Budget Web Hosting

[lonleyppl]

[Standard header about this probably being in the wrong place -- mods please work your magic]

I was just wondering if anyone had any insight into the budget web hosting world. I'm currently on a Comcast consumer Internet plan (no static IP) otherwise I'd host my own, but looking at the costs, most of the budget options are pretty reasonable, and would be cost effective in the short term anyways.

My main plan is to host owncloud (http://owncloud.org/) and expand it into a website for myself, but I'll probably try to do most of the web design for the site before making any purchases.

A quick Bing search shows that webhostinghub.com, ipage.com and bluehost.com are all pretty good, but I wanted to see if the TR community had any recommendations one way or another.

Thanks!

[UberGerbil]

I've had a good experience with A2Hosting, and (just checked) they have OwnCloud available to install.

I believe several people here have reported good results with DreamHost, but I don't have any direct experience.

[XorCist]

use like dyndns or something and have it point to ur dynamic ip....

[cheesyking]

Depending on how much you want to know about servers themselves Amazon might be an option. Their "free tier" basically covers 1 micro linux server, 1 micro database server, some bandwidth, disk access and a selection of other amazon specific odds and sods to play with.

You usually end up paying for something but the micro server I have running half a dozen small websites only costs me between $1-$3 per month.

This is only an option if you're prepared to get stuck into the command line and do all the config and maintenance yourself, though installing a web control panel like virtualmin is actually pretty straight forward it's not for the absolute beginner and AWS is fairly intimidating too.

[Flatland_Spider]

I use Dreamhost for my light duty webhosting needs. You are kind of limited to PHP and MySQL, but aside from that they, have lots of extras. You get ssh access, one free domain with a hosting plan, backup space, Google Apps integration, and an XMPP server. XMPP is an odd perk, but it's pretty cool. The management stuff is straight forward, but some of the documentation is out of sync, like the section on the one-click installs.

I have an account with Rackspace if I need a VPS. I've only used that account when I need to do some external testing at work, which is infrequent, so I'm not sure about the prices on a production website. The management interface is straight forward, and it's pretty easy to do what you want it to do.

[just brew it!]

use like dyndns or something and have it point to ur dynamic ip....

This may be an option if it is a personal / low traffic site. If you expect a lot of traffic, or are setting up a commercial site, you'd technically be in violation of Comcast's TOS.

What is your budget? Or is it just "as cheap as possible"?

[lonleyppl]

Depending on how much you want to know about servers themselves Amazon might be an option. Their "free tier" basically covers 1 micro linux server, 1 micro database server, some bandwidth, disk access and a selection of other amazon specific odds and sods to play with.

You usually end up paying for something but the micro server I have running half a dozen small websites only costs me between $1-$3 per month.

This is only an option if you're prepared to get stuck into the command line and do all the config and maintenance yourself, though installing a web control panel like virtualmin is actually pretty straight forward it's not for the absolute beginner and AWS is fairly intimidating too.

Thanks! I'll definitely look into this as I'm not afraid to do it all myself, the experience would definitely be good, and it's free!

use like dyndns or something and have it point to ur dynamic ip....

Not an option unfortunately, as I share they connection with several others and I'd rather not risk violating the TOS.

Budget is less than $5 a month. If not less.

[Wyglif]

If you are hosting only static content (use disqus for forums etc), google app engine is free up to a gig per month. I use it for my home page. It actually doesn't have to be static but I don't care to use their GAE api right now.

Also appfog allows for 2gb of ram free per month. It supports node and I think PHP and rails.

[codedivine]

I use nearlyfreespeech.net and they are awesome. The UI is minimal, which is good or bad depending on how technical the user is. The cost is pay-per-use and for low-bandwidth sites can be very very cheap. I also like their business ethics. As their name suggests, they try to protect free speech and have refused to take down pages just because some big-entity threatened them. For example, see this: http://blog.nearlyfreespeech.net/2012/10/06/official-uk-government-attempt-at-censorship/. UK govt tried to intimidate them (without proper legal notices) and they did not budge. They also respect your privacy.

edit: They have also been in business for a while so they are well-known like the others you mention. The downside I see is that their support options are basically all paid, and those support costs are in addition to the hosting plans. The support plans are optional though, and I have never needed paid support.

[Ryu Connor]

I'd suggest Pair.

They have a basic plan that will likely meet your needs.

[vandy]

I've been using dreamhost for 10 years and been very happy with them. There was a time when they were super flaky but that was years ago. Overall, I am extremely happy with the service. YMMV, as my web hosting needs consist of a few wordpress blogs for myself and family members so my requirements are very light.