What Is The Difference Between A Web Host and An ISP?

Date First Published: 1st January 2024

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Network Services

Article Type: Computer Questions & Answers

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

CONTENTS

Key Differences Between Web Hosts and ISPs
How Are Web Hosts and ISPs Linked?

Learn about what the difference between a web host and an ISP is in this article.

Although a web host may also act as an ISP (internet service provider), some people get these two terms confused. A web host is an organisation that maintains, configures, and provides the server space that stores websites. An ISP provides internet access for both homes and businesses, usually for a monthly fee, but may also provide web hosting services. Web hosting providers manage server infrastructure and website-related services, whilst ISPs manage the network infrastructure necessary for internet connectivity.

Key Differences Between Web Hosts and ISPs

Web hosts can be located anywhere in the world and the best web hosts have servers spread across the world, so users from all around the world will only need an internet connection to host with them. ISPs are located within the user's geographic area and depend on the user's location. It is possible to connect to an ISP using a cable connection, whilst a web host is only used to handle the hosting of the website and does not require a physical connection. When staying abroad, users will need an ISP based in the place they are staying.

The choice of an ISP is not usually as important as a web host because the connection only allows users to access the internet. As long as it has a high enough bandwidth, most users will choose an ISP. However, there are more factors to consider when choosing a web host. All web hosts have limits on resources, including disk space, bandwidth, hits, file size, file types, which is why it is important to research it and find out details about it before signing up and hosting a website there.

Only one web host is required to handle the hosting of a website and display it from any part of the world, whilst users are most likely to be using different ISPs to access the internet due to their dependence on location. If users are not connected to an ISP, they are not connected to the internet.

How Are Web Hosts and ISPs Linked?

Web hosts and ISPs are both important services required for publishing a website. An ISP is required to connect to the internet, view the website, and use other online services. A web host is required to publish the website and make it available to anyone with an internet connection. Web hosts make services available to anyone who already has an internet connection through an ISP. In order to run a website, both a web host and an ISP are required to store the website and connect to the web server and the rest of the internet.

Since the services are closely related to each other, ISPs may also offer web hosting services. They may offer different types of web hosting, including shared hosting, semi-dedicated hosting, and dedicated hosting. Some ISPs support hosting, whilst offers do not. Using an ISP for web hosting means that the ISP is responsible for ensuring that the website is up 24/7.

ISPs usually have very fast connections to the internet, a high amount of availability (uptime), and may be more cost-effective than hosting a website with a separate web host for small websites. However, the services they offer are not usually adequate for users with complex hosting needs due to the limits of monthly traffic and they often don't provide a large amount of storage space for web hosting, compared to separate web hosts. This is why website owners often choose a web hosting provider independently of their ISP, meaning that they use the internet connection provided by their ISP to access and manage their website hosted by a separate web hosting provider.