ASP.NET Web Hosting

ASP.NET is Microsoft’s popular scripting language that is used by many web developers to create dynamic server side websites for use with either Microsoft SQL Server databases or Microsoft Access databases. In order for web developers to be able to host their ASP.NET based websites and applications in a live environment, they need to consider Windows based ASP.NET hosting services. Windows web hosting services are generally offered by many web hosting providers and are normally available in the basic form of shared hosting packages right up to Windows dedicated servers. Having such choice when it comes to ASP.NET web hosting is important since your ASP.NET based website is bound to expand over time, and as your website expands you will need to upgrade your web hosting service to something more suitable. ASP.NET web hosting services normally come with the ability to host Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases which ensures that database driven websites will be able to function in such hosting environments. Windows web hosting services for ASP.NET websites tend to be more expensive than Linux web hosting services; this is because web hsoting providers have to pay for the right to use the Windows Server operating system, whereas Linux is free to use – you may find this with any other Microsoft applications that you have purchased.

Features

ASP.NET web hosting tends to have features not found on other web hosting packages, most notably support for ASP.NET as well as other Windows only server-side applications. Because of the higher cost of Windows based web hosting services, you should only be seriously considering ASP.NET hosting if you will have real use for it – i.e. to host classic ASP or ASP.NET based websites. You should also choose the right level of ASP.NET hosting that is appropriate for you; for example, you may want to have a Windows dedicated server to fit your needs when in reality the most you need is a shared web hosting package. As with any web hosting service, you will find that you will be provided with control panel access to manage your web hosting service; although this may be optional with Windows VPS and dedicated servers, it is recommended that you make use of one since it can help you in the long term. The main features that you will find provided with most ASP.NET web hosting services will include:

Plesk control panel – many web hosting providers use the Plesk control panel in order to allow them to offer their ASP.NET hosting services – Plesk features advanced features for Windows based web hosting servers which allows users to manage their ASP.NET based websites through a web browser without needing to have console access to the server – Plesk can also configure ASP.NET support for individual accounts
database support – unlike Linux based web hosting services, Windows based ASP.NET web hosting services come with support for both Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases that will allow ASP.NET coders to choose between the database system that they would like to base their websites on – however, it should be noted that in order to create and modify Microsoft Access databases, you require the desktop program in order to do so
ASP.NET support – Windows and ASP.NET web hosting services of course come with support for the hosting of classic ASP and ASP.NET scripts and web pages – although Linux web hosting servers can host ASP.NET web pages through the use of the Apache mod_mono module, ASP.NET scripts and web pages run best in a Windows based hosting environment because ASP.NET is a Microsoft technology like Windows is.

ASP.NET web hosting packages aren’t short at all of the features that you as a Windows web developer will need to help you build feature rich websites that are based on ASP.NET. Classic ASP web pages and scripts can also be used in an ASP.NET hosting environment, but you need to ensure that your web hosting provider has enabled the use of classic ASP.

Advantages

There can be many advantages when it comes down to using ASP.NET hosting services. By using Windows web hosting services you are able to broaden your reach on the technologies that are available to you since many Linux technologies can also be used on Windows hosting servers. As a web hosting provider you can also make use of Windows based servers by extending your product portfolio to include Windows and ASP.NET hosting services. ASP.NET pages and scripts generally aren’t able to run on any other operating system apart from Windows, and because of this ASP. NET web hosting is needed to ensure that developers who do use it are able to host their websites and applications in a live environment. You can also create your own ASP.NET hosting environment by installing IIS on your Windows desktop machine, however this can use a lot of your computers resources. The main advantages that you will get from ASP.NET hosting will include:

the ability to execute ASP.NET web pages – with ASP.NET web hosting services, you will have the ability to run and execute ASP.NET web pages and scripts within your web hosting account – if you choose a Windows VPS server or a dedicated hosting server then you can easily design your scripts to work with server side settings that will help you to create more dynamic ASP.NET based websites and scripts
reliable hosting service – if you choose to use a Windows based VPS server or dedicated hosting server for your ASP.NET web hosting services then you are more likely to receive a reliable web hosting service that will allow you to expand your website and bring in more visitors over a long period of time – as a business with a mission critical website you are more likely to appreciate the need for a reliable web hosting package
accessed to Windows based services – by using ASP.NET web hosting services, you are able to have access to Windows based services that you can use to make your website more dynamic and reliable – i.e. you can make use of the Microsoft SQL Server database server to create a more dynamic and reliable database hosting solution for your website, and you will notice a performance increase if you are upgrading from using a Microsoft Access database.

As you can see, ASP.NET web hosting services provide you with many advantages when it comes to the hosting of ASP.NET and classic ASP based websites. You can make use of such advantages by designing any new websites that you create around the features that you are provided with – i.e. you may want to make use of the Microsoft SQL Server database hosting server.

Shared, VPS Hosting or Dedicated Server

Since Windows based web hosting services can be purchased in the form of shared web hosting accounts, VPS servers or dedicated servers, it is important to work out your requirements so that you know what you should be expecting from a web hosting service. The main thing which is restricting people these days with web hosting services is budget – some web hosting packages can be cheap whereas others can be very expensive, but of course you should make your decision based on the comparison of several different web hosting providers. In summary, the different services available to use as a consumer include:

shared web hosting – as a beginner with ASP.NET hosting services you may find shared hosting the best type for you both in terms of budget and reliability – you are provided with control panel access to manage your accounts and the management of the hosting server is taken care of by your web hosting provider
VPS hosting – this is the next step up from shared hosting and offers users a dedicated environment for the price of a high end reseller hosting account – although some VPS servers can be expensive, it is important to note that you are getting a lot for your money but it is important to know how to manage a Windows based server
dedicated server hosting – although this is the most expensive option available, dedicated server hosting does provide you with reliability that no other form of web hosting can offer you – however, it is noted that you should have the appropriate skills to manage a Windows based server beforehand.

It is recommended that as a consumer you start off with shared hosting and upgrade your web hosting package to the next level as and when appropriate. However, as a business user you may want to be consideirng VPS hosting or dedicated server hosting as your first step.

In conclusion, ASP.NET web hosting services offer end users a reliable form of web hosting for websites that are based on ASP.NET and classic ASP scripting technology. Since ASP.NET hosting services utilize Windows web hosting services, you can normally choose between shared, VPS hosting server and dedicated hosting to meet your ASP.NET hosting needs. ASP.NET hosting is able to offer you services only available on Windows servers such as Microsoft SQL Server databases as well as support for Microsoft Access databases; this means that you can still develop dynamic websites on ASP.NET hosting.