science

Shared web hosting service

Shared web hosting service is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Shared web hosting service rather than just read about it. In short: A shared web hosting service is a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. The overall cost of server maintenance is spread over many customers.

Key takeaways

Shared web hosting service belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Shared web hosting service to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Shared web hosting service from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A shared web hosting service is a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. The overall cost of server maintenance is spread over many customers. By using shared hosting, the website will share a physical server with one or more other websites.

Description The service usually includes system administration as it is shared by many users. This is a benefit for users who do not want to deal with it, but a hindrance to power users who want more control. In general, shared hosting will be inappropriate for users who require extensive software development outside what the hosting provider supports. Generally, most applications intended to be on a standard web server work well with a shared web hosting service. On the other hand, shared hosting is cheaper than other types of hosting such as dedicated server hosting. Shared hosting usually has usage limits and hosting providers should have extensive reliability features in place. Shared hosting services typically offer basic web statistics support, email and webmail services, auto script installations, updated PHP and MySQL, and basic after-sale technical support that is included with a monthly subscription. It also typically uses a web-based control panel system. Most of the large hosting companies use their custom-developed control panel or cPanel. Control panels and web interfaces can cause controversy however since web hosting companies sometimes sell the right to use their control panel system to others. Attempting to recreate the functionality of a specific control panel is common, which leads to many lawsuits over patent infringement.

Shared web hosting services In shared hosting, the provider is generally responsible for managing servers, installing server software, security updates, technical support, and other aspects of the service. Most servers are based on the Linux operating system (OS) and LAMP. Some providers offer Microsoft Windows-based or FreeBSD-based solutions. Server-side facilities for either operating system have similar functionality (for example: MySQL (database) and many server-side programming languages (such as the widely used PHP programming language) under Linux, or the proprietary SQL Server (database) and ASP.NET programming language under Microsoft Windows. There are thousands of shared hosting providers in the world, although the exact number is unknown. They range from "mom-and-pop shops" and small design firms to multimillion-dollar providers with hundreds of thousands of customers. Shared web hosting can also be done privately by sharing the cost of running a server in a colocation center; this is called cooperative hosting.

Implementation Shared web hosting can be accomplished in two ways: name-based and Internet Protocol-based (IP-based), although some control panels allow a mix of name-based and IP-based on one server.

IP-based In IP-based virtual hosting, also called dedicated IP hosting, each virtual host has a different IP address. The web server is configured with multiple physical network interfaces or virtual network interfaces on the same physical interface. The web server software uses the IP address the client connects to, to determine which website to show the user.

Name-based In name-based virtual hosting, also called shared IP hosting, the virtual hosts serve multiple hostnames on a single machine with a single IP address. This is possible because when a web browser requests a resource from a web server using HTTP/1.1 it includes the requested hostname as part of the request. The server uses this information to determine which website to show the user.

DNS and name servers

DNS stands for "Domain Name System". The domain name system acts like a large telephone directory and within is the master database, which associates a domain name such with the appropriate IP number. When the domain name is registered/purchased on a particular registrar's "name server", the DNS settings are kept on their server, and in most cases point the domain to the name server of the hosting provider. This name server is where the IP number (currently associated with the domain name) resides.

See also Dedicated hosting service Virtual machine Virtual private server Web hosting service Web server

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shared web hosting service

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shared web hosting service claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Shared web hosting service before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Shared web hosting service ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Shared web hosting service

In research: Shared web hosting service appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Shared web hosting service in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Shared web hosting service is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1990s neologisms, IT service management, Internet hosting, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Shared web hosting service outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Shared web hosting service in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Shared web hosting service means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Shared web hosting service out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shared web hosting service in simple terms?

A shared web hosting service is a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. The overall cost of server maintenance is spread over many customers.

Why does Shared web hosting service matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Shared web hosting service?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Shared web hosting service.