Application hosting, explained
The application contains the business rules and screens. The host supplies the computing environment that keeps those parts running and reachable.
Application hosting is the service that runs an application on server infrastructure and makes it available to the people or systems that need it.
Hosting starts after the software is built
A working application needs a place to run. That place may be a virtual server, a managed application service, or infrastructure operated by your own team.
The choice changes who handles routine work. With unmanaged hosting, your team looks after the server. A managed service can take responsibility for more of the operating system, updates, and capacity.
The right option matches your responsibility
Start with what your team is prepared to manage. Ask who responds when the application slows down, how backups work, and what happens when usage grows.
Caffeine says software built with it can run on OpenCloud, your own cloud, or selected machines. It also says the code and data are exportable, which matters if your hosting needs change.
Application hosting terms
- Host
- The server or managed service that runs an application and makes it available.
- Runtime
- The software environment an application needs while it is running.
- Managed hosting
- Hosting where a provider handles some or all server maintenance.
What to compare
Management
Check who handles updates, security work, monitoring, and recovery.
Capacity
Confirm how the hosting responds when more people use the application.
Exit options
Ask whether you can move the code and data to another hosting service.
Questions about application hosting
They overlap, but application hosting often covers software with business rules, stored data, and a backend. Web hosting can refer to a simpler site made mostly of pages and files.
No. The provider may manage the server or platform, but your team still owns the application's rules, access decisions, and business data.
Ask who maintains the environment, how the service handles higher demand, how recovery works, and whether you can move the application and its data later.
Related glossary topics
Put your business tool to work
Caffeine apps run on the Internet Computer, a public network built for this.