A Shell™ is essentially a desktop computer that is always running, always backed up, and always up to date, making it the ideal candidate to host different types of servers. Because a Shell™is always running, you can be sure that your services will be there for you when you need them. Today we'll be talking about the different types of servers you can host on your Shell and what they are used for.

Web Server
A web server is probably the server that you are most familiar with. Web servers essentially take in/receive HTTP requests and send out HTTP responses to, allowing the website that its hosting to run and receive requests. Web servers store all the web content that can be perceived by the client, such as images and download links. If you're looking to have your own website up and running 100% of the time, look into turning your Shell into a dedicated web server.

Game Server

A dedicating game server allows you to essentially have your own multiplayer instance of a game running with your own set rules and conditions. Popular games such as FFXIV and World of Warcraft have their own dedicated servers to be able to host players in dungeon and raid instances, however, indie games that revolve around multiplayer typically can't afford dedicated servers, so they leave it up to their player base to host their own lobbies to play with their games. The issue with this is that the host must leave their computer running for the server to be functioning. Turning your Shell™ into a dedicated gaming server allows any of your friends to access the game lobby whenever they'd like, freeing you from the constraint of hosting the lobby yourself. 

Media Server

A dedicated media server allows you to store any kind of media that you'd like, whether it be movies, tv shows, or music and shares it across the network (internet included). This would allow you to stream your media from almost anywhere with an internet connection as long as your media server is up and running and expose to the public web. One tool that you can use to set up a media server yourself is Plex Media Server.

Shells™ offers nearly limitless possibilities regarding what you can host and store over the web. Shells™ plans can be found here, with a 7 day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied with your purchase