Web hosting is the service that keeps your website’s files on a computer that is always online, so visitors can open your site at any time. When someone types your address, the hosting is the machine that answers, and your plan decides which PHP versionA PHP version is a numbered edition of PHP, like 8.3. Each edition is looked after for a limited time, then gets security fixes only, then nothing. your site runs on.
What is web hosting?
Hosting also decides how much memory the site gets and how you can reach the files, so the hosting plan shapes your site more than most owners realize.
A hosting provider runs servers in a data center and rents out space and processing power on them. On that server run a web serverA web server is the program, such as Apache, Nginx or LiteSpeed, that answers when a visitor opens your site and sends back the page and files. program that answers requests, PHPPHP is a programming language that builds your web pages on the computer that hosts your site, just before they reach the visitor. WordPress runs on it. to run your code and a database for the content. Your files and database sit there, and your domain nameA domain name is the address people type to reach your website, such as yourcompany.com. It points visitors to wherever your site is hosted. points to the machine through DNSDNS is the internet's phone book: it looks up a domain name, such as yourcompany.com, and tells browsers which computer holds that website..
The plans differ in how much of the server is yours. With shared hosting you share one server with many other sites and the provider sets most of the software. A VPSA VPS (virtual private server) is your own virtual computer inside a bigger shared machine. You get more control than on shared hosting, and more to manage. gives you a virtual server of your own, with more control and more responsibility. Managed WordPressWordPress is free software for building and editing a website in your browser. It is written in PHP, so it builds each page when someone visits. hosting sits in between: the provider looks after the server and tunes it for WordPress.
What web hosting means for a PHP or WordPress site
For a PHP site the hosting sets the limits. The available PHP versions, the memory limit, the time a script may run, the extensions you can use and the backup options all come from the plan. A provider that keeps old PHP versions around makes it easy to forget the update. A provider that removes a version on short notice can leave you with a site that stops working.
Security is shared. The provider looks after the server and its operating system; you look after your own site, its plugins and its PHP version. If a vulnerabilityA vulnerability is a weakness in software that an attacker can use to do something the software was never meant to allow, such as reading private data. is fixed in PHP, your hosting provider must make the new version available, and you must switch to it.
What to look at in your own hosting
Find out four things. Which PHP version does the site run, and is that version still supported? Does the plan include backupsA backup is a separate copy of your website's files and database, so you can bring the site back after a mistake, a hack or a failed update., and how long are they kept? Can you create a copy of the site to test updates? Who do you contact when something breaks, and how fast do they answer?
If you cannot answer these from your panel, ask the provider. The answers decide how easy your next update or move will be.
When to act
Look at your hosting when the PHP version is nearing the end of support, when the site gets slow with normal traffic, or when your provider announces changes to its platform. If the plan cannot offer what the site needs, moving is cleaner than working around it. Our PHP migration service moves a site to a new host with a test first and a clear way back, and the PHP upgrade service is the right choice when the host is fine but the version is old.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between web hosting and a domain name?
Hosting is the server space where your site's files and database live. The domain name is the address that points to it. You can buy them from the same company or from two different ones.
Can I choose my own PHP version with my hosting?
It depends on the plan. Many hosting panels let you pick a PHP version per site, while some basic plans decide it for you. Check your panel or ask your provider which versions are offered.
Do I need to change hosting providers to update PHP?
Usually not. If your provider offers a supported PHP version, you can switch to it. You only need a new host if the provider cannot offer one, or if your site needs something your plan does not allow.