On the Internet, virtual hosting is the provision of Web server and other services so that a company or individual doesn't have to purchase and maintain their own Web server host with a line to the Internet. A virtual hosting provider is sometimes called a Web or Internet "space provider." Some companies providing this service simply call it "hosting." Typically, virtual hosting provides a customer who wants a Web site with: domain name registration assistance, multiple domain names that map to the registered domain name, an allocation of file storage and directory setup for the Web site files (HTML and graphic image files), e-mail addresses, and, optionally, Web site creation services. The virtual hosting user (the Web site owner) needs only to have a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program for exchanging files with the virtual host.

Some virtual hosting providers make it possible for customers to have more control of their Web site file system, e-mail names, passwords, and other resources and say that they are providing each customer a virtual server.

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Our own virtual hosting provider (we usually use the term "space provider" but agree that the service is more than just space) is Mediaflow in Broomfield, Colorado.

In Seattle, a company called Virtual Servers or "VServers" compares a virtual server to virtual hosting.