WEB HOSTING -- Overview Page
Every website published on the World Wide Web (WWW) must be hosted on a server computer that is connected to the Internet network. It is actually possible to connect any personal computer (PC) to the Internet as long as that PC has a permanent Internet Protocol (IP) address, so that it is fully-connected at all times to the WWW and can function as a Web server computer. However the cost of securing a permanent IP address is expsnsive, and one would also need to have the technical ability to be able to configure and maintain the software that operates the server. People viewing your "self-hosted website" may experience slow download of the webpages. A far better solution is to contract with a Web hosting service provider that hosts websites on high-end commercial servers located close to the Internet backbone for maximum webpage upload and download speeds.This section on Website Hosting contains the following sub-sections:
Website Hosting Types -- Choosing the Right Technology
The most important decision you will make in a website project is to choose the right technology for hosting and constructing the site, taking into consideration your technical skill level, the size and scope of your website and your budget.
The three main technologies used to host and construct websites are as follows:
1) "Website Builder" Content Management System (CMS) Hosting.
2) "Open Source" Content Management System (CMS) Hosting.
3) "Classic Hosting" Using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and offline Web Design Software.
"Website Builder" CMS Hosting -- Choosing the Right Brand
Using a proprietary "website builder" hosting service is by far the easiest method to host and construct an effective and professional-looking website. It is not necessary to know any HTML code in order to build a website hosted on this technology. However choosing the right brand can be a challenge.
The most popular commercial "Website Builder" CMS hosting brands are the following:
a) Wix
b) Squarespace
c) Weebly
d) GoDaddy
In addition to the above brands, there are some website builders that exclusively specialize in local church and ministry websites. Some of these are reviewed on the "Website Builder CMS Hosting" webpage.
The South Pacific Division (SPD) of the Adventist Church operates a proprietary "website builder" hosting service called "Adventist Place", which provides free basic websites to local churches and education institutions located in the territory of the SPD.
"Open Source" Content Management System (CMS) Hosting
Also known as "Web Content Management System" (WCMS) hosting, this is the most popular technology used on the Interent to host and construct websites. The technology utilized in these CMS products is based on "open source" software, whereby the source code for the basic website framework is open to view by computer code programmers who develop the CMS hosting services. A higher level of skill is needed in order to construct a well-functioning and professional-looking website using this type of hosting compared to the simpler "website builder" hosting products. However it is still possible for someone to construct an open source CMS webiste without the need for any knowledge of HTML code.
Commercial Open Source CMS Hosting Products
In order of popularity, the most common brands of commercial open source CMS hosting products are as follows:
a) "WordPress"
b) "Joomla"
c) "Drupal"
d) "TYPO3"
e) "DotNetNuke"
Adventist Denomination CMS Hosting
Currently the Seventh-day Adventist Church has available three CMS hosting services:
A) "netAdventist"
This is a proprietary CMS hosting service operated by the General Conference, with free "netAdventist" CMS website hosting made available in several territories of the global Adventist Church.
B) "Adventist Church Connect" (ACC) and "Adventist School Connect" (ASC) -- NAD Only
This is a proprietary CMS hosting service operated by the North American Division (NAD) and provides free website hosting to all Adventist churches, schools and higher education institutions in the territory of the NAD.
C) "Adventist Place" -- SPD Only
This is a proprietary "website builder" CMS hosting service operated by the South Pacific Division and provides free website hosting to Adventist churches and institutions in the territory of the SPD.
Private Adventist CMS Hosting
Currently there is a proprietry CMS hosting service offered by a private Adventist member-owned business:
"SimpleUpdates.com"
Classic Hosting -- Using "File Transfer Protocol" (FTP) and Web Design Software
This is the traditional method of hosting websites. Producing a site with this technology involves designing and constructing the website offline using web design software such as Adobe "Dreamweaver", and then "sending" the website code to a server host using "File Transfer Protocol" (FTP) or similar software. This method of producing and maintaining a website is typically now used only for large websites that are too big or too complex to be constructed using open source Content Management System (CMS) technology. As of the year 2020, around one third of all websites on the World Wide Web are classic-hosted websites.
Free Adventist Hosting
Several administrative territories of the global Adventist Church offer free hosting of websites using proprietary CMS technology products.
Free Commercial Hosting
Several commercial "Website Builder" CMS hosting services offer free starter websites.
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