Hosting (or web hosting) is the provision of storage space (web space) and infrastructure on servers to make websites, online stores and web applications available on the internet around the clock. Modern companies are increasingly relying on cloud hosting to ensure maximum reliability, scalability and digital sovereignty.
A comparison of the 4 most important types of hosting: To choose the right infrastructure, companies need to know the differences between the hosting models:
- Shared hosting: low-cost entry-level solution where several customers share the resources of a physical server. Suitable for small websites with low traffic.
- VPS (Virtual Private Server): A physical server is divided virtually into self-contained areas. Offers guaranteed resources and more control at moderate costs.
- Dedicated hosting: A complete, physical server is available exclusively to a single customer. Maximum performance and control for resource-intensive applications.
- Cloud hosting: The most modern form of hosting. Resources (computing power, memory) are obtained flexibly from a server network (the cloud). If one hardware node fails, another takes over. Offers maximum scalability and reliability.
The 3 most important criteria for professional business hosting:
- Data security & sovereignty: For German companies, a server location within the EU is mandatory to guarantee GDPR compliance (as with STACKIT).
- High availability (uptime): Business-relevant systems require infrastructures with guaranteed availabilities (SLA) of over 99.9%.
- Scalability: The hosting environment must be able to grow seamlessly during traffic peaks (e.g. due to marketing campaigns) without any downtime.
What is hosting?
In order for a website to be accessible and findable on the internet, it must be hosted on a web server. This server infrastructure is referred to as web hosting, or hosting for short, and is one of the core technologies of the internet. However, web hosting is not a one-size-fits-all solution, as websites have different requirements in terms of storage, computing power, and scalability depending on their purpose—be it an e-commerce store, a blog, or a high-traffic corporate website. Hosting should therefore always be precisely tailored to the operator's content, traffic volume, and business objectives.
THE MOST IPMORTANT TERMS RELATED TO HOSTING IN THIS ARTICLE
Hosting/Web Hosting
Provision of storage space (webspace) and technical infrastructure to ensure that websites and applications are accessible on the Internet 24/7.
Web Server
A combination of specialized hardware (such as a high-performance computer in a data center) and software (e.g., Apache or Nginx) that works together to host and deliver websites.
Cloud Hosting
Websites and applications are not hosted on a single physical server, but on multiple servers.
Shared Hosting
A server’s resources (e.g., storage, CPU) are shared among multiple websites—a cost-effective solution for beginners, blogs, or small projects with low traffic, but performance may suffer during periods of high load..
Dedicated Hosting
An entire physical server is made available exclusively to a single customer—providing maximum control, security, and performance for demanding applications.
VPS (Virtual Private Server)
Virtualizes a physical server into isolated virtual machines, each with its own resources (CPU, RAM, storage)—but more secure, flexible, and powerful than shared hosting.
Managed Hosting
With managed hosting, the provider handles the technical server management (updates, security, optimization).
Domain
A human-readable website address that users can easily remember instead of a numerical IP address, such as “example.com”.
DNS (Domain Name System)
Translates human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses—essentially the Internet’s phone book—so that browsers can find the correct server.
WEB Space
Storage space on a server for files, databases, images, and website content.
Backup
Regular copying/backup of website data to enable rapid recovery in the event of technical failures or attacks and to prevent data loss.
Traffic
In the context of web hosting, traffic refers to the amount of data or the number of visitors (e.g., GB/month) generated by a website.
Monitoring
Continuous real-time monitoring of server performance, utilization, and security to detect issues early.
CMS (Content Management Syste)
Software such as WordPress, TYPO3, or Joomla for creating, maintaining, and managing websites.
E-mail Hosting
Provision of servers for your own email addresses (e.g., info@etesio.com), including sending, receiving, and spam filtering.
Server Location
Indicates where the server is physically located, for example, in Germany. This is important for data protection (GDPR), loading times, and legal certainty.
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