Virtual Hosting: Types, Architecture, Uses & Benefits
A virtual host can run more than one website at a time. Configure it properly, and you'll have one machine that can load two, three, or more websites.
When we think about the internet, we think in terms of singularity. One website address resolves to one machine that holds all the content. Virtual hosting turns this idea on its head.
The main benefit to virtual hosting is it allows companies to host multiple websites (each with their own name and content) on a single server. This method allows companies to pay less, as they're sharing costs with many other organisations.
Virtual hosts are used in two main ways:
- External sales: Companies like GoDaddy and Wix host multiple websites on their servers. About 330,000 web hosting providers like this are available worldwide. They all offer some type of virtual web server.
- Internal traffic: Companies with an external-facing website and an internal-facing intranet might use a virtual host. They don't need two servers for this traffic.