When you’re just starting on the road to a web-based business presence you might be a little confused about which managed hosting plan is right for you. Do you go for the cheapest, or do you need one with a few more bells and whistles? Then there are things like PHP5 and MySQL. Do you really need them? What do they do?

If you have a simple website, then a starter package is affordable and will probably cover your needs. However, if you would like to develop your site, commerce enable it and make it easier to manage, then you should think about a plan that includes access to PHP5 and MySQL.

PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, a powerful scripting language that can create dynamic content and can be embedded within standard HTML code. This means, for example, that the content of a text file can be read and inserted into a web page, providing a very easy way of changing and updating content or blog entries. If you’ve ever looked at websites like Facebook or YouTube you will have seen the power of PHP in action.

MySQL (My Structured Query Language) is a relational database management system that allows for the display of database queries on web pages. For example, a database containing information about products, prices, discounts and stock levels displayed in an online catalogue, allowing customers to browse through goods and make informed purchasing decisions.

Here at CWCS managed hosting we provide a variety of affordable and powerful plans for all levels of e-commerce and web site development. If you are unsure of which managed hosting plan is right for you, please call one of our friendly customer service representatives.