UNDERSTANDING VIRTUAL HOSTING: HOW ONE SERVER HOSTS MULTIPLE WEBSITES
Virtual Hosting is a server configuration technique that enables a single physical server to host and manage multiple websites or domain names simultaneously. In this setup, each website operates as if it has its own dedicated server, even though they are all sharing the same physical hardware and network resources. This is accomplished through software-based partitioning and intelligent web server configurations that distinguish between different sites based on criteria like domain name, IP address, or port number.
TYPES OF VIRTUAL HOSTING:
Name-Based Virtual Hosting
- Multiple domain names share a single IP address.
- The web server uses the requested domain name (via the HTTP Host header) to serve the correct website.
- Commonly used and efficient for most websites.
IP-Based Virtual Hosting
- Each domain or website is assigned a unique IP address.
- The server identifies the correct site based on the IP address used in the request.
- Used when SSL certificates or specific configurations require separate IPs.
Port-Based Virtual Hosting
- Websites are hosted on the same IP address but accessed using different port numbers.
- Less common, mostly used in development or special server setups.
