Web hosting means renting space on a computer (a server) that is always connected to the internet so that anyone can reach your website. A domain name (myshop.lk) is the human-friendly address; hosting is the place where your files live.
| Hosting type | Description | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | Many sites on one server; cPanel control panel; cheapest | Student projects, small businesses |
| VPS (virtual private server) | Your own virtual machine with root access | Growing sites, custom software |
| Cloud hosting (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean) | Scalable, pay for usage | Larger applications |
| Dedicated server | A whole physical machine | Very high traffic |
| Managed platform (PaaS) | Platform runs the server for you (Render, Railway, Heroku-style) | Developers who want less server work |
| Static hosting (GitHub Pages, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages) | Only HTML, CSS, JS (no PHP/MySQL); often free | Portfolios, front-end-only sites |
Choosing hosting: check that it supports your stack (PHP version, MySQL, Composer), storage and bandwidth, free SSL, backups, uptime guarantee, support quality, email accounts, location (closer to visitors is faster), and the price on renewal (introductory prices often rise). A PHP and MySQL shop needs shared, VPS or cloud hosting, not static-only hosting.
Domain names: bought from a registrar (e.g. for .lk through LK Domain Registry accredited registrars; .com through many registrars) usually per year. Choose short, memorable names. Keep the registrar account secure (two-factor authentication) and enable auto-renew, because losing a domain loses the business.