Image Hosting Service- A Photo Sharing Theme

An image hosting service is a kind of web hosting service in which individuals can upload images to the website. The image host will store the image onto its server and show the individual whether the images can be viewed by others.

WORKING

Usually image hosting websites provide an interface for uploading images. The interface is a kind of form in which the uploader specifies the location of an image file on his local computer. After submitting, the file is uploaded to the image host’s server. Using this form, uploader can specify multiple files at once or upload one ZIP archive containing multiple image files. Furthermore, some hosts allow FTP access where single or multiple files can be uploaded in a single session.

After this process, the image is hosted on server which means that the image is available on the web. Typically, the image host will put constraints on the maximum image size or maximum space allowed.

PHOTO SHARING

The publishing of digital photos online through both websites and applications that promote the uploading and displaying of images is referred to as Photo Sharing. Sharing means that other user can look upon the photos but not necessarily download them. It is not restricted to the web and personal computers, but is possible from camera phones.

TOOLS

Image hosts also allow tools such as adding images to a slide show or ability to create image galleries. A few offer more advanced tools such as the ability to add notes to an image. Other hosts have introduced novel traits like the ability to resize images automatically.

IDENTIFICATION

Hosting services have the ability to identify when and where their images are being used. When an image file is being used, the image host is able to mark the date and IP address of the request.

In the case of email spam, the messages usually include unique image URLs that are peculiar to that message only. The URL is used as a tracking Id. It is used to identify the recipient to which particular message has been sent. Thus many email reading systems do not show images by default so as to protect the reader from being tracked by email senders.

COST

Many image hosts are free of cost and some do not even ask for registration. The vast majority of the free image hosts are supported by advertisements. Showing advertisements to users has enabled image size limits to increase.

Some hosts offer only paid service while other free hosts have optional paid image hosting functions. In addition to storage, the features available are generally better for paid services. Paid services generally allow users to have password protected photo albums, customized subdomains and customizable skins.