hosting plans
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between hosting and a domain?
The domain is your website’s address (for example cegnev.hu), and hosting is the server space where the website’s files are kept. You need both, and although they are two separate services, managing them in one place is the simplest.
Which type of hosting should I choose?
For most websites, shared web hosting or WordPress hosting is enough. For a static site, choose static hosting; for email only, email hosting; for custom software or a heavy load, a VPS or dedicated cPanel.
Do I need technical knowledge to use hosting?
Not for shared hosting: in the control panel you can install WordPress, create an email account or switch on SSL with a few clicks. A VPS or dedicated server, however, requires system administration skills, or a managed service.
How much does hosting cost?
An entry-level shared hosting plan costs from a few euros to a few tens of euros a year, larger plans up to around a hundred euros a year, and VPSs are billed monthly. At aWh, you can also start with the free Web Free plan.
Can I move my existing website?
Yes, every aWh hosting plan comes with free migration: open a ticket with the details of your old hosting, and we will move your website, database and emails.