If your site runs on Apache and you’re familiar with .htaccess, the 5G Blacklist is an effective way to secure your site against malicious HTTP activity.
The 5G Blacklist is a simple, flexible blacklist that checks all URI requests against a series of carefully constructed HTAccess directives. This happens quietly behind the scenes at the server level, saving resources for stuff like PHP and MySQL for all blocked requests.
Simply add the following code to your site’s .htaccess file. Make sure you make a copy of your existing file before making any changes.
If you’ve recently had a website built, you may have come across the term web hosting and wondered what it actually means. It’s one of the most common questions we get, especially from businesses having their very first website.
After all, you’ve already paid to have your website designed and built, so why is there an ongoing hosting fee? The simplest answer is this:
Web hosting is the service that keeps your website online, secure and available for people to visit 24 hours a day.
Think of it like a shop
Imagine you’ve opened a shop on your local high street.
Your business has a name, you’ve had the interior designed exactly how you want it, and everything is ready for customers. But without a building for it to occupy, nobody can visit.
A website works in much the same way.
Your website is the shop itself.
Your domain name (such as example.co.uk) is the address people use to find it.
Your web hosting is the building that keeps it open for business.
Without hosting, your website simply wouldn’t be available on the internet.
So what exactly is hosting?
Your website is made up of lots of different files – text, images, pages, databases and software – all of which need somewhere to live.
Those files are stored on a powerful computer called a server. Unlike the computer sitting on your desk, a server is designed to run continuously, day and night, with a fast internet connection and specialist hardware.
Whenever someone types your web address into their browser, that server sends your website to their computer or phone in just a fraction of a second.
It doesn’t matter whether they’re visiting at 9am on a Tuesday or 2am on Christmas Day – your hosting keeps your website available whenever someone wants to see it.
Racks of servers in a datacentre. Photo by getbutterfly
What am I actually paying for?
Many people assume they’re simply paying for a little bit of storage space. In reality, hosting is much more than that.
Your hosting helps make sure your website:
stays online around the clock
loads quickly for your visitors
is protected against common security threats
is backed up regularly in case something goes wrong
continues working as software is updated
can cope when more people visit your site
In other words, you’re paying for the reliability and security of your website, not simply somewhere to store a few files.
Why can’t I just host it on my own computer?
Technically, you could. In practice, it wouldn’t be very practical.
Your computer would need to stay switched on 24 hours a day, have a fast and reliable internet connection, be protected against cyber attacks, cope with visitors at any time, and be backed up regularly. If your broadband went down or there was a power cut, your website would disappear until everything was working again.
Professional hosting companies are built specifically to avoid these problems, using purpose-built data centres with redundant power supplies, high-speed connections and constant monitoring.
Keeping your website secure
Every website on the internet is regularly scanned by automated systems looking for weaknesses. Most of these scans happen without anyone ever noticing.
Good hosting helps protect your website with security monitoring, firewalls, software updates and regular maintenance, reducing the risk of problems before they affect your site.
No system can promise complete protection, but professional hosting provides a far higher level of security than trying to manage everything yourself.
What about backups?
Even well-maintained websites can occasionally run into problems. A software update might fail, a file could be deleted by mistake, or something unexpected might happen.
Regular backups mean your website can usually be restored quickly if needed, giving you peace of mind that your investment is protected.
Hosting, domains and email – what’s the difference?
These three things are often confused, but they each have a different job.
Service
What it does
Domain name
Your website’s address, such as yourbusiness.co.uk.
Web hosting
The service that stores and delivers your website.
Email hosting
Allows you to send and receive emails using your own domain name.
Although these services often work together, they’re separate things and can even be provided by different companies.
We take care of the technical bits
Most of our clients don’t want to learn about servers, software updates or security – and they shouldn’t have to.
Our managed hosting service looks after the technical side of things, including monitoring, updates, backups and maintenance, so you can focus on running your business while we keep your website running smoothly.
In summary
Your website is an investment in your business. Web hosting is what keeps that investment available to your customers every hour of every day.
Without hosting, your website wouldn’t exist on the internet. With reliable hosting, it’s there whenever someone wants to find you.
If you ever have any questions about your hosting or you’re unsure what you’re paying for, feel free to contact us. We’re always happy to explain things in plain English.
