Understanding the Basic of Web Hosting - Part 1

Today I am going to share with you guys on basic knowledge in Web Hosting Technologies. I start my career in a web hosting company working on servers and supporting client around the globe, now I am going to share with you guys on the basic idea on the web hosting today. 

Do you ever ask yourself, do I even need a space of my own in the Internet? Well, it depends. No one could give you an exact answer, perhaps the space would allow you to share your vacation to Hawaii, your Grandma's special Fried Chicken Recipe (yummy!) or even a platform for you to start your business.

Less Word and Let's starts !

Type of Web Hosting

When you ask me what do you need to start up your own website? Basically you will need a hosting plan, there are huge selection of hosting provider around the world. You would not want to pick up a provider that is very far away from your location your main audience or visitors. Let's say you are based in Singapore and you will know most of your visitor will be from Singapore, then you might as well start looking for provider based in Singapore. 

Of course, there are few factors to be considered as well :

- Price

Yes, pricing is a huge factor in selecting your preferred web hosting provider. Hint: Do not pick the cheapest you can find out there, it is not always the most value for money.   Instead, start looking at your own budget, how much are you going to spend to start up your own website. Then start choosing the one you can afford and find the one that best suit your need. There is no need to spend extra to buy more resources you don't need anyway, you will never noticed how much you have wasted if you have not utilize these resources. Get a minimal plan that fulfill your needs, that will be sufficient and you also saves your money ($$).

Remember: You will always have the chance to upgrade your server / hosting plan through special upselling offers or promotion. My advice, never take something that you will never utilize it all.

Pricing for hosting plan  can range from 2 digits to 4 digits, so choose wisely and be wise.

- Type of Hosting Plan

When you start picking up plans, you will noticed that there are so many terms out there stating their different type of servers. For instances, you will see the common 'Shared Hosting', VPS, Dedicated Server and blah blah blah. There are so many terms out there all stating to one thing, yes a hosting plan. Why make yourself confuse, remember if you have just start up you would even thinking of choosing any other than 'Shared Hosting'. They are the cheapest and the easiest to setup and use, you will need like near zero knowledge in web hosting to start it up.

Extra : Shared Hosting is basically an apartment (server) which holds up a numbers of residents (users) in it. One server will usually holds up to few hundred of client sharing on the same resources. Do not misunderstand how would it server so much at once, it will do not worry. Server are computers, they know how to manage resources well.

- Operating System

Windows 10, Windows 8, Mac OS ..... 

No stop, it is not the type of Operating System I am telling. The server you have choose does runs on major operating system we know today. The most common one would be Linux and Microsoft Windows. They both are basically offered by almost all hosting provider today, take note that both of the operating system does work differently so you will need to understand some basic knowledge which I will explains next.

- Website Files

All the website you see today are actually files running from a server in somewhere you would not need to know. These files are stored inside the server, so imagine whenever you type in some website such as : www.thefastest.website your computer will actually asks for the file from the server because these website are never existed first place in your computer. They will go through the vast web of Internet and eventually reaches the server. The server will then serve them the thing you would want to see which is the website. Then it all goes backward again to your computer and shows it in your screen. It all can be done in milliseconds or even in a blink of your eye, awesome right the power of Internet. 

Majority of website now runs on PHP or HTML. These 2 are the most common one used by websites and they are also the one that is always preferred by the web hosting server today. So if you have a website developer and remember to ask them, is the website in PHP and HTML? If yes, then you may proceed with almost any web hosting plan you likes. 

In some cases, there are website that actually runs on some special file type such as ASP, COLDFUSION and etc. You know you will have some basic knowledge if you are handling these file. They will usually required specific platform to operates and work, so pick the one plan that supports it. Remember to always ask before you proceed if you have an existing website or website files that are ready, asking is free but once you paid you might get a refund but the process will be lengthy and troublesome just like going to a fashion retailer and expecting a refund.

- Database

Majority of the website today do not run in static content anymore. Imagine static contents are just like poster or billboard, they will never change unless you remove them and place a new one there,  that is why they are called static content. There used to be a time in the early Internet eras where almost all the website are running on static content and yes it does serve its purpose of displaying the content to the visitor but would it be sufficient if you are expecting your content to be changed dynamically like major online retailer E-bay?

That is where Database kicks in, you create marvels when you start putting in website files and database together. Imagine your website and running for business and have more than 1000 products for sale, you will then have 1000 static content files to be placed in the server. One day, you want to change the price of the product then you will have to go through all the files one by one to locate it if you have not done any proper documentation. 

Database allows you to remove this problem, majority of website today does run with database because it makes the whole process of managing and maintaining the website to be much easier and much efficient. Furthermore, who would not want a simple page that shows all your products at once and then typing a keyword to search it and the modify it. All can be done in a few second.

The most common type of database engine used by website today is MySQL and MSSQL. They both will wounds alien to you but they are just the name of database engine and most of the website owner will need not to understand it at all unless you are the administrator.

* MySQL is the more common one and it is free

* MSSQL is a Microsoft proprietary database engine and it is not free

Part 1 will ends here

Stay tuned for Part II

We will cover more on starting up your first website and introducing the 'CONTROL PANEL' of web hosting in Part II.

Thank You.

 

Sleepyhead

Its the time where I work as a night shift alone again, walking down the silent and cold alleyway near the office block. Well, I guess I am starting to get used to it now, my friends and colleague used to accompany till the night (Yes my colleague does work as late last time but it is no longer the same now). People at this hour are most likely in their dream or cuddling their loved ones now.

It really does make sense for one to think a lot when you are working alone, I still remember telling my friends: "Hey, did you know working alone in a quiet place is like the most awesome thing ever ?!". Yeah right, I used to enjoy doing it a lot last time when I was still studying during my college time. I always find quiet place so that I can put myself there and start focusing in what I am going to do, it gives me a kind of calmness and quietness I am looking. Starring at streetlight, reflections on the swimming pool, the noisy argument from the neighbor living upstairs and the puff of smoke from the neighbor living downstairs. Seems like everyone is accompanying me (haha :D)

Let's be honest, I do struggle to sleep or most would call it insomnia. I guess I just felt insecure when I sleep or maybe there is so much more going inside my brain and I just can't sleep. The favorite thing I would do, turn on my phone or tablet and go through everything, literally all the articles and YouTube videos I can find until I am so tired and fall asleep. Sometimes I just stay awake until the morning, continue my days just like normal people would. Take some caffeine shots and starts my day.

Hollow minded ? Yes. Boring ? Yes. Empty Mind ? Yes. Lonely ? Yes. But does that breaks my spirit from being myself again ? No. I can start to feel a kind of transition now in my life, so many turning point in my life telling me what I have lost what I have gained. Sometimes, you just have to give in order to gain more, to care for your love one and to tell yourself you have so much more yet to be done.

Now, if people would ask me again : "How's life working alone at night ?". I would tell them: "It is not that great after all".

How much is too much?

Apparently there is no point of return. Stupid things has done and things are clearer now.
We made decisions everyday and awaits their outcome. Sometimes there are risk to take to just understand what's the outcome, curiosity is what drives the excitement. I have tried it, taste it, regret it, and then understand it.
Seen the outcome and I question myself? Is this for real? Yes, I can no longer give lies to myself anymore. The more you hide it the more u crave for it, it become parts of you.
What do I understand? The feeling that has long lost and never was I to imagine it would come back and haunt me. I scared of losing it, but then I understand what's to sacrifice and what's to be found again Distance is what kills me, slowly but then distance is what strengthen it.
They say that feeling will makes you dumb and how true is it? We will never know it until we tried it...

Chinese New Year

This must be the most important day for us Chinese, so important people would rush down all the way from one state to another just to be able to reach their hometown in the fastest time. This is a special day for chinese ass it also symbolize the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. People who works in major cities such as Kuala Lumpur will be travelling back home a day or two before the main day, bringing gifts or hampers for their family. 过年 is the term for passing the old year and 拜年 is the term to welcome the new year.

Kuan Yin Teng Temple, GeorgeTown

I live in Penang, Malaysia. A place people used to call it Pearl of the Orient and it was an island in the upper coast of the Peninsular Malaysia. Penangites (what we call ourselves). Why do we call the island such an awesome place? I believe it must be an awesome island you need to visit in order to tell it then.

I need not to travel as I stays in the island and works there with my family. So it means I don't need to spend time travelling and stuck in the awful traffic jam on the highway. The major highway in Malaysia will definitely be very jam during the festive season and people will try to avoid them by departing early of the day or travelling days before the main day.

People would also need to prepare their new cloth as well for this special day so shopping before the day is very important as well. The preferred color for the new year is definitely 'Red' as it symbolize the property and the atmosphere of Chinese New Year.

The Dinner

In the Chinese tradition, family members will gather for a reunion dinner day before the main day. This has been a tradition long time ago since our ancestor's time, the dinner will be served with dishes prepared by the female members of the family. I am a Hakka descendant so the dishes will also be more Hakka-oriented which will usually include Braised Pork Knuckle and Oyster Wrapped in Pork Lard. Some modern family members today may also have their dinner in a restaurant instead and this is very common today.

When the dishes are ready, family members will gather and we will start eating all the food prepared while sharing all their thoughts and experience. So talking during the dinner is encouraged :)

The Big Day - 初一

Starting from the big day, there will be a lot of restriction that cannot be done such as sweeping the floor, trimming one's hair and others. These kind of restriction has long been passed down by our ancestor and it is told that doing these will brings bad luck or takes away the good fortune of the year. So we have been thought not to do it since we were young and pass it down to our next generation. Superstitious or what we will just follow it then :P.

New cloth will be worn this day, we will be definitely getting our first red packet from our parents since they were the closest to us. The red packet given by our parent is also known as ‘压岁钱’, a red packet given by the elders to the young one for them to bring the good fortune in and takes away the bad one. 

Red Packet - Thanks to GemFive

Only married couple or elders would give red packet and not everyone is giving. Perhaps it is a sign of growing up to be an adult. Traditionally, the young would need to serve tea to the elder to get the AngPows (red packet) but it is rarely seen nowadays.

Second Day - 初二

The second day of Chinese New Year will be the day where the female members of the family are allowed to return to the family for a visit and we do this every year (thanks to the Steamboat, keke). The visit of the relatives will also starts today, people will visit each other and gets the red packets as they visit them. basket of mandarin oranges will be exchanged as a sign of appreciation and congratulates one for celebrating new year. 

The Day After That

Chinese new year can last for a long time but people will usually stops after the 3rd day and some do start working already. Although the celebration may have been stopped, but the spirit is still there for all the Chinese !

Last but not least, I would like to wish all the Chinese around the globe Happy Chinese New Year and may the luck be with you all the yearn

Heng ah ! Huat ah ! Ong Ah !

Ciao !