{"id":20860,"date":"2019-01-03T08:01:04","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T13:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=20860"},"modified":"2019-09-30T14:51:37","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T19:51:37","slug":"do-i-need-web-hosting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/do-i-need-web-hosting\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I Need Web Hosting?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re thinking about starting a website, then you may have come across the term 'web hosting'\u009d without entirely understanding what that means. When you see that web hosting usually comes at a cost, you may start to wonder, '<\/span>Do I need web hosting?<\/span>'\u009d<\/span><\/p>\n

The short answer is: yes. If you want to have a website, you need<\/b> web hosting<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

But you may feel better about the expense involved if you understand what website hosting is all about.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"build<\/a><\/p>\n

What is Web Hosting?<\/span><\/h2>\n

We talk about the web like it\u2019s something that exists outside of physical space. Terms like 'cyberspace'\u009d and 'the cloud'\u009d reinforce the idea that the many sites we access on our devices don\u2019t live anywhere physical they\u2019re floating out there somewhere, as if on the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, every website that exists on the internet takes up physical space on a web server somewhere. But those web servers are out of sight for most of us-kept in storage facilities around the world that few web users have cause to visit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though we don\u2019t see or think about those servers much, they\u2019re a necessary part of our internet experience. And the service they provide for websites-storing them and making the \u00a0the site\u2019s content accessible to people around the world online-is what we call web hosting.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a nutshell, that\u2019s <\/span>how web hosting works<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Do Websites Need Web Hosting?<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you learn <\/span>how to build a website<\/span><\/a> on a specific device (or a couple), it lives on those devices. When you\u2019re ready to publish it for the larger world to see, it has to move beyond the specific devices you own that only you have access to. But it still needs to live somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Web hosting servers are the space where your website can live and be stored while being accessible on the larger web. If you want your website to be live online-in other words, if you want anyone other than you to see it-then a website hosting package is a necessary part of the equation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do I Need a Web Hosting Service?<\/span><\/h2>\n

For most websites, web hosting is provided by a web hosting company that owns and maintains many servers and allows customers to essentially rent space on them. You pay the web hosting provider either monthly or annually for that space and, in return, they keep your website up and running.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the idea of spending money on a continual basis for your website is frustrating, you may wonder if there\u2019s a way to get around having to pay someone else for web hosting services. While it\u2019s technically possible for a business or individual to purchase and maintain their own private web server, it\u2019s expensive and impractical for the vast majority of website owners. Servers require maintenance, proper climate control, and advanced skills to manage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, the amount of bandwidth required to host your own website on a server launches you far beyond what most internet plans will allow for an individual or SMB business. Since bandwidth relates directly to speed and uptime, having enough of it is an important part of keeping your website accessible to visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

A web hosting company has already made the investment in:<\/span><\/p>\n