Joomla Web Hosting

A cheap Joomla web hosting provider will definitely make your wallet happier, probably saving you plenty of cash... but only if it is reliable. So, first, what is Joomla?

Joomla is a script-driven content management system

Joomla is a popular PHP and MYSQL based CMS system that provides webmasters with a simplified solution to website management whilst providing them with multiple ways in which they can extend the functionality of their websites. There are many benefits to using Joomla over and above other CMS systems that are available, including the fact that it is a tried and tested solution that has been established for many years meaning that you can rely on it provide you with a stable platform on which you can develop a website. As Joomla is based on the PHP scripting language and utilizes a MySQL database backend, Joomla websites can be hosted on a majority of shared web hosting packages that support these features as they are common to most Windows hosting and Linux hosting plans meaning that the application isn't necessarily platform specific. Depending on how well the core components of Joomla meet your needs, there is the opportunity to expand the application through the use of third-party plugins that are available; for the most part you can usually expect to be able to find a plugin that will suit your specific needs if there is certainly functionality that you wish to add to Joomla. Furthermore, regular updates are released for Joomla so you can be safe in the knowledge that by using it as the basis for developing your website, your website will be as secure as possible with little possibility of hackers gaining access to password-protected areas.

What are the benefits of using Joomla?

There can be many benefits to using a CMS system as the basis for any website, but the benefits that are most specific to Joomla include:

Easy to install

One of the biggest benefits that Joomla has over any other CMS that is available is the fact that it is easy to install, even for the most inexperienced of users – with Joomla it is simply a case of creating the database you need through your web hosting account, uploading the Joomla files to your web space and the running the installation wizard and then proceeding with configuring the application to meet your exact requirements – for the most part this is easy as the installation wizard has been designed to make the process stress-free as every step will carry an explanation of what each option means so that you go through the process correctly without making any errors as if you make any errors at this stage then you may have to start out again with the installation process.

Management of website content

Joomla will provide you with an easy-to-use interface that will allow you to manage every aspect of your website from a web-based interface rather than having to fuss around with FTP clients every time you wish to upload a new file to your web space – this will allow you to modify your website on the fly from any internet connected computer as all it takes is a web browser and the login details for you to be able to manage your website, but the benefit here is that all of your private information will be kept in a secure database and as the administration area is password protected, only people chosen by you will be able to modify your Joomla-based website.

Cross-platform compatibility

PHP and MySQL are both open source technologies that are available for use on a multitude of platforms, but most importantly they are both available for Windows and Linux web hosting platforms – this means that for the most part, there is no barrier on the platform that Joomla will be able to work on because as long as PHP and MySQL are available then the application it should be able to function correctly – however, for the best level of functionality and performance it is recommended that you use a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) combination. NTC Hosting is one of the companies that offer Joomla with each and every hosting account of theirs. It is easily installed via their 1-click PHP script installer, and you can select it during the registration process, or you can install it later. The company provides unlimited web hosting at low prices so that you could create any type of website using Joomla and not worry about system resources.

What are the disadvantages of using Joomla?

As with using any application as the basis for your website, there may be some issues that you have to deal with at some point. The main issues that you could face with using Joomla include:

Security

Joomla isn't known for being the most secure of content management systems around and if you are going to be hosting sensitive information either in your Joomla installation or in one of your backend MySQL databases then you may wish to ensure that your security measures are up to scratch – the issue with open source applications is that anyone can access the source code of the application, thus meaning that if there is a security flaw in the application then hackers will be able to find it and exploit it in a relatively short amount of time and even then it could take the developers of such applications a while to release a more secure update.

Reliability

With the security of open source applications being called into question, the same can be said for the reliability of applications such as Joomla because if the level of security that is provided is going to be relatively weak then from this we can deduce that such an application may not be the most reliable available either – it is for this reason that open source applications should never be used for the development for mission critical websites that are going to be hosting information and content that is for the utmost importance, or for websites that are seen as providing a business with a main source of income.
In conclusion, Joomla is a very popular open source content management system that will provide webmasters with a much more streamlined website management experience. For web developers, Joomla can take away the stress of having to code a separate CMS system for every website that they develop; by using a single CMS for every single web development project, web developers will be able to familiarize themselves with the plugin and styling architecture of Joomla which will allow them to develop highly functional and reliable websites using Joomla.