# Website Developement and Fundamentals



## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

hello everyone, I would like to know what are the necessary things to handle a website. I am a complete stranger about this things and its not my profession. So I would greatly appreaciate it if you would explain it as brief but informative as possible.

here are my following questions:

1. what is script? (makes you laugh right?) is script is the website itself? 

2. about hosting- I heard that in order for a website to run, it needs a server which it could be hosted. how does it work? how do I upload the website or script (maybe)? About the domain, is this also different from hosting?

3. lets say that the website is now running, so how do i log in as administrator? I heard about cpanel, do i need to contact the hosting company about this in order to log in? Or I will log in as an admin just like an ordinary user log in? 

4. if there is a coder, does the coder has the same "level" like the admin has? if yes, then simply the coder could hack or could make some "spots" to make the website vulnerable on his will, therefore, a reputable coder is a must right? then what if the coder would change the admin password so the admin could not log in and the coder will take everything-is it possible? so how does admin prevent this?

5. security:I like to know if there is a system that could prevent a unique computer to register a new account again? for example, user A registered, and TERMS says that only ONE account is needed, how do I prevent this to happen? Is it possible to record the "signature" of the PC? And, how does a website being protected by hackers?

6. do i need a big machines to manage a website? In our school, I see a machine that looks like a CPU (tens of this), maybe its the server? Is it needed when handling a website? Or is it possible to manage a website using a laptop or even netbook?

I appreciate any response on this matter.



PS: This is my first post here, I appreciate to learn new things in this community.


I do have some follow up questions. thanks you!


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## Ent (Apr 11, 2009)

I'll answer some of the questions, but am afraid I won't be able to provide any advice about security or about which hosting company to choose etc. I'll also muddle them around a bit to make things interesting (or rather to keep the flow.)

6. The machine you're seeing is a server. That is the machine that connects via the network to your computer and delivers the page you're after. Clearly any website needs some sort of server. If you host your own website then you will need a server, otherwise you can entrust it to a hosting company. As to using a desktop or laptop, the short answer is Nes. You can get a server OS for your desktop or laptop and set it up properly. However there are disadvantages: your server has to be permanently running or the site won't be accessible. Desktops and laptops aren't built for this kind of constant usage, and would be damaged as a result. It also means that you're responsible for all the maintenance of your server.

2. If you aren't going to host your own site, you'll need to pay (prices and quality varies) a company to provide you with a bit of space on their server. You upload your pages onto their server, and their server provides them to anyone after your website. 
Registering a domain is different and best done separately. Some companies will let you have a subdomain (yoursite.theirhostingsite.com) as part of the package, but if you want your own domain (www .yoursite. com) you'll have to buy the name from a registrar. This means that you own that site name, and people typing that address into their browser will be connected to the server hosting your site.

1: A script is a small program which is interpreted from text commands to computer commands when run. They are used to make a site more than a set of boring pages.
In terms of Web scripts there are two kinds:
Client side scripts are scripts such as JavaScript or vbs that run within IE, Firefox, or another Browser. These have many uses such as making sure that all entries of a form are correctly filled, animating objects or creating slideshows.
Server Side Scripts are scripts such as Perl or PHP. These are normally used to customise a web page from information in a database or to put information into a database.
You can get away with building a decent personal website without ever touching scripts, and they certainly aren't the first thing that you need to learn.


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## lordsmurf (Apr 23, 2009)

1. Scipt = code = makes the website function, makes stuff happen on screen, behind the scenes.
2. It's a computer made to run websites. Special software, special hardware.
3. It depends on what software is in use. For Windows, you can use RDP. Linux root ssh. Or control panels like Plesk or cPanel at the URL.
4. Yes. Programmer usually needs full access to make something. If made offsite, it may be your responsibility to upload local, meaning you need similar skills to programmer.
5. IP records and blocking. Not bulletproof. Lots of ways to secure lots of things. For example, disabling certain PHP commands.
6. No, special hardware required to maintain proper server.

You should read wikipedia and webhostingtalk.com


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

thanks for all the response! now its quite clear for me. I have some follow up:

Is there any company that offers to make you a website? and what people should I hire to make a script for me. How much would it cost me? I was thinking to make a script that is based on my idea. Would you recommend me for some company who offers this kind of service? thanks a lot


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## Ent (Apr 11, 2009)

There are all sorts of website designers out there, and as with anything there'll be a huge variety of service (both in terms of what they do and in terms of how good they are) and price. 
Could you be a little more specific regarding what your idea is. What sort of scripting you need will be a big factor in deciding who to hire and where to host the site.

I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to recommend any individual or corporate website designer.


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

Ent said:


> There are all sorts of website designers out there, and as with anything there'll be a huge variety of service (both in terms of what they do and in terms of how good they are) and price.
> Could you be a little more specific regarding what your idea is. What sort of scripting you need will be a big factor in deciding who to hire and where to host the site.
> 
> I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to recommend any individual or corporate website designer.


Im planning to have a Paid to Click website (ptc). Just like this website http://www.onbux.com/ and http://www.neobux.com
They had referrals system, advertising, forum, security,bidding, etc.

PS:For evaluation purpose only...


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

hello again, please anyone can help me? 

Other follow up question:
what are the procedures in making a website? I mean, where do i register the domain? how do I get this after i purchase them? is there some registration needed?

I know domain, hosting, those basic things. but i really dont know how to get started first.

thanks in advance!


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## Ethanw (Jan 27, 2010)

There are loads of different ways to make your website, and loads or ways your website can work. I'll name a few here...

- You can use software (eg. Dreamweaver, FrontPage) to make your website then upload to your host/server via FTP, WebDav, or direct.
- You can use CMSs (Content Management Systems) such as Joomla, Drupal, Typo3, and more (check out softaculous for more). You can also use opensource software to create a Blog or Forum.
- You can use a Site Builder which could have come with your hosting package.
- You can manually code it (eg. HTML, CSS, PHP, JS).

You can pay a 'Domain Register' such as 123-REG to get a .com, .org, etc.
When you sign up with a Domain Register, you need to find the webpage where they ask for nameservers. You enter your hosting/server nameservers (eg. ns1.x10hosting.com & ns2.x10hosting.com). Then you have to tell your host/server the web address you bought (eg. http://www.example.com).

Oh, and you need hosting to start making (or buy your own server). Personally, I recommend X10Hosting (free). I have been using them for a year yet they haven't disappointed me.

Hope this helps! 

Good luck! 

-Ethanw


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

Ethanw said:


> There are loads of different ways to make your website, and loads or ways your website can work. I'll name a few here...
> 
> - You can use software (eg. Dreamweaver, FrontPage) to make your website then upload to your host/server via FTP, WebDav, or direct.
> - You can use CMSs (Content Management Systems) such as Joomla, Drupal, Typo3, and more (check out softaculous for more). You can also use opensource software to create a Blog or Forum.
> ...


hi ethanw,

first, thanks for the help.

i have finish to register a free domain and free hosting service. now I want to have a script like blogging for example. where do i get this? im really new to this.

thanks a lot for the help.


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## Ethanw (Jan 27, 2010)

For 'blogging' websites, you can use WordPress. It's free, easy, and you can make websites like http://andreasviklund.com/.

To install WordPress, check if your host has 'Fantastico' or 'Softaculous'. If so, you can install WordPress from there.

If you *don't* have 'Fantastico' or 'Softaculous', you can follow these steps:
1. Create a 'MySQL Database' and create a 'MySQL User' with All Privileges.
2. Download the latest WordPress software from wordpress.org.
3. Extract the zip file to somewhere on your computer.
4. Rename the file 'wp-config-sample.php' to 'wp-config.php'.
5. Open wp-config.php in a text editor such as 'Notepad'.
6. Replace the database details in the file with your own. If you don't know your 'Database Host' look here.
7. Replace the keys with random ones - click here for a generator.
8. Save the file.
9. Upload the files to your server via FTP, WebDAV, etc.
10. Go to 'wp-admin/install.php' in your browser. For example,
http://www.example.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php depending on the location of your blog.

Hope this helps! 

-Ethanw


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

Merry Christmas!

thanks a lot for the help! wow, now it looks like i understand little by little. and it seems easy.

i still have question, for example, lets say that I have now a website and it has a very good traffic.however,someone is trying to hack my website. 
1.how do i prevent this(hacking) to happen?
2. how do i make my website secure? the script secure?
3. what is the use of ssl security?what is it for?

suppose again someone tried to break down my site. and have a heavy ddos attack, then.
1. how do i configure firewall?
2. if the firewall cant manage the attack,then maybe its necessary to get a ddos protection, then how do i do this? do i need to change my hosting server?



how does exactly a website makes money for traffic? i mean, what does traffic does to have money? for example, how does this forum makes money? advertising maybe?


Thanks a lot for the help! this forum rocks! 
merry christmas again!


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## Ent (Apr 11, 2009)

I can't answer the security questions.



> how does exactly a website makes money for traffic? i mean, what does traffic does to have money? for example, how does this forum makes money? advertising maybe?


There are a number of ways that a site can make money.
1) From other people's advertising; whether this is google adverts, or someone else's adverts you can get money from advertising on your site. However the amount of money that you get will depend on how successful the advertising is, which will depend upon how popular your site is. You need a good way to draw people to your site or you won't make money from the ads.
2) From donations; this site is funded partly through donations from those who feel that it has helped them. Again to get money this way people have to feel that they've been given a service. Here the service is obvious--they get their computer problem resolved. You need something very clear that the site does for people.
3) From direct revenue. Any sort of web-based shop has a very clear way of making money-the sales it makes.

Most sites however *don't make money* for their owner by themselves. They exist to promote the owner's interest in something else, often a company. For example if you represent a charity of any description then you may find that your site helps to promote the charity and gather volunteers or donations. Likewise a company website that provides customer support and product information will increase company sales. This is not paid advertising and the site does not make money directly. However it clearly does help the company overall even if the balance sheet for the site is permanently in the red.

It all depends on the nature of the site and what the owner wishes to accomplish.


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## Ethanw (Jan 27, 2010)

To make your website secure, it is simply a matter of checking every single line of code for security issues. However, for WordPress, you don't have to bother with security as long as you stay up to date with the version (they make sure their software is as safe as possible). There are probably some WordPress plugins which could help with security - check out http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/. One idea could be implementing a CAPTCHA for login/registration to prevent people hacking into the admin section of your website.

I know that WordPress is a very secure software. If the software detects any fault, problem, virus, etc, it immediately temporarily shuts the website down until you investigate it and make any necessary actions (happened to me once). 

Not 100% sure about the DDOS Attack thing, but once HelioHost encountered one of these attacks. They managed to stop it by blocking the attacker's IP Address. You could uncover the IP Address by installing a script that notes down people's IP Addresses.

If your host allows SSL, this can make communications secure. WordPress has built in compatibility with SSL for logging in - http://codex.wordpress.org/Administration_Over_SSL. You will need an SSL Certificate such as GoDaddy, Verisign, etc and then (somehow) assign it to your website.

Merry Christmas! 

-Ethanw


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

thanks for all the information! its really helpful.

I would like to ask if how does paypal protects their system? 

also, is it possible to have a script that would prevent a user making a double accounts? for instance, i have a forum, then only one account should be used, if one PC made a double account, then those account would be suspended.


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

hi, suppose i plan to use my Computer as a server, how do i do this?

im currently using a server that is free, suppose the limit for my website has reach then im planning to move to a new hosting server, how do i do this?


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## Ethanw (Jan 27, 2010)

I'm not sure about using your computer as a web server, but you might want to check out...

http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Run-A-Webserver-From-Your-Computer

Hope this helps! 

-Ethanw


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## DrP (Jul 23, 2005)

You ask questions like those in the original post and then say you want to host the site on your own computer - are you serious?


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## lordsmurf (Apr 23, 2009)

hakamaka22 said:


> I would like to ask if how does paypal protects their system?


A big digital Rottweiler stands over the router.
Seriously though, some of this info is on their site, and others is private info for obvious reason.


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

Ethanw said:


> I'm not sure about using your computer as a web server, but you might want to check out...
> 
> http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
> http://www.wikihow.com/Run-A-Webserver-From-Your-Computer
> ...


thanks bookmark that page. 



> You ask questions like those in the original post and then say you want to host the site on your own computer - are you serious?


yes, only out of curiosity. i really dont know how to set up website as this is not my profession, so im just curios on how things works. 

@lordsmurf

thanks 

so, my question now, suppose that my website has been great and received lot of traffic that my current hosting server cannot handle, and moving to a new server is the only solution, what would be the steps on moving to a new dedicated server?

i mean, yes, i need to purchase a server, and how do i transfer those files from my old server to a new one? is it just easy as transferring a File like for example a mp3 from my computer to a another computer through a USB?

what would be the steps required?

really thanks!!!


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

> Server #31 is under the DDOS attack (IP Nullrouted)
> We have just received a HUGE (over 3GB/s incoming traffic) DDoS attack targeting the Server #31. Our CISCO guard firewall was unable to handle such attack, so one of the server IP address - 66.197.165.237 was disabled (all the rest websites on this server are working fine).
> 
> If your website is using this IP (due to unique IP rotation system only 3% websites are using this IP) it will be unavailable for the next 6 hours. As soon attack will subside, this IP address will be enabled and your website will start working again. We thank you for your patience and understanding.


how could this attack be handled? no idea


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## Ethanw (Jan 27, 2010)

If you are using WordPress, I recommend you read http://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress#Moving_WordPress_to_a_New_Server .

Also, other softwares like forums may require you to perform certain actions before moving to a new server. 

If you are using no software, then on X10Hosting it is as simple as...
1. Compress
2. Download
3. Extract
4. Copy to new server

X10Hosting also run X10Premium and X10VPS for better paid hosting (and it's just $3.95/mo) if you outgrow your current host.

X10Hosting have some policies such as a limit on the CPU you can use at one time (how much you make the server work), which could mean you need to upgrade to X10Premium or X10VPS.

As for protection from DDOS Attack, X10Hosting shuts down your website temporarily if it is making the server too busy, meaning awesome protection from these attacks.


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

hi, again, thanks for the answers. 




another thing is that, my website is yourdomain.com but i want it to be redirected to yourdomain.com/default if someone click on it because when its in yourdomain.com it has all the post that i had created, and i want to hide them. so in yourdomain.com/default i can customize it so i can be look great.

also, the background color is too light, can i customize it? css right? what code do i need to use? sorry, really new to this, and the first time i heard about WP is when you guys introduce it to me, and thanks for the help.


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

bump


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## DrP (Jul 23, 2005)

For domains, you need to learn all about .htaccess

For the CSS, here's a fantastic link: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=css


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

thanks i succesfully change the background color. but the htaccess made my blog errors so maybe i should be contented with it.

i like to install a widget, and it says i need to paste this code:
Follow this blog

but where do i paste this? what file do i edit and paste it?


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## Ethanw (Jan 27, 2010)

For your previous 'redirect' question, create a file in your website's root (http://example.com/ or public_html) called 'index.html' OR 'index.htm' OR 'index.php' if you haven't already. 'Code Edit' the new file like:
The bit that does the magic is the META tag. You'll need to replace the bold bit with the relative URL to your blog/website (eg. /blog).

As for that WordPress, please could you let me know what widget that is and (if possible) give me a link?

Thanks,


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

my current index.php code is


> <?php
> /**
> * Front to the WordPress application. This file doesn't do anything, but loads
> * wp-blog-header.php which does and tells WordPress to load the theme.
> ...


what should it look like? do i need to delete this and replace this with your code?

about the widget, it was solved now, i paste the code to the text in the sidebar. its a widget for follow this blog for facebook. so those who like it may follow the blog. 

http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/ this is my blog, i notice that whenever i add page, it will show all the page in this http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/ so i want to redirect http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/ to http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/homepage so i may customize those.

i tried to use htaccess but i had a problem that i cant log in because whenever i go to http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/wp-admin it will be redirected to http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/homapage/wp-admin which is home page itself. so i reinstall it. i only like this page: http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/ to be redirected to http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/homepage. just like www.alertpay.com (if you click this it will be redirected to https://www.alertpay.com/en/Default.aspx automatically).

thank you for all the help!


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

bump


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

bump


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## Ethanw (Jan 27, 2010)

No, don't replace any of your WordPress files. I'm a bit confused about your WordPress installation.

Where is WordPress installed? Is it / or /homepage?

If it is installed in /homepage, then create a file called index.html in / and paste the code I previously stated.

Or, do your want the Homepage of your WordPress homepage to redirect to another page?

If so, add the following lines into index.php of your WordPress installation *after <?php*

```
header "location:/homepage";
```


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## hakamaka22 (Nov 30, 2010)

my current installation of wordpress is in public_html where index.php is located.I only want that whenever I go to my domain (neocathecumenalway.com) it will be redirected to neocathecumenalway.com/?page_id=23

i had tried to use the code you have specified but it does not work.



> header "location:/http://www.neocathecumenalway.com/?page_id=23";


thanks in advance!


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