hosting own website?

[medz]

could someone explain to me the pros and cons of hosting your own web server, and what you have to consider when doing so.

is it better just to use a free web host

 

[Decker]

If it's small with a couple of users and you have a decent ADSL it's fine hosting your own. If not get it hosted.

 

[john874]

I think that hosting your own site where you are doing it to make money and also to have databases with secure information like credit cards and things is very risky unless you know what you are doing.

There is alot of security needed when having a server and you need to know how to make things as secure as possible.

 

[surg]

i think you should go for hosting your own site if u have 20-30 visitors/day
if u need the details just let me know

 

[krakjoe]

IMO it's a bad idea, its not only about speed but reliability, it's incredibly hard to achieve a flawless connection from any domestic line.

 

[James]

Domestic lines are not for hosting servers, it's most likely against your ISP's TOS.

 

[ZoomCities]

PROS: None
CONS: A lot - maintenance time, hardware costs like (server, UPS, router and more), software cost, re-occuring costs (ISP, electricity bill, etc), must have a DRP ready, sleepless nights, and there is a lot more..

That is why, getting a remote web server from a good DC is recommended.

Zac

 

[john874]

i think you should go for hosting your own site if u have 20-30 visitors/day
if u need the details just let me know

I don't think that would be a good idea. It would end up costing you much more than what it would be to purchase hosting with a company that actually has been doing it for sometime.

If you have a low amount of traffic then you can purchase a web hosting provider for around $5 - $15 per year or maybe $1 - $3 per month.

If you host it yourself, then you need to have the computer and internet connection running 24/7, which will make the electric bills add up. If you use the same computer for your normal work then it will slow your site down, so you will have to do alot of your normal work on another computer, like surfing the internet, for example. You will need to know the security in's and out's so that you don't get hacked, etc.

There is much to know about hosting a website. Hosting a small site is only any good if you want to learn how to host a site because you want to end up becoming a web hosting provider yourself.

 

[cmartin]

IMO, hosting a website from a homemade (and home-based) server is not a great idea. Firstly, many ISP's do not allow you to do this, so IF you do decide to build your own server, I highly recommend checking with them first. Secondly, the amount of work that comes along with building a server is quite a bit (constantly upgrading the software, protecting + securing the hardware, back-up power systems, etc). Please note that most (or all) of the above are taken care of by the DC when you purchase a dedicated server (depending on the management plan), or use an account from a shared hosting provider. Now, if you plan to create a server just to play around with things locally (on localhost), then that's fine.

There are many other reasons as to why I strongly suggest not creating a web server, but they have already been mentioned in this thread. All I will say is this: be careful!

Chris

 

[Gipo_dinamia]

I think before starting to host your own sites you must be good at managing the server. Otherwise it may lead to many issues in future.

 

[john874]

I think before starting to host your own sites you must be good at managing the server. Otherwise it may lead to many issues in future.

Yes, just getting a site on the web from home is not easy. If you have never done it before then there will be issue after issue, most likely, but then you will learn as you go, but also have the risk of getting your site hacked a few times alone the way and also having downtime no and then also.

 

[medz]

thanks guys for the replies..

ive come to my senses..that paid hosting is the way..im just trying to find a decent COMPANY and not school kids.

i mean paying £15 per annum is nothing, compared if i was to hosting my own site.electricity ect of keep it on all night

 

[TSO]

could someone explain to me the pros and cons of hosting your own web server, and what you have to consider when doing so.

is it better just to use a free web host

The complication of having to make sure it is always up is the biggest con - and outweighs any pros that might exist.

 

[Archbob]

The one pro is that you have physical access to your server and you don't need a 12 hour wait time to replace hardware, you can just push the reset button or drive down to Best Buy and pick up a new drive.