Web Hosting : The Function of Web Hosting Servers

Summary : Although the work behind the scenes is invisible to the end-user, your site's hosting server houses and powers the operation of your site.

A web hosting service not only stores your website's files, but transmits them over the Web. The data exchange between browsers and web servers is a complex process. The more advanced technology used by a site, the more complex the exchange.

Basic Web Hosting Servers

Less complex sites involve a simple process to move the data from the server to the user. In this case, the server manages HTML (hyper text markup language) documents and images. The web server take requests from users, and carries it to the host file system. The requested file is loaded onto the Web server, and sent to the requesting browser. To do this, a TCP (transmission control protocol) connection is established that transfers the HTML documents and images to the browser. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a security protocol, allows secure web connections, and enables the communication between the web server and browser. Thus, HTTP is a safe means of data transfer between web server and web browser. The unique resource locators for this connection are managed by SSL (secure sockets layer) algorithms to establish a safe, secure and encrypted link when the browser and server communicate.

Web Hosting for More Complex Sites

More sophisticated sites, on the other hand, require additional steps from their servers to be transmitted to the Web. The use of dynamic web content, for example, where there is an interchange between the user and site requires a high level of technical sophistication. An example of dynamic web content would be a site providing online shopping, questionnaires, or some exchange of information. A dynamic content management system is specially used for e-commerce driven websites. The content management system is based on a large database and an advanced programming language like ASP (active server pages). When a user requests this type of site, the server can also deliver the information using CGI (common gateway interface) technology and server resources. CGI is a standard used extensively over the internet. CGI enables the Web Server to execute programs locally and send the desired result to the web browser.

Whether simple or complex, web servers can manage multiple requests from browsers simultaneously. The simultaneous process is facilitated by different methods such as multi-threading and multi-processing.

Although the work behind the scenes is invisible to the end-user, your site's hosting server houses and powers the operation of your site. The effectiveness of your site, therefore, relies upon the quality of your hosting service.