How to Determine if You Require ASP Web Hosting

For the most part, the sites you run across on the web fall under two categories: static and dynamic. A static website is one built with pages written in HTML while dynamic sites are scripted in server side programming languages. These languages range from open-source technologies to commercial products. It is common to find a number of these development tools in web hosting packages and despite its popularity, ASP is still in rare offering in comparison to other options.

What is ASP?

Short for Active Server Pages, ASP is a server-side scripting technology created by Microsoft. Similar to languages like PHP and Perl, it used to create dynamic web pages and applications. ASP is actually based on VB (Visual Basic), a basic client-side programming environment developed by Microsoft. Although the language is said to be easy to use, one must still be proficient with programming and the ASP syntax. Because ASP is in such a league of its own, there are some advantages and disadvantages that must be considered before purchasing a hosting plan enabled with the technology.

The ASP Advantage

ASP allows developers to create web-based applications that interact with SQL databases. Object-orientated and feature-rich, the language has tools that enable the faster deployment of applications with much greater functionality. ASP has two qualities that make it faster than other languages – caching and compiled code. The code is compiled before visitors even come to the site while performance is optimized by caching data in the database. Additionally, ASP is extremely flexibility and integrates with numerous languages including C, Visual Basic, Jscript. Net and ASP.NET.

Probable Disadvantages

In general, ASP hosting is made for developers and webmasters who require the functionality it offers. With that said, you should know that the ASP language comes on the Windows platform. So, in order to build your pages and run scripts, you need a server that is equipped with either PWS (Personal Web Server) or IIS(Internet Information Services), both of which are web servers developed by Microsoft.

The popularity of ASP has resulted in a number of third-party implementations that allow you to run the language on Linux and Unix-based servers. Common examples of this include InstantASP and Sun Micro’s ChiliSoft, which is no longer actively supported. So, even though it is possible to run ASP on other platforms, you will get the best results when running the language in its native environment. This could be a setback if Windows isn’t your platform of choice.

Conclusion

When deciding upon ASP hosting, it probably safe to assume that you are looking to build a dynamic, interactive website. For this reason, you need to make sure you find a host that is well versed in the technology and related components. This includes complimenting Microsoft components as well as solid technical support and all the other essentials that should come along with a reliable hosting solution. The good thing is that with so many providers out there, the chances of you finding a quality ASP hosting package are greater than ever.

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