The Beginner's Guide to Web Hosting (2026)

Imagine your domain name (e.g., `my-site.com`) is your house address.

Web hosting is the land and the house itself. It's a space on a powerful computer (a "server"), connected to the Internet 24/7, where all your site's files are stored: texts, images, code...

In short: without hosting, your address leads nowhere. Your site doesn't exist online.

There are several "types of houses" for your site. Here are the most common, from simplest to most complex.

1. Shared Hosting (the most common)

The metaphor: You rent an apartment in a large building. You share resources (water, electricity...) with your neighbors. It's economical and easy to manage, but if a neighbor consumes too much, everyone can be slowed down.

• For whom? Ideal for 90% of showcase sites, blogs, and portfolios.
• Advantages: Very affordable, no technical skills required.
• Disadvantages: Shared performance.

2. VPS Hosting (Virtual Private Server)

The metaphor: You rent a semi-detached house. You have your own well-defined space, but you still share the same overall "building". More control and better performance than shared hosting.

• For whom? E-commerce sites with traffic, web applications, projects requiring specific configurations.
• Advantages: More power, more control.
• Disadvantages: Requires basic technical knowledge for management.

Dedicated and Cloud hosting are advanced solutions, generally oversized and too complex for a showcase site or a project that is just starting out.

At creasite.xyz, after deploying many modern sites (Next.js, Astro...), our conclusion is clear: for a showcase site, blog, or portfolio, the goal is speed, security, and simplicity.

We manage our clients' hosting daily and have been able to compare the performance of different providers in real-world conditions.

No need to rent a mansion (dedicated hosting) if a comfortable apartment (shared hosting) is enough. For the vast majority of entrepreneurs, good shared hosting is more than sufficient and the most cost-effective.

Beware of offers that are too good to be true. Here are the most common pitfalls:

• Choosing the cheapest offer without looking at performance: A "low-cost" shared hosting at $1/month can be extremely slow and damage your image and SEO.
• Forgetting the SSL certificate: In 2026, a site without a padlock (HTTPS) is flagged as "not secure" by browsers. Make sure SSL is included and free.
• Underestimating the importance of customer support: When your site is down, being able to quickly reach competent support in your language is priceless.

For a modern "site-application" that is fast, secure, and designed to evolve, hosting is not an expense, it's an investment in performance. Forget "low-cost" offers that will hold back your project.

• Standard Modern Hosting: from ~$15/month for optimal speed and reliability from launch.
• Business & Scalable Solution: between $25 and $50/month for projects anticipating growth, with enhanced security, backups, and monitoring.

The good news? With creasite.xyz, you don't have to choose. Our solutions include hosting designed for performance, without you having to touch the technical side.

Choosing a hosting provider may seem technical, but it's a decision that lays the foundation for your project's performance. For a modern showcase site or a "site-application", the choice often comes down to opting for a reliable and recognized solution.

Your hosting is literally the technical foundation of your online business. So take the time to choose a reliable offer like that of IONOS, and you will have this topic settled for the coming years.