Thread: Domain & server

We have finally got a great idea and we are on the point of executing.
Now we are going to buy a domain name, and we also need a server.

Can somebody explain to me if its better to own the server myself at home or use a service? (there are enough to find on google)

I have no information on this matter.

IMHO, only the largest companies should host their own webserver. Only the largest companies can afford to provide the power, connectvity, redundancy, safety and security that a major webhost can provide.

Depends what you need to do.

If it's just a website, with no real backend - do you really need a server? That would be covered by some pretty basic shared hosting services.

Do you need to run custom software, applications, and/or need complete management of the backend? Yeah then you need a server of some sort. VPS? Dedicated? Cloud style? And I refer you back to the start of my post, again.

Good luck!

You should probably pay for your hosting IMHO, you can get hosting from hostgator for 6 bucks, or get a Virtual Private Server for about 20. Best of luck.

Like Talisman has stated your hosting options should depend on what you need it to do.
What kind of services do you plan on providing at your website? What's your budget? Is your website going to have a lot of media(podcasts, videos, images, etc.)? Are you going to do something like e-commerce?

With no stated information about your services, like roc, I agree that basic shared hosting (people with other domains share the same server as you) may be ok for you. Hosting from bluehost or hostgator are two services I've had experience with and would recommend- responsive customer service and overall good server reliability.

If your site does grow faster than you expect you can look into virtual private servers (think of vps like dedicated servers without the high prices of dedicated servers) or even dedicated servers (having your own server all to your self).

Keep in mind that these are just my opinions.

Originally Posted by Tiger

Only the largest companies can afford to provide the power, connectvity, redundancy, safety and security that a major webhost can provide.

A popular misconception.

host gator 4-6 bucks a month.

Reseller Hosting 20-30 bucks a month,

VPS 100+/- Month

Dedicated server 300 a month.


when you have traffic of under 5-10K people per month, to you site a hostgator simple hosting will do. cost less than 10 bucks a month.

DO NOT host at your house. not if you want to build traffic.

When you hit 30-50K a month in traffic, its usually worth it to be on a VPS.

a dedicated box is good for a major launch, or HUGE traffic.

WE have moved to a cloud solution for some of our stuff, however it is far more technical to run a cloud solution.

for most of our sites now, we use a VPS, then a simple WP install, on a domain, we host any video on the site on amazon s3 for faster delivery of the video, and to not clog up our server.
total cost of amazon I think is less than 10 bucks a month for storage and delivery of vids, unless we have a launch then video usage can run up a little bit. but worth it.

we use Jw plawer on WP, to deliver the video, from amazon. very simple and cheap solution and fast.

I have used a dedicated server for years. I rent a whole computer from my host and they install it, configure it, back it up and provide a 99.9% uptime guarantee. They also have huge (fibre optic) pipes to the internet and can handle as much traffic as I can throw at them. I also have priority support should I need it (Dedicated server clients always get priority 24 hour live support).

In my opinion it's a no brainer, let someone else handle it. They own server "farms" with dedicated staff and technicians who know what they are doing. I've run a multi hundred thousand dollar per month (income) site using a dedicated server so it'll be a long time before you're too big to let someone else handle it. In fact I think the bigger you get the more need there is to let someone else handle it.

Running a web server is not for the feint hearted. Unless you a tech addict - leave it to the Pros. I use Total Choice Hosting and am not a fan of Host Gator.