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The essentials
Every guide in this topic
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What is web hosting?
A website is a set of files and usually a database. Hosting is the computer that keeps them online and answers every visitor’s request,…
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Managed or unmanaged hosting: which do you need?
The server can be identical. What changes is who installs updates, watches for problems and fixes things at 3 a.m.
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How much RAM and CPU does a website need?
Rough starting sizes for common sites, why memory runs out before CPU, and how to measure what your own site actually uses.
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What does 99.9% uptime actually mean?
Uptime percentages converted into real downtime per month and year, and what a host’s guarantee really promises.
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What is cPanel (and Plesk)?
Control panels put a web interface on top of a hosting server, so you can manage sites, email, databases and files without the command…
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Shared, VPS, dedicated or cloud hosting: what is the difference?
Four labels, one question: how a physical server is divided up, and who looks after your part of it.