Everyone at some point in their lives has attempted to create a blogpost for themselves and get a personalized domain. More so with the generation Z individuals, it’s just a matter of click for most of us.
Though decades ago, creating a website and making one’s presence felt on the internet (which itself was an underdeveloped prospect) was a tough thing.
Hosting and deploying are two of the more important components of the entire website making process. Though considered as two sides of the same coin, there is a considerable difference between them, which in its nuances is pretty stark.
Key Takeaways
- Hosting refers to providing storage space and access to a website or application on a server. In contrast, deployment refers to making an application or website live for users to access.
- Hosting services can be managed or unmanaged, and they can be shared, VPS, or dedicated. In contrast, deployment involves pushing code changes to a production environment using tools like Jenkins, Ansible, or Kubernetes.
- Hosting is more concerned with the availability and performance of a website or application. In contrast, deployment is more concerned with the development lifecycle and ensuring that changes are deployed safely and efficiently.
Hosting vs Deployment
The difference between Web Hosting and Software deployment is that Web Hosting is a service provided by web hosts. It includes storage data and space for the website. Software deployment is a process with which you move code from a local computer to a public server.
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Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Web Hosting | Deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | A service that provides data and space for websites. The websites are accessible via www. | Activities that make the system software ready for use. |
| Need | The service allows individuals and organizations to make their websites online. | It is a process that creates an environment for a website. Also aids in running and testing it, along with making timely necessary changes. |
| Types | Cloud, clustered, grid, reseller web hosting. | Canary, Blue Green, and Atomic deployment. |
| Tools | Ruby (ROR), MYSOL, and Perl. | Profiler, Compiler and IDE. |
| Advantages | Better site performance, technical support, reliability, and improved security. | Saves time, easy software updates, and advanced security. |
What is Hosting?
Internet hosting is a service that allows people, groups, organizations, and also governments to make their websites. These websites are accessible via the world wide web (www.).
The Internet as a concept was limited to narrow educational and informational content until 1991, all across the world. Personalized websites were not only far fetched digitally but also economically.
To make or host a website, an individual needed to have a personalized computer and a server. Web hosting companies offered websites to individuals on their servers. This saved a good amount of unnecessary spending on money, time, and effort.
As time passed by and the model tasted success, the number of companies offering such website plans increased.
Although there are multiple types of hosting servers, majorly they can be categorized into the following two:
- Smaller Hosting Services – These are the ones where files can be uploaded. The making and uploading doesn’t require much processing here. Smaller Hosting Services are generally offered for free.
- Large Hosting Services – These are mostly for companies and organizations. It has bigger application development programs and substantial database support. Companies need these websites to constantly stay in touch with the public.
There are multiple types of Hosting services –
- Shared web hosting services – This is a common pool or server roof which shelters many different types of websites. Although such websites do not allow an array of features and are rigid in their functionality.
- Reseller Web Hosting – This allows the clients to become web hosts themselves. They are also enabled to have their virtual dedicated servers. Web companies usually have reseller accounts to provide hosting.
- Dedicated Hosting Server – The user gets their server and also complete control of it. Self-managed / unmanaged types of servers are the least expensive ones. The clients themselves are responsible for the security of the server.
- Managed Hosting Servers – Unlike the Dedicated Hosting Services, this one gives the client access to the server but not total control of it. The reason for denying control is providing and guaranteeing a quality check.
What is Deployment?
Deployment is a hosting solution that allows a remote app to be accessed globally. It is offered on recurring subscriptions to the businesses by application providing services.
These providers help the enterprises to operate their software applications from the cloud. As a control measure, the application hosting providers need to be well equipped against the ever-evolving and advanced threat of security.
In the early days, building software on a computer was a long, arduous, and rather expensive task. Although much of it changed with the introduction of cassettes, cartridges, and floppy disks.
Eventually, software deployment was left to the customers.
With the up-gradation of the internet and development in cloud computing, deployment of software happened very quickly.
The process of Deployment includes the following steps –
- Preparation – When the client wants to deploy his or her first website, they need to purchase web hosting and form a domain name. In case the client already has a prior existence on some other hosting service, then the process of transmission becomes a bit difficult. The need to have domain management credentials and management of DNS records increases.
- Setting up DNS records – It is helpful when the client has access to the DNS management records. If in case they don’t have one, they can go for web domain managers, many of which are free.
- Email accounts – The developer needs to know the status of the client’s email account. Most of the time the transition to the new email servers happens along with the website. The client needs to know all the details though.
Main Differences Between Hosting and Deployment
- The primary role of Web Hosting is to get the server up and have the basic tools for the website ready. The fundamental role of deployment though is to make system software ready for use.
- Web hosting allows individuals and groups to have their presence online via a website. Deployment on the other hand provides the environment for a website to be running smoothly on a hosting platform.
- Web hosting ensures the flow of data to be kept secured and private. In deployment, especially SaaS, data security is insufficient.
- Shared and clustered hosting are the major types of web hosting. Blue-Green and Atomic Deployment are types of Deployment.
- The full-page cache is a requirement for hosting, particularly important for e-commerce websites. Data security is a basic requirement while deploying a website.
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4221626/
- https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ee5b/febaa06dd068a2f6aff294e200db00016c15.pdf
- https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-1-84628-795-4_10.pdf
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
