CS75 (Summer 2012) Lecture 9 Scalability Harvard Web Development David Malan | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Learn about the importance of scalability in web hosting and the use of load balancing to handle high traffic volumes.

Key Insights

• 🔊 Scalability is essential in web hosting to handle high traffic volumes and ensure efficient application performance.
• 👻 Choosing a web hosting company or VPS provider requires careful consideration of features such as accessibility, security protocols (e.g., SFTP), and scalability options.
• 🕸️ Load balancing is an effective technique to distribute incoming web traffic across multiple servers, ensuring optimal performance and resource utilization.
• 👤 Sticky sessions and cookies can be used to maintain user sessions across different backend servers in a load-balanced environment.
• ❓ Caching, HTML, MySQL, and MCD are some technologies that can be used to improve performance and optimize dynamic website content.
• 👤 The use of cookies can also be leveraged to create sticky sessions and direct users to the same backend server consistently.
• 📁 File-based caching and static file generation can offer performance benefits but may require additional maintenance when making design or content changes.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What are some important features to consider when choosing a web hosting company?

Some important features include accessibility, SFTP for secure data transfer, unlimited resources for scalability, and availability of features that meet your specific requirements.

Q: What is the difference between FTP and SFTP?

FTP is an older protocol that transfers files in plain text, including usernames and passwords, making it less secure. SFTP, on the other hand, encrypts all data transferred, ensuring the security of usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information.

Q: Are there any downsides to using shared web hosting companies?

Shared web hosting companies offer unlimited resources at low prices by hosting multiple customer websites on the same server. However, this can result in resource contention and may not be suitable for large businesses or websites with high traffic volumes.

Q: What are the advantages of using a virtual private server (VPS)?

VPS provides dedicated resources for your website, allowing you to scale your application. It offers more control and security compared to shared hosting and is a good option for websites that require more resources and customization.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Web hosting companies play a crucial role in deploying applications on the internet and handling large amounts of traffic.

• Some important features to consider when choosing a web hosting company include accessibility, SFTP for secure data transfer, and unlimited resources for scalability.

• Virtual private servers (VPS) are an alternative to web hosting companies, providing dedicated resources for your website. However, data privacy may still be compromised.

• Load balancing is a technique used to distribute incoming web traffic across multiple servers to ensure efficient handling of requests.

• Sticky sessions and cookies can be used to maintain user sessions across different backend servers in a load-balanced environment.