Very Cheap Web Hosting

[NorCal Internet]

Ummmm..... Yeah......

 

[rusty.nells]

For the absolute cheapest way of starting a website. As well as having the most control, and best performance.

Put your website on a desktop you are not using. Make it your web server. Even if it is 8 years old - You will get better performance (in terms of running scripts, multiple users, etc) than a shared hosting plan.

If you dont know how to do a Webserver you can always download Xampp for windows. Only thing you need to do, is put the server's IP address outside the router (100's of tutorials on the web), and leave the box on. Plus some minor configuration changes to Xampp for security reasons, but it shows you how. Plus whoever you buy the domain from, you point to the server's IP

In my opinion that is the best way.

Best performance and control? Maybe. Absolute cheapest? No.

Running an extra computer 24 hours a day would cost an additional $10-$20 per month on the electric bill. My desktop runs at 190 watts (average) and would cost me $14.04 per month to run 24 hours a day. That's $182.58 per year.

Your costs may vary. Electricity usage calculator

 

[Rosco]

Problems:

1) Most ISP's block necessary ports for hosting a website.
2) Chances are he does not have a fail over generator installed on site. Power flicker or power outage, website is down.
3) Internet goes offline, website is down.
4) Hardware failure of any kind, website is down.
5) Overage on the allowed bandwidth of your internet package, website is down.

See where I am going here? Point of the matter is if you are OK with risking potential customers in an effort to save $10 a month, you may want to re-think your strategy.

^^^^ using a hosting service is the way to go. I use 1 and 1 and pay $60.00 a year. they give you tons of features and minimal ads. You can also host multiple domains under the same account! which i do