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GLOSSARY

What is Hosting?

DEFINITION

Hosting is the service that stores your website's files and database on a server connected to the internet, so visitors can load it at any time. The host is separate from your domain registrar, and it is separate from your email provider, though one company can supply several of these.

Hosting plans differ in how much traffic they handle, how fast the servers respond, whether backups are included and how much support you get. Cheap shared hosting puts many sites on one machine, which can slow yours down when neighbors are busy. Why it matters: Slow speed, outages and security problems often trace back to hosting, so you should know which company hosts your site and who holds the login.

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