Do we need really a hosting service?

Hi,

I am a beginner in website development and web-based server. I am planing to create my own website using Wordpress platform.
If I do so, have I absolutely to host my website on a commercial hoster service or I can keep my PC as a hosting tool since I am using my local webserver and database?
If I don't need to host my website, how to change its name that start with "localhost.index...blablabla"?
Is a such name proper to the open server being used or it could be customized to any name we want to chose?
In other word, if I can host my website on my PC, could I have an address such as: www.mywebsite.comm (extra "m" is intentionally add to 'com' to avoid automatic hyperlink creation) ?
or, www.myownwebsite.orgg?

Thank you very much in advance

Yes, you can do it as you mentioned.

I run one here. I use Apache for my web server, PHP for server side scripting and MySQL for a backend database. You may or may not need PHP/MySQL, depends on what you want to do.

As for having a name like www.mywebsite.com, that will require you to signup with one of the free DNS redirection services. I use two, dyn.com and freedns.afraid.org. What you do is install a program that monitors your WAN IP address and any time it changes, updates the DNS redirection services you use so people can always use the www.mywebsite.com name to connect to your web server.

An easier way might be to use WampServer. WampServer is a Windows web development environment. It allows you to create web applications with Apache2, PHP and a MySQL database.

Your ISP may think differently. A lot of ISPs require you to purchase a business account if you run a publicly accessible web server. So if your ISP does not allow you to run a web server from your current connection they may shut you down. There is a second issue, security. To run a web server you have to open up your network to the outside world, this can be very dangerous. Especially if the server is on your own personal computer.

Going with a commercial web hosting provider, will absolve you of ISP restrictions, faster upload times, and much better security (most of the time). For me, security is the deal break, allowing public internet traffic direct access to your computer is not a smart move.

Thank you very much for your answers.
@ztruker, I downloaded wamp and gave it a try. It sounds nice!
However, I didn't seized the DNS approach to display the domain name?
Do you have any simple or video tutorial? I searched google but there are a lot of irrelevant things to my issue!
If I should to host my website after I have set it locally with wamp on my laptop, how will it be considered by the commercial hoster?
I mean what I have to transfer to the hoster?
@logicearth, security is in fact a sensitive question but what is the "extra plus of security" that commercial hosters use over a home user?
Everybody use usually, in most cases, a firewall and an antivirus, like commercial companies, so they are not necessary more secure. But the point that I agree with you is that the internet connection. Especially when using personal laptop which I move from work to home and vice versa, so it is not always available for connection.
I think when we have an office PC well protected with reasonable internet connection, it could be playable to set up his own web-server at home!

sevener said:

...but what is the "extra plus of security" that commercial hosters use over a home user?
Everybody use usually, in most cases, a firewall and an antivirus, like commercial companies, so they are not necessary more secure.

Well first off, its not attached to your personal computer which might have all your personal information. Second, the firewalls in commercial company use, if they have a smart IT, are nothing like the firewalls you have at home. I work with these firewalls on a daily bases, btw. There is a big difference between the dinky firewall in your router or computer, compared to what we have on corporate networks.

In short, it is all about isolation, a web host keeps the bad guys away from your personal computer and private data. Also keeps them from saturation your internet connection with your puny upload speeds which will cause your ISP to throw the hammer at you.

But I digress...security requires more then just a firewall and an antivirus. I set this stuff up for a living. Your home setup is nothing compared to corporate network.

I should add, forgot to mention this. Your firewall will do nothing anyways. You will have to poke a hole in your firewall to allow someone to connect to your computer, thereby bypassing your firewall. Past one barrier. Your antivirus only targets viruses, not hackers actively circumventing your computers security.

In my case, my cable company has capped my upload speed to the point where they wouldn't need to enforce any further restrictions to keep me from even trying it.

I have a couple of small websites that I pay about $85 a year for (total) and it's nice and fast. Personally, with all the built-in benefits of a pro outfit at what amounts to seven bucks a month it makes more sense for me. :)

logicearth said:

I should add, forgot to mention this. Your firewall will do nothing anyways. You will have to poke a hole in your firewall to allow someone to connect to your computer, thereby bypassing your firewall. Past one barrier. Your antivirus only targets viruses, not hackers actively circumventing your computers security.

OK, you are maybe right, but what do use the corporate networks to secure their websites?
And, if their tools are infallible, why some of most protected websites are sometimes hacked?

sevener said:

OK, you may are right, but what do use the corporate networks to secure websites?
And, if their tools are infallible, why some of most protected websites are sometimes hacked?

Don't fall into that trap thinking there is a super awesome piece of equipment or software that will protect you. Of course I never said anything about being infallible. Defense in depth, learn it, live by it. There is no one thing that protects corporate networks, layers upon layers like an onion.

I cannot talk about other websites those I have no control over or know how they are setup. But most are compromised not because of failure in hardware, but software. Unchecked, unfiltered string of user input in a form can be more then enough to compromise a site's security. Just look up SQL Injection, a lot of examples to go by.

Yes, there is no super, extra, ultra powerful tool to protect software. It is question of practice and caution.