Virtual host servers provide online infrastructure solutions for multiple users simultaneously. This technology enables multiple devices on one machine for hosting websites and applications.
Name-based virtual hosting is by far the most prevalent method, though there are other approaches which may be easier for setup. Each has their own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Resource sharing
Virtual hosting servers allow multiple websites to share the same system resources while still having their own unique identities, helping reduce costs and simplify management compared to dedicated servers. Their costs tend to be considerably less.
Apache offers two kinds of virtual hosts. Address-based virtual hosting ties requests directly to their numeric network address rather than the name of a website; imagine answering a parlour phone; all you know who answers is who’s answering it!
Port-based virtual hosting, in which multiple ports on one physical server are used simultaneously. While less commonly employed this approach may prove useful when setting up nonstandard HTTP port usage or SSL for specific websites.
Virtualization
Virtualization with a virtual host server enables multiple applications to operate independently on one physical system. This is made possible thanks to a hypervisor which acts as an intermediary between virtual machines (VM) and host devices – the hypervisor interprets requests made by virtual machines for hardware resources into requests sent directly to actual physical resources available on host machines.
One web server may host multiple websites accessible via various domain names; when someone requests one of them, the web server knows which domain to serve based on this request – known as name-based virtual hosting.
Virtualization can be an effective tool to enhance productivity. By cutting back on mundane tasks and saving on infrastructure maintenance costs, virtualization enables staff members to focus more on business-critical projects than before. Unfortunately, its implementation requires an initial investment as well as staff training – potentially delaying its adoption process.
Scalability
Scalability is essential for companies aiming to meet evolving business needs. Be it an unexpected traffic surge or growth over time, virtual host servers offer easy adaptation without incurring extra expenses with purchasing new hardware.
When someone types in the address for your website into their web browser, your server must know where to send that request. There are a few methods it can do this – IP-based domain mapping (in which multiple IP addresses lead directly to one server domain), or port-based, where servers are configured so as to respond differently based on which port a website uses.
Name-based virtual hosting can be thought of like sharing a phone number between several friends; for instance, calling Dave, Joyce, Amaterasu and George at once using one phone number would be possible using this scalability method used by shared web hosting companies with multiple client accounts.
Security
Virtual host servers give you the flexibility of configuring one machine to appear as multiple machines, effectively isolating resources from each other for increased security. Each virtual host also maintains separate error and activity logs on its own machine which aren’t shared among web modules on that same server.
Name-based virtual hosts are among the most widely used on Apache, as it allows you to create multiple websites from a single system and differentiate them based on their hostname or IP address. Think of it like using different phone numbers for calling Dave, Joyce, Amaterasu or George!
Name-based virtual hosts make it easier for multiple websites to share one server without interfering with each other, since any request that doesn’t include the Host: header or match an alias of a virtual host configuration alias will be served by its primary virtual host (the one whose alias appears first in its configuration file). This arrangement makes sharing machines much simpler.
