Tag: Web Hosting Pro

When it comes to businesses, first impressions go a long way. I’m sure you can relate to meeting someone new and judging them on their firm handshake or crisp suit. Well, online businesses aren’t really too different. When consumers see your email address, they pass judgement and assess how much they think they can trust your brand.

Put it this way, would you have more confidence in a brand that had an email address like contact@yourwebsitename.com or yourname@gmail.com – probably the latter! In fact, 75% of consumers believe having a custom email address that relates to your website is a defining factor when it comes to brand confidence.

Custom email domains take your website’s URL and uses it as part of the email address. If we look at my own website as an example, my email address is hello@ukwebhostreview.com which gives a professional brand image. It may seem like a small detail, but I can assure you it makes a big difference.

If you’re wondering how to get a free custom domain email I’ll show you how below.

Best Free Domain with Email Hosting

Regardless of the type of business you run, customers expect you to have a custom domain. It doesn’t matter if your business is solely online or you operate a craft stand in a market hall. A website and custom email domain are essential tools to running your own business. Simply put, if your email address uses your domain name, it’s going to look professional. Nobody wants to see a Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo email address.

Custom domain emails show that you mean business (and you’re serious about it). If customers don’t believe or trust in your brand, they’re never going to buy from you. According to a study conducted by Boston Consulting Group, for millennials, brand authenticity is second only to loyalty discounts in importance when choosing companies to support.

Buying a domain name doesn’t have to be expensive. On average, they cost anywhere between 99p to £9.99 per year. If you’re not ready to fork out any money on a domain name, you can actually get a domain for free in just a few minutes. However, I’d highly recommend getting a domain with your hosting provider. Why? Because most of them offer a domain name for free as part of their hosting packages. Either way, you’ll need web hosting, so you might as well get one for free!

My personal recommendation is BlueHost. They offer the best of both worlds in terms of email hosting and free domains. They hold a solid reputation in the web hosting world and boast stable performance results for WordPress websites. Not only that, they give their customers unlimited email accounts and forwarding accounts. You’ll get to choose between three webmail solutions (or you can use your own) as well as POP3 and IMAP for security.

Visit BlueHost.com (£2.43/Month)

Find a Domain Name

Before securing your custom email domain, you’re going to need to find a domain name (if you haven’t already). As we’ve already discussed, your domain name is one of the most important steps to getting your free custom email domain. It’s going to represent your online prescence and determine how people see your brand.

Choosing the best domain name can be difficult, as often they’re already taken. However, there are a few tips and tricks that I have up my sleeve that I’d like to share with you. If you’re finding it tough coming up with a domain name, you can use a domain name generator which might help to get your creative juices flowing.

Let’s take a look at some tips for coming up with a domain name:

• TLD .com: Customers tend to trust .com domains because they’re familiar with them. If you’re able to get a .com TLD then it’s worth nabbing it whilst you can.
• Keywords: When coming up with a domain name it’s worth trying to include some keywords. Not only does this make your site more memorable to people, it can also make a difference to your Google search ranking.
• Prefix or Suffix: It’s quite common for your chosen domain name to be unavailable. You could try adding a prefix or suffix to your business name, for example cakestore.com could become thecakestore.com and still be recognisable by your customers.

Register Your Domain

Once you’ve chosen your domain name and have confirmed it’s available, you’ll need to register it. If you’re purchasing or obtaining your domain name through your web host, like BlueHost, there are a few features you can add. One of those features that I recommend is called domain privacy.

When you register a domain name, your name and address become public access. Someone can perform a lookup on your domain and it will tell them where it’s been registered and display your details. If you don’t want this to be accessible, you can opt for domain privacy. This masks your own information and uses your web host or domain registrar as the contact.

Setup an Email Account

As I mentioned earlier, if you get web hosting with BlueHost, you’ll get a free domain email. When you log into BlueHost’s dashboard, you’ll see the email section on the left. All you’ll need to do is enter your desired email and password and your email account is created. It’s really as simple as that.

Your email name represents what’s seen before the @ symbol, for example, hello@ukwebhostreview.com. If you’ve signed up to BlueHost’s basic plan, you’ll get up to 5 email accounts. People create multiple accounts for several reasons such as, a mailbox for general contact, sales, support, etc.

Visit BlueHost.com (£2.43/Month)

Best Cheap Hosting with Free Custom Email Domain

Starting a new business can get expensive pretty quickly. It’s hard to get a good balance of decent quality and affordable prices. However, if you’re on a budget, you don’t have to settle for poor products just because they’re cheap. When it comes to email services, you are going to need something stable and secure so it’s not worth sacrificing.

As I’ve already mentioned, many web hosts offer free custom email domains with their packages. This saves both time and money with the ability to combine three features under one roof. If you choose to go down the web hosting route, make sure you check out the best web hosting providers so you don’t compromise on quality.

There’s a few things to consider when you’re looking for the best cheap hosting with a free custom email domain. It’s not all about the cost, so let’s take a look at what you’ll need:

• Spam filters
• Number of email accounts (this will depend entirely on your own business’ needs)
• Storage space
• Forwarding accounts
• POP and IMAP support

Web hosts tend to offer their own webmail access so you can check your emails. However, many of them are now compatible with third party email services like Office, G Suite, etc. If you’re more familiar with one of these programs, definitely check with your web host that you can use them.

Companies like iPage offer excellent support, so you can check with them before proceeding. iPage is extremely affordable starting at only £1.50 per month. You’ll get unlimited storage, bandwidth and a free domain name. iPage essentials email account offer 500MB storage per acount, webmail access, POP3/IMAP, autoresponder, spam filter and virus protection.

How to Host Your Own Website

Thinking about hosting your website? If you’ve created your website and would like to make it public on the World Wide Web, then you’ll need hosting. Website hosting can either be done from your PC or by a hosting provider. However, there are many things that you’ll need to know before you decide on what option is best for you. 

You’ll need a domain name for starters. You can get a domain name for free, however, it might not be the sort of domain name you are looking for. A professional domain name can cost anything from $0.99 to tens of thousands of dollars. 

The easiest and cheapest way to get your website online is by buying shared hosting from a hosting provider. Shared hosting is when you rent out a portion of a server. The amount of space you need will vary from one website to the next. For example, a website with a large database and a lot of data going in and out is best placed on a Virtual Private Server or a Dedicated Server. On the other hand, if you’re just starting then you could get away with shared hosting until you know what your bandwidth usage will be. 

Why Would You Want to Host Your Own Website?

Let’s address this question for a start. You need hosting to make your website public, however during web development then it is easy to create and host your local machine. That way you don’t need to upload and download files to an external server until you are happy with your website. 

There are several pros and cons to hosting a website on your machine vs hosting with an actual website hosting company.  Hosting your website yourself can be very rewarding, however, it can be a daunting procedure. In this article, we’ll go over how to self- host your website, as well as the pros and cons of each approach to website hosting. 

Think of your web hosting is the home for your website. It needs an (IP) address, enough space for your business to grow, somewhere to store all of your files, to be online 24/7 and security measures to keep your online presence safe. Additionally, you need the functionality of various types of software to ensure that everything is running smoothly. 

Without further ado, let’s dive into how to make your hosting server from home or your office. 

How to host a Website using a Windows PC

Hosting a website on your computer can be rewarding, especially if you’ve made your website from scratch. Watching a website develop from idea to reality is always a thrill. You’ll need a WAMP server to host your website on your WindowsOS.

What is a WAMP Server?

WAMP is fairly straight forward and easy to understand. WAMP stands for Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. This type of server environment is perfect as it installs all of the required software in one go. The “W” is the Windows part of WAMP, therefore if you’re looking to create a website in Linux then you’ll need to go for a LAMP server environment, where the “L” stands for Linux. Lets’ look a bit deeper at the “AMP” piece in the WAMP server environment. 

Apache – the “A” in WAMP is the apache piece. Apache is the core program that performs the hosting services. The full name is the “Apache HTTP server”. Apache is a free open-source web server software that is maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. Apache powers around 46% of all websites globally. Apache is cross-platform and works on both Unix and Windows. Apache is responsible for a smooth secure connection between the two machines.

MySQL– MySQL is the type of database used to house your web files. There are many uses of a database, basically, the database stores all of the web content, making the website dynamic (and hopefully) faster to access. Membership sites that need a login or eCommerce store require a database to function. 

PHP– PHP is the programing language that will be used on this server. PHP is a server-side programming language that can be used to produce both static and dynamic websites. You need to install PHP for your server to recognize the PHP programming language.

Awesome, you now know all about WAMP and why it is 100% required before you can host your website on your PC. Let’s now get started with the practical aspects of getting your PC to host your website. Firstly you need to install the WAMP software. 

Step 1 – Install WAMP Software

Go to this link and download the WAMP Software. 

Step 2 – Run WAMP Software

Double-tap on the downloaded WAMP software and run the .exe file. Simply select next and keep the default settings.  Choose your browser selection or select open to open your default PC browser (in my case that would be Google Chrome)

PRO TIP: Your PC’s firewall settings may reject some of the security aspects of the WAMP environment. You’ll need to make an exception to bypass the security alerts. 

Once WAMP has fully installed – fill in Start “WampServer 2 now” checkbox and then hit “Finish”. 

Step 3 – Managing your WAMP Server

You can change pages and create subdirectories by going to the local disk C “c:\wamp\www”. To check if your changes are live, refresh your browser. 

Step 4 – Create an HTML or PHP Page

To create an HTML or PHP page you can write the code in a notepad or syntax editor like Sublime. Using a syntax editor is much easier as you can color-code your text. When you save your document, go to “save as” and then give it a .php extension (eg. Projectname.php). Your saved file should be in

c:\wamp\www file location. 

Step 5 – Test Your Code

Check that you’re code is working and all changes have been made by going to http://localhost/Projectname.php – hit refresh to push changes through to your browser. 

Step 6 – Configure your MySQL Databases

When you open WAMP you can go to the menu and open the phpMyAdmin panel. In phpMyAdmin, you can open a new window and you’ll need to input a root password. If you want you can leave the field empty or set a password.  I use XAMP with phpMyAdmin rather than WAMP, when I open the admin it looks like this.

If you have WordPress then you’ll automatically be allocated a database. 

Step 7 – Setting Your Website to be Public

It is regarded as bad practice to use your home PC as a hosting server, mainly due to safety concerns. Using your local machine as a dev environment, on the other hand, is best practice. If you want to go for it an make your website publicly visible then double-tap the WampServer icon and then a dropdown will appear – select “Put Online”.

The second part of setting your website to be public is fixing a few lines of code in the Apache settings. If you don’t do this part then your website will show a “403 Forbidden” warning message. 

Find the httpd.conf file in the WampServer menu inside your Apache folder. Scroll down and you should see the following:

Order Deny, Allow

Deny from all

Order Deny, Allow

Deny from all

You need to delete this text and replace it with:

Order Allow, Deny

Allow from all

Order Allow, Deny

Allow from all

Step 8 – Change Security Settings 

Change your firewall settings as they will block web requests. You also need to forward port 80 to your PC router. Check the manual that you got with your router if you need more information on this section.  

 Step 9 – Restart Services in WebServer

Once you have completed Step 7 then it’s time to restart your services and see your website online. 

How to host a Website using a Linux PC

If you are looking to set up your website hosting on a Linux PC then you’ll need to set up a LAMP environment, as I mentioned above. This is how to set up your hosting on a Linux PC. 

Step 1 – Install Software Using the Terminal/ Command Prompt

First, open a new terminal/ command prompt and enter the following:

sudo apt install apache2 MySQL-server PHP libapache2-mod-php7.0

You’ll be asked to enter your password for MySQL. To check – restart the Apache server. Every time you change global configurations execute the following command (using .htaccess files)

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Step 2 – Check Your PHP Server is working

It’s a good idea at this stage to make sure that you’re PHP server is working by adding a file in the PHP web server root directory. The file is simply a text file, that should have the following code, and should be added to (/var/www/html/):

sudo echo “” > /var/www/html/info.php

Go to your browser and paste the following URL – http://localhost/info.php

When you do this you should see a screen that shows you information about the PHP instance you are running as follows:

This will show you all of the modules that you are running, so you can go back here in the future if you want to find out more information about your PHP instance. 

Step 3 – Check Your MySQL Database is working MySQL

MySQL databases are required for the majority of sites out there. You can get static sites that don’t dynamically update, but these sites are almost unheard of these days. Some landing page software like Clickfunnels doesn’t use MySQL – but for this example, let’s go in and check that your MySQL databases are running. 

Open a new terminal window and add the following code:

$ service mysql status


mysql.service – MySQL Community Server

[…]

mrt 15 13:24:09 host1 systemd[1]: Started MySQL Server.

You should see that the MySQL server has started. You can manage your MySQL in the command line to manage your databases. 

To restart your MySQL server enter the following:

sudo service mysql restart

You’ll need to use the admin details that you set up when you installed MySQL. You can get to the login screen by typing the following:

$ mysql -u root -p

PRO TIP: A lot of CMS software (like WordPress) auto-installs a MySQL database for you. 

Step 4 – Manually Create Databases

You can use PHPMyAdmin to create and manage your databases.  To install PHPMyAdmin enter

sudo apt install phpmyadmin

Finally, configure the /etc/phpmyadmin/config.inc.php file using the steps described here.

Step 5 – Using Your Domain Name

If you want to use your domain name for your website, then you’ll need to configure the DNS. Visit the domain name registrar that you bought your domain name from. 

You can buy a static IP to map your domain name or use dynamic with dnydns. As long as you have a static IP address on your local server, then you should be able to map your domain name DNS to your home IP address if you have configured your router. 

Step 6 – Configure Apache

You need to let Apache know where to find the directory to show to your website visitors. For this example, we’ll use yoursite.com as the domain name. Firstly, create a directory and create index.html. Then set up file system permissions as follows: 

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html/yoursite.com



sudo sh -c 'echo 

<h1>This is my self-hosted site yoursite.com</h1>
/var/www/html/ yoursite.com/index.html sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/ yoursite.com

You’ll now need to set up a Virtual Host file so that you can see your webpage. 

sudo cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/ yoursite.com.conf



sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/ yoursite.com.conf

Edit the file so that it looks like this:

ServerAdmin admin@ yoursite.com
ServerName yoursite.com
ServerAlias www. yoursite.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/ yoursite.com
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

Reload Apache to view the changes that you have made:

sudo a2ensite yoursite.com.conf

sudo service apache2 reload

Edit your local /etc/hosts file by adding a line with your IP address and domain name. Be sure to change the “100.100.100.100” to match the IP address of your domain:

100.100.100.100 yoursite.com

Brilliant, that is everything now set up – go to your domain name http://www. yoursite.com (where yoursite.com is replaced with your domain name) and your site should be live.

PRO TIP: Your DNS can take up to 24 hours to configure, to make your domain name work. 

Pros and Cons of Hosting Your Own Website at Home

All in All

The whole process of creating a server and hosting your website is extremely educational, but it does come with a tonne of downsides. Self-hosting is not recommended for anything other than development environments. However, it can be a fun project to take on if you are a bit of a tech geek.  Professional hosting services come with a whole host (pardon the pun) of features that make hosting cheap, easy, secure, reliable and all in all more fun than having to take on the responsibilities that come with creating your server environment. 

Minecraft is still going strong one decade after release. The sandbox lego-like game allows users to create infinite worlds and play in them. You can buy the Minecraft game via their main website for both PC and Mac. There are two ways to play Minecraft – Creative Mode, which I personally like and Survival Mode. 

The cool thing about Minecraft is that there is no one way to play the game and you can create worlds with their own rules and have your friends join in.The word Minecraft nicely sums up the game, as you “mine” for the materials to then “craft” objects in your world. As well as being the second most popular video game, Minecraft is a great tool for teaching kids. There is a global community of creators, and kids can learn anything from art and language to geography and coding through Minecraft. 

If you’re new to Minecraft the easiest way to get playing fast is to buy the game and play it, simple right?! If you want to create your world and don’t want to go to the hassle of setting up a server, then you can do so in the “Minecraft Realms” section. Setting up your own Minecraft server gives you the ability to create larger worlds and even host it on your domain name. 

In this article, we’ll explore various ways to set up your Minecraft server, no matter how you want to use it, for example via your PC, public, with friends, multiplayer, offline or for free.

Is Minecraft Free?

You can get a demo, lite or modded version of Minecraft for free. However, normally you buy the Java version from the official Minecraft website. 

One way to play for free is by joining in with another Minecraft game – for example, if your friend has a Minecraft server, they’ll normally be able to add you as a user. Minehut offers Minecraft hosting and allows people to add up to 10 users with a free account. We’ll discuss setting up a server in Minehut below.

Can You Play Minecraft Offline?

Yes, you can play Minecraft offline by selecting the “play offline” in your Minecraft launcher.

Minecraft works on just about every device

Desktops – Windows, Mac, Linux and Windows 10

Consoles – Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Switch and New 3DS

Devices – iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Gear VR, and Fire TV

Can You Make a Minecraft Server for Free?

YES! How awesome is that? You can make a Minecraft server in many different ways – for example on your PC or a free server. Minehut offers FREE Minecraft unlimited hosting for the Minecraft Community via their cloud servers. What’s more, you can have up to 10 players on your Minehut server.  If you want to add more users, then you can buy credits directly from Minehut. 

Minehut currently powers 787,532 Minecraft servers. They also offer DDoS Protection and a selection of cool plugins to customize your server. Minehut also comes with a supportive community forum where you can find answers to your questions or get involved with other players. 

How to Make a Minecraft Server for Free

Here is a step-by-step guide to creating your FREE Minecraft server with Minehut – in just seven steps. This guide is specifically for people who are using Java or Pocket Editions of Minecraft. The Pocket Edition is a good choice if you want to use your server via your smartphone. 

Step 1 – Visit Minehut and create an account. By hitting the “Get Started” button in the middle of the screen.

Step 2 – Verify your email address by cutting and pasting the code that they’ll send you to your inbox (check your spam folder if you don’t receive an email from them)

Step 3 – Login and create a server name. Keep it short and sweet, you’re only allowed to use 10 characters (numbers or letters)

Step 4 – Pick your server type by selecting it from the dropdown. Select Java or Pocket Edition

IMPORTANT NOTE – The Pocket Edition option is not always available

Step 5 – Hit the “Create” button to create your server

Step 6 – Refresh your page and then go to the dashboard tab. You’ll find the dashboard dab on the top left-hand side of the page.

Step 7 – Hit the blue “Activate Server” button. 

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up your free Minecraft server with Minehut.

PRO TIP: You can go over and join the chat in Discord by clicking on the chat icon in the bottom right of the screen. 

Your Dashboard will look a little something like this:

Once you have set up your server, you’ll want to go into the settings section to configure it to your liking. Firstly you’ll want to grab your server’s address. To get your server’s address go over to the server status section at the right of your page. Your address should be next to the “Connect” title. Make sure you save your server address for future use and to share with friends. Here are some server settings that you can configure to make your server your own.

Changing the look and feel of your server

You can adjust your server’s appearance in Minehut by clicking on the “Server Appearance” tab. You’ll find it on the left of the page, and then you can change the following:

1. Server Domain — you can change your domain name – to whatever you prefer. You’ll be using this domain name to connect to your server, and so that other people can connect too – so make it something catchy. This is the name that people will see if you make your server publicly listed. 
2. Server MOTD — in this section you can write a short description of your server and your plans for it.
3. Server Visibility — this section is important as it allows you to select a public server or an unlisted one. Unlisted makes your server private and only accessible via the link that you’d need to send to your friends. A publicly listed server will be shown so that other people can join in. So it just depends on how you want to play.
4. 4. Server properties – Select “Server Properties” – then click a category tab and then selecting your preferred options – you can enable or disable server properties here.
5. World settings – Hit “World Settings” to review the current settings. If you want to add a custom world seed you can do this by altering the text in the “World Seed” section. Save will save your settings and “Reset World” will cancel your new settings. 

PRO TIP: You can upload and save files in the “File Manager” section. However, it’s important to understand exactly what each file does before getting involved with the file manager section.

Alright, now your server is all set up and customized to your liking, it is time to connect and get creating. 

How to Connect to Your Minecraft Server on Minehut

When connecting to your new Minehut server, keep your dashboard open so that you can adjust anything quickly. Then follow the following steps to connect to your server:

Step 1 – Double-tap on the Minecraft icon to open Minecraft and select PLAY at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2 – Tap on Multiplayer

Step 3 – Select “Direct Connect” on the bottom right of the screen. 

Step 4 – Enter your server address (you should have saved it in the setup process above). 

Step 5 – Tap “Join Server” at the bottom of the screen 

Awesome! You’re all set.

PRO TIP: If you are having difficulty connecting to your Minehut server leave it for a while before getting started. If the issue persists then remove any unnecessary plugins as they can interfere with how your server functions.

How Do You Make a Multiplayer Server in Minecraft?

You can make a multiplayer server in Minecraft for up to 10 players for free using Minehut. If you want to add on more players then that will come at a small fee. If you have followed the steps above and created your free Minehut server, then you can add more players by clicking on “Server properties”, on the left of your page. Then select “Max Players” – you can add up to 75 players.

Below you’ll find the current prices to add people onto your server. 

• 10 (Free)
• 15 (30 credits/day)
• 25 (50 credits/day)
• 35 (75 credits/day)
• 42 (110 credits/day)
• 50 (135 credits/day)
• 60 (170 credits/day)
• 75 (210 credits/day)

Is Minecraft Educational/ Good For Kids?

Minecraft has a new “Education Edition” that is meant for use in school classrooms. Playing Minecraft offers an opportunity to learn in a fun environment. Students get to work on their creative abilities and mathematics while playing. 

There is a world of resources available to educators who wish to use Minecraft in the classroom, for example, entire lesson plans for Pixel art and grid paper to get creative. The lesson plans are organized by age and subject. You can learn Language and arts by playing “Finding Treasure” or Geography and social good by playing “Humans and Elephants”.

Make a Minecraft Server on Your PC in 5 Steps

You can easily make a Minecraft server on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer at home if you have some technical know-how.  Here is a 100ft view of what you’ll need to do:-

1. Install Java
2. Install Minecraft server software
3. Configure your PC server & network
4. Start PC server
5. Check that you can access your server

IMPORTANT: You’ll need to be fairly tech-savvy to be able to create a Minecraft server.

What You Need to Set Up a PC Based Minecraft Server

Before you get started it’s important to check that your PC is up to the task. While you don’t need to pay a fortune for your Minecraft server – most basic laptops won’t do the job. You’ll need a decent desktop PC, preferably not the same computer that you plan to play Minecraft on (if possible).

 It’s also a good idea to connect your Minecraft PC based server directly to the internet using an Ethernet cable, rather than using wireless. The wired internet is still more reliable and powerful than wireless.

Home Server vs Externally Hosted Server

There are a few pros and cons that you should know about before deciding to create a server from home. Here are a few pros and cons to getting started with:

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar {server file name} nogui
Replace {server file name} with your server file name.

#!/bin/bash

cd "$(dirname "$0")"

exec java -Xms1G -Xmx1G -jar {server file name} nogui

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar {server file name} nogui


Replace {server file name} with your server file name.

stop

Edit the “server.properties” file and enter:

enable-query=true

Looking to have total control over your cloud server environment? Then perhaps you’d like to take a leap of faith and create your own cloud server. Building your own cloud server is an honourable undertaking that will reap many rewards. You can have total control over your data, the best level of privacy possible (if you configure everything properly) and you can install whatever you like on your cloud server environment.

Perhaps you want to be able to access your private files while traveling and think that making your own cloud server is the best option. If you are keen on giving it a go, then this article is for you. I’ll give you all of the tools that you need plus a step by step guide for each solution to make the process as easy as possible. 

While a cloud server is a virtual server, it’s still imperative to have hardware and software to create your own cloud server. Therefore, you’ll need to invest in either equipment or a virtual host. It’s not a process for the light hearted, so if you are not convinced you want to create your own cloud server after reading this article then check out our guide to the best cloud storage providers.

DIY Cloud Storage vs Professional Cloud Storage

Probably one of the most obvious up-sides to using a ready-made cloud storage solution is the fact that you’ll not need to buy hardware, or install any software. Normally you go ahead and buy cloud storage, and you’re ready to go. However, often there are restrictions on uploads, downloads and often there can be privacy issues with public solutions.

Consumers are often uneasy with the worrying trend of hackers gaining access to sensitive files on the cloud. However there are now decentralized blockchain-backed cloud platforms, where decentralization increases security. Perhaps in the future we’ll write another article about how to set up your own decentralized blockchain-backed cloud server. 

But in this article we’ll get started with setting up a basic cloud storage solution that you can customize as you require. One thing that you can do with your own cloud is set it up so that it fully complies with your industries legal requirements, for example if you require solutions to adhere to HIPAA legislation. 

Bear in mind that you’ll need to be quite technically adept to be able to setup your own cloud server. This step-by-step guide has been designed to make it as simple as possible and provides you with everything that you need to know to get your cloud server up and running. You’ll need to install server software and also download client software. We’ll discuss what software you need for all of your devices.

Benefits of Setting Up Your Own DIY Cloud

Setting up your own cloud storage solution is like having your own private Dropbox, where you are in complete control. To create your own cloud you’ll need the help of server and client software. There are several solutions that you can choose from, in this article we’ll discuss five of the best DIY cloud storage tools on the market.  In order of best to worst (in my opinion)

What is Client Software?

A client is the device or software that is accessing the data on your server. For example, if you’re accessing the internet, then your device is the client – often referred to as “Client-side”. Client software works to sync folders. Sync folders are folders that you create on your pc or device that then coincide with the folders on the cloud. 

There are a wide range of DIY cloud storage tools that will allow you to access your content remotely. One approach is to access your content using a browser interface. This is called browser-based software. Often it is easier to use this type of software, as you can then access your DIY cloud from any device, others can access your data if you allow them to have the credentials and you don’t need to install software on every device. 

Minimum Hardware Required to Set-up your Cloud Storage Solution

In most cases these will be the minimum requirements for hardware spec. There is no upper level, the better the computer you have, the faster your cloud storage will perform. Here are the minimum hardware requirements, if you’re using you’re your home pc/ device:

• DDR2-era 64bit PC/laptop that can stay on 24/7 (or anything better than these specs)
• Home / enterprise grade server
• Raspberry Pi 2 / 3 that can run Ubuntu Snappy Core

Let’s now dive deep into the currently available DIY cloud storage tools, the pros and cons to decide what would be the best solution for you. 

Nextcloud

Nextcloud is similar to ownCloud, with a few differences. Nextcloud was created by duplicating (forking) ownCloud and then working on it to take it down a different path.  Nextcloud is basically an upgraded version of ownCloud. 

Nextcloud have an open source version that you can use for FREE. This is perfect if you’re just starting out, and it should have everything that you need. Their enterprise edition allows 50 to 10 million users – you pay more for additional users. Nextcloud offers some great collaboration tools for you to use on your DIY cloud storage system. They also offer smartphone apps that work on both Android and iOS.

Nextcloud Packages and Pricing

When upgrading to their premium plan the benefits seem quite scarce. Sure, you can add on additional users, which is great. However, the main bonus seems to be a faster support team response. They do have additional apps and features as you move up the ranks that will become more apparent as you get to know their tools. Here are the three enterprise packages from Nextcloud:

• Basic – 50 users, €1900 p/a
• Standard -50 users, €3400 p/a
• Premium – 50 users, €4900 p/a

Nextcloud Hardware & Software Requirements

You need to be running a version of Ubuntu that supports snaps – the latest version of Ubuntu would be preferable. The Ubuntu version that supports snaps is the most users friendly and easy to install. The snaps also allow for auto installation of the latest Nextcloud security updates.

Using Nextcloud

• Step 1 – You’ll need to have your server in place (as described above), whether it’s a physical server or one that you have obtained from a third party cloud hosting provider. 
• Step 2 – Download and install Nextcloud server environment
• Step 3 – Download Nextcloud desktop client (Windows, macOS and Linux)

PRO TIP: If you want to speed up the process you can buy Nextcloud Box, Spreedbox or Syncloud, which are all pre-configured to save you time. 

NextCloud Features

Nextcloud has some nice collaboration features. You can share via email, links or social media. Most importantly you can password protect shared files, as well as set a date for the link to expire. After you share your files, the other user can edit them, even without an account. Which makes collaboration with clients that much easier.  There are also reporting tools, so that you can view what has been shared. 

Just about every feature that you might need to collaborate on your DIY cloud is offered via the Nextcloud software. External users can drop files onto your server, you can also restore, search and comment on files. 

Nextcloud boasts a massive 162 apps (which is the most we’ve found) to make your cloud server your own. They offer apps such as – “Collabora Online”, as well as the ability set up conference calls with video, which makes your cloud storage solution look extremely professional. 

Nextcloud Security

Nextcloud has some powerful security features such as two-factor authentication. Nextcloud also supports the Active Directory, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and single sign-on. They utilize a time-based One Time Password and Universal 2nd Factor hardware tokens, making their sign up secure. 

Data is protected during transit with the SSL/TLS protocol and at rest with AES 256-bit encryption. You can also choose folders that you want to be kept on lock down by enabling end-to-end encryption. Finally they use zero-knowledge, so that nobody but the owner holds the keys to your data. 

There are some securities flaws that you need to know about when thinking about using Nextcloud. For example they scan data to protect users, however I’m not sure how them scanning their clients data helps anyone. I suppose to check for viruses, but people don’t seem so sure that is what they are doing, just something to look out for. 

So if you are looking for tight security, you’ll need to really trust Nextcloud, as they will have access to your server and might audit it, as and when they see fit. The reason they put forward for this activity is to scan for bugs, check that your server is up to date. One thing that is great about Nextcloud is that they are HIPAA compliant, which is perfect for healthcare providers. 

/opt/.

cd /root

wget --no-check-certificate https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haiwen/seafile-server-installer/master/seafile_centos

bash seafile_centos 6.1.2

cd/root
wget --no-check-certificate https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haiwen/seafile-server-installer/master/seafile_ubuntu

bash seafile_ubuntu 6.1.2

In Conclusion

If you are looking for more control, security and flexibility, plus you’ve got someone really techie on board, then perhaps DIY cloud storage is an option for you. Certainly Nextcloud and ownCloud are top of the list as they are so feature rich, and easy to use. You can try Seafile of Pydio if you need to save money or if speed is your main concern. Setting up your own Cloud storage solution is a brilliant option for a team that needs to be HIPAA compliant and tweak the server to their needs.

Storing digital files safely on the cloud is an on-going concern for content creators or just people who love to shoot family video or photos. It’s also great to share files with friends, colleagues, and family all over the world. For this reason, file storage can be a viable option. There are often limits to the amount of space you get on free storage providers. 

As this is article is focused on the “FREE-ness” of file storage providers, I’ll list the providers from the most amount of FREE storage to the least. At the end, I’ll list my hacks to getting unlimited free space for your file storage. The exception to this rule is when a company has trixy clauses, for example, you can only upload a certain size of a file, despite being allowed to upload unlimited data or if the company deletes your data after a specific timeframe. 

Size is one thing, but what else should you look out for? Other things to consider when selecting a FREE file storage provider would be the ease of file sharing, collaboration tools, the speed of uploading and downloading and also the success of the company. Security is another issue that we covered in another article.  We’ll discuss:

Storage – the amount of space they offer for free

AlexaRank – How popular they are on the web #1 being highest. 

Pros & Cons – I’ll outline some of the pros and cons of the storage provider

Lastly, I’ll share a few secret hacks to getting file storage completely free. Ok – without further ado, let’s dive in and find out what the 15 Best FREE File Storage Providers are:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

#2 | OneDrive (15GB)

 AlexaRank #11

OneDrive is Microsoft’s answer to cloud file storage. You get 15GB for free – which is the largest amount of storage offered for free by any cloud storage provider. Other than Mega, who give you an extra limited time 35GB that has some catches, more about that below. 

Microsoft has merged OneDrive with their Microsoft Office 365 offering. When you upgrade to Microsoft Office 365 you’ll get their whole suite of Office software products as part of the deal for $7 per month. With this package they provide 1TB of storage which is pretty decent.

#3 | Mega (15GB FREE + Limited 35GB)

Alexa Rank # 870 

Compared to the top two FREE storage solutions Mega is quite far down in the Alexa ranking. However, they do offer up to 50GB storage space for free (with a catch). It’s best to think that Mega offers 15GB of storage, as the other 35GB of data that you might upload will be deleted if you don’t upgrade to a premium plan in time. One thing to note about Mega is that the original owner was prosecuted for piracy in the past. Also their top shareholder was marked for extradition from China, so it might pay to keep an eye on what the owners are doing. 

Data protection is one of the key USPs of Mega. They were featured in our secure storage options for this very reason. If you want to upgrade and get more storage their premium plan, the cheapest plan from Mega gets you just 200GB of storage for $5.69, which isn’t great. The best value premium account offers a decent 1TB of storage for $11.38 per month. However, this is quite a bit more expensive than Google Drive. Mega is more tight on privacy and security, so it depends on what is most important to you. 

Pros

 Secure

 TLS Protocol

 Sync any folder

 Nice Collaboration tools

Cons

 ✘ Can be Slow

 ✘ Bandwidth limitations

#4 | 4Shared (15GB + quite a few bizarre catches)

Alexa Rank 452

4Shared is based in the Kieve, Ukraine was launched in 2005 and is owned by New IT Solutions Ltd. Now one of the largest file hosting companies (probably because they rely heavily on their resellers) with over 11 million users and 317 terabytes of files transferred daily. 4Shared is higher in the Alexa rankings than Mega (meaning they are more popular) and also offer 15GB file storage for FREE. A big drawback is the fact that you can only download 3GB of data per day. So it’d take you 5 days to download all of your stored content. 

You can sign up for an account with 4Shared in seconds with Facebook, Google, and Twitter. They have a clean and easy to use interface, which is a plus. When you upgrade you get just 100GB of storage for $10 per month, which is a bit steep, considering you can get 1-2TB from other providers for the same price. 

If you pay annually you can save $3.50, but you have to pay for the whole year in advance.  One really odd thing is that you need to pay via one of their Resellers. Some of their resellers accept Bitcoin which is nice, but their payment options are rather bizarre to say the least.

Pros

 Clean interface

 Easy to signup

 15GB FREE storage space

 Mobile app

Cons

✘ Lots of adverts, including adult content

✘ Limited download capabilities

✘ You cannot pay directly, you need to go through one of their resellers

#5 | MediaFire (10GB FREE)

Alexa Rank 164

If we weren’t focused on the amount of space that you get for FREE, then I’d order this list very differently. MediaFire comes third (so far, in the Alexa rankings) but it’s definitely not my favourite file storage provider. 

Mediafire often does an amazing deal where you get 50% off their premium offering, so that’s something to look out for. The normal price is $10 per month for 1TB of storage space.  You can get up to 100TB of storage space for $100, which is a whole load of space. 

With the FREE option there are lots of ads, which are quite off-putting. Their user interface is also not the best

Pros

 10GB FREE storage space

 Frequent 50% discount sales

Cons

✘ Expensive

✘ Lots of Ads

✘Slow, clumsy user interface

#6 | Box (10 GB FREE)

Alexa Rank 446

The 10GB that you get free from Box is decent, however when you are looking to get more space, the upgrade price is extortionate – $10 per month for 100GB is wild. In saying that, Box is a good provider for businesses as you can add extra users on. This could also be a good option for a family to use. When you upgrade to their Business account you get unlimited storage and you can add as many users as you like. 

Pros

 Unlimited additional users can be added

 10GB FREE storage space

 SSL and at-rest encryption

 Two-factor authentication

 Premium package has unlimited storage

Cons

✘ Extortionate

✘ Download speeds are slow

✘ Hard to share files

# 7 | DepositFiles (10GB + a catch or two)

Alexa Rank 4,062 

DepositFiles has servers in 9 countries, which is great for uploading and downloading. They also offer 10GB for free. With DepositFiles there are a few catches. One is that you’ll have to endure advertisements on your FREE account. Their site and user interface is also a bit dated and not very intuitive. You can upgrade to the gold membership which gets you faster upload and download speeds and you can pay with credit card or Bitcoin. DepositFiles pricing is a bit steep  at $12 per month, and with this you don’t get extra file storage.

One thing that is great about DepositFiles is the fact that you can send a link with password protection – even on the free plan. I also like the fact that they store your files for free for an unlimited time. 

Pros

 Link password protection

 Free App

 Files are stored for an unlimited time

Cons

✘ Max file upload 10GB

✘ Largest stored file – 2GB

✘ Expensive

#8 | Sabercat Host (5GB FREE)

SaberCats host is based in Houston, US. SaberCats Host offers 5GB of free storage space and unlimited bandwidth. They also have fast uploads and downloads, which is brilliant. Their UX is clean and easy-to-use and works well on both mobile devises. . Sharing files is easy with SaberCats Host. One thing that is great about SaberCats Host is that you can use their site without making an account. This feature is really great for collaboration and sharing. 

You can pay with Paypal and all of the regular credit card options. There is no need to subscribe with SaberCats Host – which is a breath of fresh air, as all of the subscription payments add up. You can sign up for just 7 days to a year.

Pros

 Fast upload and download speeds

 5GB free storage space

 Use without creating an account

 No subscriptions

Cons

✘ Advertising on free account

✘ You can only

#9 | iCloud (5GB)

Alexa Rank 333

Owned by Apple, iCloud comes bundled with Apple devices. You’d think they’d offer more storage space for free, being such a big company, but no. Apple takes control of your data, and can do with it what they please – so not necessarily the best option for sensitive file storage. Most Apple products come with a big-fat-price-tag, but not iCloud, you can get 50GB for just $0.99 per month. The 2TB plan is competitively priced at $9.99 per month.

Pros

 Automatically syncs to Apple devices

 Larger packages are inexpensive

 Two-factor authentication

 Great for Apple Device users

Cons

✘ You need an Apple ID to use iCloud

✘ Lacking privacy

✘ Slow

#10 | DropBox (2GB FREE)

Alexa Rank 87

DropBox is the biggest cloud storage provider out there, probably due to their massive marketing budget. However, they only offer a tiny 2GB for FREE. You can upgrade to their premium plan for $10 per month, which will get you 1TB of storage space, pretty good. To use DropBox you must create an account – which is a bit of a pain for sharing files. The file sharing and syncing is great with Dropbox.

Pros

 Fast sync

 Password protect shared links

 Easy to use UX

 Easy file sharing

Cons

✘ Not easy for beginner

✘ Small free storage option

✘ Lacks privacy

#11 | WeTransfer (2GB FREE with a catch)

Alexa Rank 444

WeTransfer is a quick and easy way to share files – however you don’t get access to a dashboard or members area with the free option. You can simply send files over the internet. This service is really handy if you need to quickly send large files to a friend or colleague. If you upgrade to their premium plan, the cheapest option is $12 per month for just 100GB. A downside to this provider is that you don’t get a chance to test drive your account to see if you like it before upgrading.

Pros

 Easy to use

 Upload and send multiple files

 Great for sending large files

Cons

✘ No password protect on free option

✘ No dashboard on free option

✘ Links that you send expire

✘ Expensive

#12 | Uploaded.net (2GB FREE)

Alexa Rank 607

Uploaded.net is a cloud storage company based in Germany. They offer just 2GB of FREE storage which is miniscule. When you upgrade they give you a faster user experience- however their plans are quite complicated. Uploaded.net is doesn’t have the easiest UX to use. The pricing is around $111 for premium for 2 years, but you need to pay for the storage space separately. You need to pay monthly for the storage from $6 for 100GB to $9 for 1TB.

Pros

 No expiration date for files

 Well known file storage provider

 Nice affiliate program

Cons

✘ Expensive

✘ Complex UX

✘ Slow upload and download speeds

#13 | SendSpace (300MB + a catch or two)

Alexa Rank 2,310

SendSpace is more of a file sending rather than a file storage company. You can store files with them, but they’ll be deleted after 30 days as standard.  In the free version you will be shown ads and have a slow download speed. If you want to upgrade you can get just 100MB of storage space for $9 per month, which is super pricey.

Pros

 Unlimited storage

Cons

✘ Files removed after 30 days

WordPress is the most popular CMS available on the market. Not only is it easy to setup a blog or website within minutes, it’s endlessly expansive. There’s hundreds of free templates to choose from, thousands of plugins to build you own website and customise it. There’s a whole world of content waiting for you.

Web hosting providers recognise how useful WordPress is. It’s for this reason they offer managed WordPress hosting, which we’ll look into in a moment. Managed WordPress hosting is offered by a wealth of web hosts. I’ve taken the time to research the best managed WordPress hosting available on the market.

What is Managed WordPress Hosting?

Managed WordPress hosting is a perfect way to avoid the time, effort, and trouble of managing your site (from a hosting point of view). Managed WordPress web hosts will maintain your WordPress website’s updates, security, etc. This is a great choice if you don’t have the resources available to do it yourself (and in all honesty it can be safer).

You’ve probably already researched a few managed WordPress web hosts, which is why you’re here. During your travels you probably noticed that managed WordPress hosting is more expensive than shared hosting. Shared hosting is available from as little as 99p per month with the likes of Hostinger, so why is managed hosting so different?

I’m here to answer the what, why and wheres of managed WordPress hosting. We’ll establish some key points:

• Why managed WordPress hosting is more expensive
• Is it better to have managed WordPress hosting
• Do you need managed hosting for your site
• Is it worth paying extra for
• Who the best-managed WordPress hosting company is

Best Managed WordPress Hosting Overview

Before we take a more in-depth look at the best managed WordPress hosting, here’s an overview of each company and what they have to offer. If you are interested in managed WordPress hosting, I recommend you read the detailed reviews below to ensure you’re choosing the best host for your needs.

Is Managed WordPress Hosting Recommended?

This question can really only be answered by you. Of course, I’ll describe why I think managed WordPress hosting is great, but ultimately it’s your decision. Your website needs may be different to others, as may your time/effort be too.

Managed WordPress hosting is essentially a VIP experience. Most web hosts will offer WordPress support, WordPress optimisation for your site, and automatic updates. It takes the hassle away from WordPress hosting but often costs a little bit extra.

If you like the idea of hosting your own WordPress site but aren’t keen on the price, take a look at our guide on the 7 best free WordPress hosting companies. When it comes to building your own website, there are always many avenues to explore.

1: SiteGround

SiteGround is my personal number 1 in terms of web hosting companies. Not only that, they are rated highly within the WordPress community itself and one of the official WordPress hosting providers recommended by others. SiteGround does things differently compared to other managed WordPress web hosts. Their in-house performance add-ons are a great example of how SiteGround are leading the market.

If you’re looking for affordable managed WordPress hosting, SiteGround ticks the boxes. From only £2.95 per month, you can get the best start on your WordPress journey with 1 hosted website, 10GB web space and essential WordPress features which include:

Free WordPress install
Free WordPress migration
Automatic WordPress updates
24/7 WordPress support
Free daily backup
Free CloudFlare CDN