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Website Hosting?

over 6 years ago from , Digital Designer & Illustrator

Hey all!

I was wondering what everyone uses to host your websites (portfolio sites, client websites, etc.). I've been using Justhost for a few years now, but it was an impulse decision. I'm happy with it, but wondering what other alternatives are out there that people have good experiences with.

Similar story, but not sure if it's still relevant: https://www.designernews.co/stories/55605-web-hosting-for-designers

42 comments

  • Joel CalifaJoel Califa, over 6 years ago

    DigitalOcean ¯\(ツ)/¯

    29 points
  • Brian FryerBrian Fryer, over 6 years ago

    DigitalOcean for websites that require a backend: https://www.digitalocean.com/

    Firebase for websites that are static, but interactive: https://firebase.google.com/

    Surge for websites that are just static: https://surge.sh/

    12 points
  • Daryl GinnDaryl Ginn, over 6 years ago

    Basically...

    Requires a backend?

    Digital Ocean.

    It's just static?

    GitHub.

    10 points
  • Gavin AnthonyGavin Anthony, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

    If your website is static you can host it on Github. Netlify is another good option. I also highly recommend using CloudFlare for dns.

    6 points
  • Paul @StammyPaul @Stammy, over 6 years ago

    My site is a bit simpler than most (all flat files, based on Jekyll) and therefore don't need any dynamic stuff or database, and have been hosting directly on S3 with Cloudfront the last few years and have been enjoying it. When I made the switch readers of my site in other countries reached out to say how much faster it was for them. https://paulstamatiou.com/hosting-on-amazon-s3-with-cloudfront/

    3 points
  • Weston VierreggerWeston Vierregger, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

    I just moved from DO to Amazon LightSail... for reasons. :)

    How do you use your hosting? Is using FTP important to you? Or do you use a VCS/command line? Do you host multiple websites/projects on the same host? A little more info on what kind of site(s) you build would be helpful for good recommendations.

    For instance: my setup is a Dokku installation on a LightSail VPS. I use Google Domains (which is where I purchased my domain & do my e-mail) for my DNS. Dokku lets me use git to push sites straight to my VPS in individual containers, on multiple domains (since I have multiple sites) or subdomains and has some other bells and whistles that make web projects easy to manage. I prefer to not user or see a GUI/cPanel-esque website to manage my servers.

    3 points
    • Steve OrchoskySteve Orchosky, over 6 years ago

      Thanks for the reply! Open to trying new things, which is why I started the discussion! I'm used to working with an FTP, but that's just what I learned in school. Most of my development is front end, but I'd love to have a solution that would work for back end too if work demands it.

      0 points
    • Sri KadimisettySri Kadimisetty, over 6 years ago

      Literally the only thing that scares me about these amazing Amazon services is that theres no way to limit the charges and you have to put down a credit card. Im kinda paranoid about suddenly seeing like a crazy charge on it someday.

      0 points
      • Denis RojcykDenis Rojcyk, over 6 years ago

        Happened a week ago, bad stuff.

        0 points
      • Weston VierreggerWeston Vierregger, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

        LightSail is the same model as DigitalOcean/Linode/etc. The monthly plan is locked in, and you're charged for overages. If you go over your bandwidth on DO, for instance, you are charged at an uncapped 2¢ per GB.

        With typical AWS offerings like S3 and EC2, the price fluctuates much more (and I think that's what you're referencing). LightSail is comparable to the regular ol' VPS providers.

        That being said, the base levels of bandwidth are more than enough for any small web project, blog or portfolio site on all 3 services.

        0 points
  • Bob Orchard, over 6 years ago

    Here's how I typically break it down:

    WordPress: FlyWheel (http://heyflywheel.com) Static: Github Anything else: DigitalOcean w/ code deployments via Laravel Forge

    1 point
  • Ross MerrittRoss Merritt, over 6 years ago

    Flywheel for WordPress hosting

    Cloud Heroes for everything else

    1 point
  • Andrew ConnAndrew Conn, over 6 years ago

    All Amazon - S3, Cloudfront, Route53, and Certificate Manager for free SSL. Costs about $0.80 per month.

    1 point
  • Account deleted over 6 years ago

    I'm surprised that no one even mentioned Media Temple, and I was wondering why could it be?

    1 point
    • Simon FSimon F, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

      I recommend MediaTemple for managed hosting and Digital Ocean for web services.

      1 point
  • Duke CavinskiDuke Cavinski, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

    A Small Orange.

    Their marketing stuff isn't as pretty as it used to be when I signed up, but they've got a super cheap plan that works for me.

    1 point
  • Aubrey JohnsonAubrey Johnson, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

    If you have a static website try hosting an S3 bucket as a website then point to Route53 for DNS and you can configure the redirects, Google Apps for email and whatever else you'd like.

    The setup is a little tricky, but for ~.40¢ a month - it's hard to beat on pricing. I like that scaling is built in too.

    1 point
  • John Jackson, over 6 years ago

    I host my website with HawkHost. If you are happy with your current provider, just stick with them. I worked in Web hosting for five or so years. The reality is that most providers are very similar in their offerings, price, and customer service. If you're seeking a provider, check out WebHostingTalk for recommendations. As long as you don't choose some fly-by-night company, you should be perfectly fine and have a good experience.

    1 point
  • Cheryl Walker, over 4 years ago

    I would normally chastise a person for tooting their own horn... but in this case your recommendation is spot on, sir! https://soundcloudtomp3.io

    0 points
  • William RileyWilliam Riley, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

    Flywheel! I work here, and we're doing things to make your life easy as heck.

    For Ruby apps, Heroku (I'm designing one now)

    For static sites, AWS or GitHub Pages.

    0 points
  • Daniel Fransk, over 6 years ago

    I go with https://uberspace.de (german service). They have great support, a name-your-own-pricing-policy and their FAQ is basically a comprehensive summary of everything you need to know about webhosting. This makes it a breeze to bring your site online, even as a beginner with very little understanding of webservers

    0 points
  • Oliver WhitehallOliver Whitehall, over 6 years ago

    I moved my hosting from DigitalOcean to Surge.sh and I'm pretty happy with it. For a portfolio site it fits all my needs, if I was dealing with multiple client sites I'd go with DigitalOcean all the way.

    0 points
  • Ix TechauIx Techau, over 6 years ago

    Heroku all the way. I do everything in Rails nowadays, no matter how small a project. Just easier.

    0 points
  • Aaron Wears Many HatsAaron Wears Many Hats, over 6 years ago

    We host our company sites with Site5.

    Do not recommend. lol.

    0 points
  • Ed FairmanEd Fairman, over 6 years ago

    SiteGround are fab. Responsive support and good plans for all requirements: https://www.siteground.co.uk/

    0 points
  • Bugsy SailorBugsy Sailor, over 6 years ago

    LiquidWeb.com has never disappointed me! They've been reliable, competitive pricing, and their customer service can't be beat.

    0 points
  • Joe Blau, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )
    • GitHub - static portfolio / lots of static sites
    • Heroku - gitignore.io

    And now GitHub is having a major service outage: https://status.github.com/#06DEC2016

    0 points
  • Andreas EllwangerAndreas Ellwanger, over 6 years ago (edited over 6 years ago )

    I really like this setup, it's straight forward & pretty cheap and fast. You only have to pay your domain.

    0 points
  • Kyle ParisiKyle Parisi, over 6 years ago

    I'm not really a designer but I use s3 + cloudfront for static sites. It's cost effective, fast, reliable, and you can get a free ssl pretty easily. It can be confusing to set up but easy to work with after that.

    0 points
  • Nacho ToledoNacho Toledo, over 6 years ago

    I've been using Webfaction for 3-4 years now and I'm pretty happy with them. Support is great, you have SSH access, can host as many sites as you want, etc. The only thing (which I don't need but you might) is that they don't have a cPanel. They do have a custom panel.

    0 points
  • James Ciclitira, over 6 years ago

    Github pages, easy to use and quick to update

    0 points
  • Ken Em, over 6 years ago

    I've been a customer for nearly 20 years: https://www.pair.com

    0 points