Most commercial service providers have rooms full of computers with large hard drive, special server software, and high speed internet connection that keeps them connected 24/7. When a service provider sells hosting services, generally it is renting you and section of one of its computers and giving you a special password so that only you can get that section, where you can upload your pages and make them accessible on the web.
Not all web hosting services are the same. Some handle surges in traffic better than others and some are set up to stream video and audio files. Some…