Bandwidth - Just what is it?

[mamab]

I've been doing some research trying to figure out about building websites, and keep reading the word bandwidth - what exactly is it? Can someone explain it to me in non-technical terms?

[adonis]

Alright here we go.
Bandwidth is the term that describes how much a webserver has uploaded to its users.

Lets say Google.com's main page is 200 kilobytes in size, and every time someone goes to google.com, google's web server sends out the 200 kilobyte page. This 200 kilobytes adds up over time.

Why is this an issue?
Sending information over the internet is not free. You pay your ISP for bandwidth every month at a flat rate. Webhosts (busniesses that sell web server space) charge their users by the megabyte. If a website exceeds its allotted bandwidth limit they are usually charged for the extra (at outrageous fee's nonetheless).

Did that help?

[chrisnasah]

this might help further...

In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a synonym for data transfer rate - the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps). Occasionally, it's expressed as bytes per second (Bps). A modem that works at 57,600 bps has twice the bandwidth of a modem that works at 28,800 bps. In general, a link with a high bandwidth is one that may be able to carry enough information to sustain the succession of images in a video presentation.