---
title: "Hosting basics: articles and guides"
url: "https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics"
canonical: "https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics"
generated: "2026-10-15"
note: "Markdown twin generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. The HTML page is canonical."
---

# Hosting basics

Plain explanations of hosting types, limits, pricing tricks and what the jargon actually means.

[Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 2 min read

## [Backups and restore points: what a hosting backup actually protects you from](https://hostidea.com/blog/backups-and-restore-points-explained)

What "daily backups" means on a plan page, why retention and off-server storage matter more than frequency, and which failures a host backup does not cover.

[Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read

## [How to read a hosting price page without being misled](https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-read-a-hosting-price-page)

The five numbers a hosting price page hides in plain sight: the term behind the price, the renewal, the exclusions, the per-site cost and the refund window, with examples from ten hosts.

[Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read

## [Shared hosting limits explained: CPU seconds, inodes, RAM and visit guidance](https://hostidea.com/blog/shared-hosting-limits-explained)

What the fine print on a shared plan actually limits, how to read inode counts, CPU seconds and relative resource tiers, and which published limits mean something.

[Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read

## [Shared vs VPS vs cloud hosting: what you get at each step](https://hostidea.com/blog/shared-vs-vps-vs-cloud-hosting)

The practical differences between shared, VPS and cloud hosting: what is allocated to you, who manages it, what it costs, and the signs that say it is time to move up.

[Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read

## [SSL certificates explained: what a free certificate gives you and what paid ones add](https://hostidea.com/blog/ssl-certificates-explained)

What an SSL (TLS) certificate does, how Let's Encrypt issues one for free in minutes, why every host on our list includes it, and the narrow cases where a paid certificate still makes sense.

[Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read

## [Uptime guarantees explained: what 99.9 percent costs you and what the credit pays](https://hostidea.com/blog/uptime-guarantees-explained)

What a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee allows in minutes, how service credits are calculated at ten hosts, and why the guarantee is a refund schedule, not a promise.

[Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read

## [What is DNS propagation, and why does it matter when you change hosts?](https://hostidea.com/blog/what-is-dns-propagation)

Why a DNS change takes minutes for some visitors and hours for others, what TTL has to do with it, and how to move a site without anyone noticing.