Best place to host a website

[willvideo2.2]

Right now I am creating a web-site and I'm confused about where to host it. Right now I'm looking at blue host and it looks ok. And if any of you know how to use my computer as a server could you tell me. thanks

[DaiMoGui]

I will give you a brief overview of how to make your own server. All of the following software is Open Source and Free.

Apache - Web Server
MySQL - Database
PHP - Language Interpreter
Joomla - Content Management Server

1. Login into your Router and forward port 80 to the IP of the system your going to run it on.
2. Install XAMPP (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html) - This package has Apache / MySQL / PHP
3. Download a version of Joomla (http://www.joomla.org/) I use 1.5 for my sites I will add a link below
3. Unzip the Joomla package into the XAMPP/HTDOCS
4. Open web browser and type Localhost into your address bar
5. Follow the on screen instructions for installing.
6. Settings for MySQL section are usually Localhost with Root as user and no password.
7. Delete the installation folder inside the Joomla folder
8. Create an account on No-ip.com (http://www.no-ip.com/), download their Dynamic Updater App, Create your free domain name.
9. Customize Joomla with a template, and tons of free community modules.
10. Add content until your fingers have blisters.
11. Pimp your new link all over the net.
12. Leave that computer on 24/7 attached to a battery backup.

I am running multiple sites using the configuration above. My system is an old P2-400 with 128mb RAM. I rebuilt it specifically for this purpose. I have Remote Desktop configured so that I can login to it from my main workstation.

My City of Heroes Supergroup Site (http://coh-pc.servegame.com) - Joomla 1.5.2 with basic template, I added my own graphics, changed some module positions. The gallery is a sweet module called Xpose.

Also my good friend Grady runs his Scooter Shop (http://www.scooterrevolution.com/) using Joomla 1.15. Lance Armstong's film crew just rented a scooter from him to follow Lance around Austin in a new documentary! Photos at the link.

There is documentation on all the links I provided in the steps. I know it's a lot to take in, it took me a bit to get it all figured out. But thats the price you pay to DIY, the investment in time. It was pure hell to get Apache and PHP to work properly before I found XAMPP, it saved me hours of hair pulling. It also includes a free FTP server (forward port 21 in router) and a mail server that I can't for the life of me configure to work.

Good luck if you decide to give it a go, if not there are some other alternatives that others will suggest.

Some of the following hosts will support a Joomla site, these are all paid host services.
I am not really up on my hosts. Seems like some people I know use Godaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp), I have a demo account over at 1&1 (http://order.1and1.com) they seem ok. My work hosted their site at Ultimate Web Host (http://www.ultimatewebhost.info/). They have Cpanel, which is really handy, along with some other nice backend features for getting your site running quick and fairly easy.

-DaiMoGui

[yupfrank]

i am trying to make a website to
does it cost much money?

[Global_Line]

I use www.1and1.co.uk (http://www.1and1.co.uk) they're the UK's number one webhost, I use them and the customer support is really good. they also offer website builders which are somewhat basic but can give really good results.

[Dogproductions]

I will give you a brief overview of how to make your own server. All of the following software is Open Source and Free.

Apache - Web Server
MySQL - Database
PHP - Language Interpreter
Joomla - Content Management Server

1. Login into your Router and forward port 80 to the IP of the system your going to run it on.
2. Install XAMPP (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html) - This package has Apache / MySQL / PHP
3. Download a version of Joomla (http://www.joomla.org/) I use 1.5 for my sites I will add a link below
3. Unzip the Joomla package into the XAMPP/HTDOCS
4. Open web browser and type Localhost into your address bar
5. Follow the on screen instructions for installing.
6. Settings for MySQL section are usually Localhost with Root as user and no password.
7. Delete the installation folder inside the Joomla folder
8. Create an account on No-ip.com (http://www.no-ip.com/), download their Dynamic Updater App, Create your free domain name.
9. Customize Joomla with a template, and tons of free community modules.
10. Add content until your fingers have blisters.
11. Pimp your new link all over the net.
12. Leave that computer on 24/7 attached to a battery backup.

I am running multiple sites using the configuration above. My system is an old P2-400 with 128mb RAM. I rebuilt it specifically for this purpose. I have Remote Desktop configured so that I can login to it from my main workstation.

My City of Heroes Supergroup Site (http://coh-pc.servegame.com) - Joomla 1.5.2 with basic template, I added my own graphics, changed some module positions. The gallery is a sweet module called Xpose.

Also my good friend Grady runs his Scooter Shop (http://www.scooterrevolution.com/) using Joomla 1.15. Lance Armstong's film crew just rented a scooter from him to follow Lance around Austin in a new documentary! Photos at the link.

There is documentation on all the links I provided in the steps. I know it's a lot to take in, it took me a bit to get it all figured out. But thats the price you pay to DIY, the investment in time. It was pure hell to get Apache and PHP to work properly before I found XAMPP, it saved me hours of hair pulling. It also includes a free FTP server (forward port 21 in router) and a mail server that I can't for the life of me configure to work.

Good luck if you decide to give it a go, if not there are some other alternatives that others will suggest.

Some of the following hosts will support a Joomla site, these are all paid host services.
I am not really up on my hosts. Seems like some people I know use Godaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp), I have a demo account over at 1&1 (http://order.1and1.com) they seem ok. My work hosted their site at Ultimate Web Host (http://www.ultimatewebhost.info/). They have Cpanel, which is really handy, along with some other nice backend features for getting your site running quick and fairly easy.

-DaiMoGui
Cool and all that is free?

[Vaughn Whynot]

it is......it is free.

[DaiMoGui]

i am trying to make a website to
does it cost much money?

No, there are completely free ways of getting your website up. Things that cost money are your domain name (IndyMogul.com) and your host Godaddy / 1&1. But there are free hosts and free places to get domain names from. Like the No-IP site I linked to, its free, you just don't have full control of the name. You choose part of the name but the rest is one you select from a list. Like X.servebeer.com, where X is what you choose it to be. There are like 15 domain suffix choices.

Cool and all that is free?

Indeed, free and open source. With tons of other free modules that the community has coded for it.

-DaiMoGui