To a normal non-technical individual – using Internet Services and Apps is like magic, but in reality, there is unescapable need to host the “spells” somewhere and to fill the gap between you and the end user.
Domain Name & SSL
If people need to remember the IP address where your application runs, nobody will use it. And this is for the IP version 4. Version 6 is even less memoizable by a human. That’s why name services have been created.
From a servicing side, you must understand that you don’t own the domain you get from the name registers – you rent it. You could own it – if you use blockchain alternatives like NameCoin. But, they require browser plugins and special libraries – for apps to use them. No corporation gives a damn about it.
The SSL certificates that raise up the security of your site and are required for higher SEO and stuff – work the same way.
Hosting from Home
The pros of serving a web site from home is for you to have full and close control on everything – software and hardware. You’ll gain expertise in backup, on firewalls, application software, figuring out scaling and optimizations, power management and so on.
There are of course – cons to this option. You should get a static IP address from your internet provider. There are power failures that you could recover from with UPS battery. Even if you power up your router and your computer, some device in between may be out and your service will be down.
Rent a space
Some companies offer place where you could delegate the electricity and the Internet to. Similar service was offered for bitcoin mining, but more meaningful could be to host a site. Delegating this to a specialized company will free you from some troubles and worries, so you could focus more on more meaningful work.
Rent a server (or VM)
The next level of delegation is to pay for an access to a computer or a virtual machine. No more thinking about the hardware in this option.
Delegate Hosting to a shared service
In the end of the day – the most important service or application you’ll need is HTTP. Some providers offer access to the public HTTP directory where you could upload your HTML and PHP files. Alternatives to this is a Servlet/JSP container where you only upload a WAR – for Java Backends. Similar services exist for other technologies.
Rent a cloud
If you rent a Server or shared hosting, you’ll probably not get automatic scaling up (or down). The big cloud providers – Amazon, Google, Microsoft offer this – automatic powering up or down of virtual machines or containers – according to the load of your service.
Rent a Software Service
Anything beyond renting a physical space could be viewed as Software Service. When the needs are well defined – many providers raise up the level and offer fine tuned packages – so you focus more on business and beyond, less about everything technical. Examples of this option are online shops like OLX and Shopify, Web Site Builders like Wix and WordPress.Com and so on.
The more down to the specific software you go, the more you’ll pay for every small detail in exchange of some peace of mind. Everything could become limit and a source of expenditure – CPU minutes, number of files, RAM, network traffic and so on. But the more up you go – you’ll need to take care of EVERYTHING. And this requires time and expertise. Not everybody have it – the time, nor the skills.