Disk Space

Every hosting account has a certain allotment of disk space often referred to as "storage", "web space" or "harddrive space". The disk space is used to hold all HTML files, graphics, scripts, and multi-media content which make up your web site.

Usually you receive more disk space and more bandwidth with a more expensive hosting package.

Here's how you can estimate your disk space requirements.

A basic web site with just a few pages requires less than 1 MB of disk space. As you add more content, downloadable files, pictures, music, or video you will need more disk space.

All your email also takes up disk space, and you may find that unsolicited SPAM may be eating away at your disk allotment. It's a good idea to always delete unnecessary emails.

What will happen if you use too much disk space? Each web host has their own policy. Normally, they will simply charge you for the extra space. Often this penalty is much higher than regular rates for disk space. It's important to keep an eye on how much space you are using and either purchase more space or delete some files when you are approaching the limit.

Most hosting packages come with a control panel where you can make adjustments to almost every aspect of your hosting account. These control panels usually tell you how much disk space is being used. They may also rate your disk usage against your allotment making it easy to see if you are approaching the limit.

If your hosting account does not have this feature, you can estimate the amount of space by downloading your entire site to a folder on your personal computer and checking its size. Don't forget that all email messages are also added to your disk space usage.

Consider that an average web page consisting of 3 graphics and 2 screen lengths of text takes about 20 kb. At this rate, a hosting package with 10 MB of storage can have about 500 pages. Most small sites are less than 50 pages and 10 MB will be enough to get started.

When you use databases (such as popular MySQL), they are normally calculated separately from your disk allotment. Just to be certain, verify with your web host to see if that is the case with your package.

When you host music or video files on your website you need much bigger disk space and bandwidth. A 3-minute MP3 file takes about 2.5 to 3 MB of disk space while a short video of very poor quality can take 1 MB.

If you wish to host multimedia, you will need to estimate the total size of the files and get an account with double that space to allow for future expansion.

Warning: Some web hosts have policies against this type of content due to the strain it places on the bandwidth allotment. This is usually not an issue with a dedicated server, but it is a serious consideration with a shared hosting package. Always check terms and conditions of use of your web hosting package before placing sound or video files on your website.

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