Hosting Plans
May 12, 2004
Up until now, I've been hosting this website myself on the company server. However, I'm considering moving it to a professional hosting provider instead, one which can offer a better service, with better tools and features, than I have the time and energy to offer myself.
What I'm looking for is a Linux/Apache hosting solution which allows for multiple domains and subdomains per account. I require full shell access, at least 500mb of storage, and at least 10 gigabytes of monthly network transfer, with reasonable fees in case I happen to exceed it.
I need support for PHP, Perl, Python, MySQL, .htaccess configuration, and all the stuff necessary to smoothly run Movable Type. I want rich graphical website statistics, plus raw access logs in case I'd ever want to do some parsing myself.
I want IMAP, SMTP and webmail access, and a customizable spam prevention system, such as Spam Assassin, which will grant me some measure of control over what e-mail qualifies as spam, and what to do with it.
I need a stable, reliable service, and I'm willing to pay up to about $20 per month.
A quick survey concludes that the following hosting companies offer plans that meet my requirements: 1and1.com, dreamhost.com, bloghosts.com and thehostingspecialists.com.
The following hosting companies offer plans that barely or almost meet my requirements: mediatemple.net, blogomania.com.
While specifications don't necessarily lie, they also don't tell the whole truth. A service which looks to be great in theory can be unusable and unreliable in practice. But then again, mileage does vary. Which hosting provider do you use, and would you recommend them?
Comments
I've been using Dreamhost for years, and have been very happy with them. There were some recent outages due to DDOS attacks against them, but they seem to have solved the problems and service has returned to normal levels.
Comment by Buzz Andersen at 22:05, 12 May, 2004 #
Jag använder pair sedan flera år tillbaka. Helt nöjd. Det är förmodligen lite dyrt, men jag har aldrig orkat byta.
Comment by Gustav Holmberg at 22:15, 12 May, 2004 #
www.oderland.com. Cheap and have everything you list above.
Comment by Tomas Pihl at 22:22, 12 May, 2004 #
I second Buzz's comment. After playing the host jumping game I decided to find a host that meet all my requirements (mainly good customer support, which Dreamhost excels at).
I've been with Dreamhost for the past few months, during the DDOS attack, and I can honestly say that they are the best host I've ever had in the past 4 years.
Their customer support is fantastic. Every issue I've had (not with the host, but with smaller issues) they've answered promptly. I suppose the best feature in my opinion is the control panel, allowing for unlimited MYSQL databases, and it's ease of use. It's streamlined enough for a beginner and feature-rich for an advanced user.
Plus, for 20 bucks, they are running their 'Code Monster' special for a limited time. It's usually 40 bucks and includes 1.6 Gigs of space, unlimited MYSQL databases and a slew of other features.
It's your decision in the long run but coming from a Dreamhost user (a new one at that) I can honestly say they've been of exceptional quality.
P.S. - I was with 1and1.com before this jump to Dreamhost and I wasn't pleased with their customer service and lack of features (namely limited databases and sluggish support).
Comment by kartooner at 23:28, 12 May, 2004 #
Hosting Matters. The best customer service I have ever seen; I once submitted a tech support ticket at 2:00 on a Saturday night, and it was resolved by the time I got up Sunday morning. They don't have a default hosting plan that gives you the disk space you want and meets your price specs, but if you go with the B1000 or S2000 plans and add the extra space, you get pretty close.
Comment by Andrew Duncalfe at 00:00, 13 May, 2004 #
Engima Technologies has just what you need for only $15 a month. I use them myself, and I would definitely recommend it.
By the way, I love your site. You really resemble a boy who I used to... nevermind. I never would've guessed someone from Sweden would be so fluent in English, but I guess that just shows how little I know about Sweden.
Comment by Pam at 00:47, 13 May, 2004 #
I host all my 6 sites on http://www.u-host.net/ which gives *excelent* service; through it I've gotten to know them personally, and they never ever fail to deliver. And their prices are just silly.
Comment by Alex at 01:04, 13 May, 2004 #
I think you might be pretty lucky to find something around the $20ish rate with good service. They're really rare nowadays from good hosting companies. If you do get something like that, it'll be more than likely an unmanaged solution on which you'll need to set everything up on yourself and maintain.
From what I hear about 1&1, anything on that is generally crapper binish too. I'd stay away from them really. Just my honest opinion.
It seems though, for your basic needs that you should go with a VDS/VPS of some sort. Those are around the $15-$20 bucket range.
I can't recommend one off-hand, because well..I work for one. It'd be unfair and biased of me. :-)
I hope you have luck in finding the host of your dreams..
Comment by david at 01:06, 13 May, 2004 #
Given any thought to Pair(.com)? They tend to be on the spendy side, but I've heard of few hosts that recieve as many good reviews.
Comment by Ryan C. at 02:45, 13 May, 2004 #
Segpub. I can't recommend them enough. waferbaby is hosted by them.
Highlights:
+ A company that advocates webstandards
+ They are bloggers themselves
+ Insanely fast response
+ Email spam & virus filter
Comment by Allen at 04:38, 13 May, 2004 #
There's nothing quite like having a dedicated server.
http://www.serverpronto.com
Comment by John Wehr at 07:32, 13 May, 2004 #
I used to be a Cihost customer for years, and really satisfied about their service. Either that or Dreamhost, as Buzz suggested.
Comment by Neko at 12:20, 13 May, 2004 #
I second the pair.com reccomendation. I used them for a website a while back and they were quite good. Their 500MB plan is $17.95/mo, so that fits within your price criteria as well.
Comment by Chris Hynes at 16:45, 13 May, 2004 #
I switched my 5 domans to Webair about 8 months ago and have been very happy with them after getting screwed around by HostRocket.com. The only thing they may not have that you mentioned is access to raw logs - I've never messed with them, but I don't remember seeing them in the feature list.
Comment by Bret at 17:05, 13 May, 2004 #
bloghosts all the way. their customer service is first rate and i've never been done in the 4 or 5 months i've been with them.
Comment by girlwonder at 17:19, 13 May, 2004 #
Dreamhost rocks.
Comment by beerzie boy at 20:38, 13 May, 2004 #
I use Glypto, myself. I'd recommend double-checking, but I think they've got all of the things you're looking for. I pay about $30/month for 3GB of space, a good portion of which I resell, so my cost is nonexistent, and my profit modest. The service is incredible, and when they fuck up, they don't blink -- their apologies ease the sting. (I should point out that they don't really fuck up; they were hit by a denial attack the very day I signed up with them, were down for forty-eight hours, and as an apology, they comped my first three months.)
Comment by Jg at 20:45, 13 May, 2004 #
Are you sticking to Movabletype as your CMS? Then get ready to add its price to the mix!
Comment by angelday at 09:51, 14 May, 2004 #
Everybody, thanks for your suggestions. Right now I think I'm going to choose DreamHost, because, really, their current offer beats all other hosting solutions by a wide margin.
I'm sticking with Movable Type.
Comment by Tomas at 14:43, 14 May, 2004 #
Segpub. Segpub. Segpub. Best hosting decision I've ever made.
Comment by Garrett at 19:28, 14 May, 2004 #
I would recomend aegis design they have three different plans at very good rates
£100 per year
20 GB Data Transfer Per Month
500 MB Fast Webspace
100 Pop3 Email Accounts
100 Email Forwarders
100 AutoResponders
100 Sub Domains
Plus
Advanced Web Based Control Panel using cPanel 6 Technology,
Php4, Perl, CGl-Bin, SSI
MySQL4 Database Support inc phpMyAdmin
access for easy maintenance
Front Page Extensions
Support via Email, ICQ, AIM and our forum
Customizable Error Pages
Downloadable Backups
Web Mail - via NeoMail or SquirrelMail
Protected Directories
FTP Access to upload files
ssh Secure Shell Access
Webalizer Website Stats
Log Files
£100 is around $175
Comment by Matthew at 22:05, 14 May, 2004 #
Forgot the link which is Aegis Design
Comment by Matthew at 22:06, 14 May, 2004 #
I've been with Dreamhost since January this year. For 10 dollars a month and all they offer, you really can't go wrong. But on top of this, it's run by people who really know about cutting-edge web technologies and support them. They have an excellent custom-made web interface for managing everything, and the support pages are first-rate, explaining how to set up MT and a ton of other CMS systems if you want it.
Comment by Xilo at 17:15, 17 May, 2004 #
segpub. they rawk. seriously, i've never been more impressed with a hosting provider, even when i was one myself.
Comment by brianp at 04:27, 18 May, 2004 #
I am another person who has nothing but excellent things to say about dreamhost. Secure shell and secure ftp access plus one of the best configuration web panels out there. They also have a great set of tools to check your server status including storage and bandwidth estimates.
Their $20 plan with 1.6GB/40GB transfer is hard to beat.
Comment by J-Unit at 00:38, 19 May, 2004 #
Pair is by far of those I've used. Dreamhost second. Not in a million years is dreamhost in the same league as pair, but its not bad and quite a bit cheaper.
Comment by thomas at 13:58, 22 May, 2004 #
You may want to have a look at the "Textdrive offer from Dean Allen. There are still spots open in the initial 200.
I grabbed one of them.
Comment by Johan Svensson at 13:53, 25 May, 2004 #
http://www.canaca.com/ surpasses all of your requirements with an outstanding price and reliable service. This is the best provider I have come past through many many hosts.
Comment by Josh at 19:37, 26 May, 2004 #
I'll vouch for Dreamhost. I've been with them for almost three years have no complaints.
Comment by Joshua Kaufman at 00:47, 27 May, 2004 #
Actually, I had a horrible experience with Dreamhost. Their service was horrible! I started an account with them and within a week I cancelled it. As soon as all of the DNS changes were pointed to Dreamhost the site was constantly down! I would STAY AWAY from Dreamhost!
Comment by Brian Zerangue at 07:55, 27 May, 2004 #
Hi there I would recommend our webhosting company www.bitstop.ph. I believe it has everything you need and they do have a very good customer support.
I've three websites hosted with them:
www.do-24.com
www.flyseair.com
and www.meditransgroup.com
Although I've experienced some problems recently but the way they've handled the situation was remarkable because they've immediately responded to my complaints.
I also have a friend from Germany who knows good webhosting services, if you haven't found a webhosting company just let me know and I'll ask them for a roster of a good priced and efficient servers.
Salut!
Van
Comment by Van Porciuncula at 19:07, 27 May, 2004 #
The discussion has been closed on this entry. Thanks to everybody who participated.