Hi all,
Since I’ve started using Wappler and visiting the forums I’ve noticed a few threads popping up every couple of weeks where people ask what provider they should use for either Domain or VPS hosting. This is an industry I’m very familiar with, and since I’ve been helped so much on these forums I decided to give back by making a list of trusted providers throughout the industry, as well as information on each hosting type.
This guide will cover both Domains, Web and VPS/Dedicated Server providers. We’ll start the list off with Domains, something every project needs.
Domains
The domain is how visitors will access your website, so you’ll need one! There isn’t typically too much to look for when it comes to domains as all you need is the ability to access DNS settings to point them to your shared Webhosting or VPS. Something to take into account is WhoIS protection, which prevents your private information from being published, but due to GDPR these records are not being published at current, and all the providers listed below with the exception of OVH do provide WhoIs protection as standard.
-
Namecheap | .com $9.16 | .net $11.16 | A well established registrar. Provides great support for those that might be new to domain hosting. You can’t go wrong with Namecheap!
-
PorkBun | .com $9.13 | .net $10.56 | A relatively newer registrar compared to Namecheap, but offers a service that just works with all the features you’d expect. They are often one of the cheapest registrars with frequent sales on .com and .net domains.
-
NameSilo | .com $9.95 | .net $11.79 | An older registrars that again just works and provides all the features you’d expect. Previously one of the cheapest registrars, but now on par with the industry-standard pricing.
-
OVH | .com $9.62 | .net $13.74 | While OVH(cloud) is one of the most known providers for VPS and Dedicated Servers, did you know they also sell domains? OVH does over quite competitive prices on some TLDs, but likely isn’t a great recommendation for those new to domains as the manager can be confusing and support hard to get a hold of
-
Dynadot | .com $7.99 | .net $5.99 | *A quite popular domain registrar, mostly known due to advertising. A decent experience, but they do charge extra for some features that would be included as standard with other registrars.
And that concludes the domain registrar roundup! You may have noticed some providers like GoDaddy are not listed - which is intentional. A lot of the more common registrars such as GoDaddy are only known because of their advertising on TV or similar. They generally offer sub-par service and charge more than any normal provider would. Due to this, I cannot recommend these types of providers in good faith so they have not been included.
Shared Web Hosting - cPanel
If you’re relatively new to the hosting world, I would recommend going with standard web hosting which will provide you with a GUI such as cPanel, making it easier to use than a VPS. This will allow you to upload your Wappler sites/projects using FTP.
Something to note about shared web hosting is that there are thousands of providers, most that offer cPanel offer the same features with the only difference being the performance, customer service, and price. While it might not sound helpful, typically googling your requirements with “cPanel web hosting” (e.g “USA cPanel web Hosting”) at the end is enough to take you to a provider where you can then look at Trustpilot reviews or similar.
As long as the hosting provider provides FTP, and MySQL database (If you use one), you can use it with your Wappler sites.
With that said, I have listed some of the more popular ones that I can recommend. The prices I have listed below are for the smallest plan they offer, but you should take into account the resources you need to get an idea of the actual pricing.
-
Namecheap | from $18.62 1st/yr | While also one of the largest registrars, NameCheap providers shared cPanel web hosting. They are my go-to recommendation for web hosting as they offer LiveChat support where you’ll usually get the answers to any questions you have within just a couple of minutes. The only downside to Namecheap Web Hosting is that they do not offer LetsEncrypt SSL, which is used by a lot of people for free SSL. They do, however, provide free PositiveSSLs for one year. This of course doesn’t prevent you from uploading certificates manually. [Supports NodeJS]
-
InMotion Hosting | from 2.99/mo | Provides your typical cPanel hosting experience. Plans depend on the features you get, but any plan is able to host a Wappler site.
-
A2Hosting | from $2.99/mo | Like InMotion, provides the cPanel hosting experience you’d expect, and should provide relatively good support for newcomers. All the plans they offer mostly come with the same features aside from performance boosts, memory, and total databases. [Supports NodeJS]
-
Names .co.uk | from $6.20/mo | One of the most expensive providers on the list, but recommended if you are planning a large project with lots of users where uptime is a must. Unlike the other providers listed, they provide phone support and offer unlimited bandwidth on all plans. They also have a 99.9% service level agreement, with credit issued for failing to meet that. As such, if stability and uptime are key for you, paying the premium may be worth it.
And that sums up the shared web hosting list. As mentioned above, there are thousands of providers so it isn’t possible to list them all, but I have listed those which I have used myself before and are well known in the industry. But remember - Your choice isn’t limited to those 4!
VPS Hosting
VPS (Virtual Private Servers) are virtual servers usually running Linux. I do not recommend VPS hosting to anyone unless you have some knowledge of Linux. If you don’t but are willing to learn, you should do so on a test VM (Virtual Machine) rather than one you are using for a production site, as there can and will be security issues if you do not secure the machine correctly.
VPS providers typically offer two types of VPS’. OpenVZ and KVM. This is the Virtualization your VPS will be running. Docker, which is popular among Wappler users typically does not work on OpenVZ VPS, so you’d need KVM. If you don’t wish to use Docker and want to use something like Apache, you can do so on OpenVZ just fine. KVM tends to be a bit more expensive than OpenVZ, but OpenVZ is slowly being phased out.
Like with Web Hosting, there are thousands of VPS providers, but not all of them are good. You should always look at reviews with providers you are going to use as if they oversell their nodes you’ll end up with very bad performance.
Something good to note is that most VPS providers are offering an unmanaged service, meaning you are responsible for everything but the hardware and uptime. While support may help you with the odd quick problem, you’ll probably be turned away if you ask for more, or, some providers may offer managed services at an extra cost.
Below is a list of some of the more popular providers, and ones that I would recommend using.
-
DigitalOcean | from $5/mo | Digital ocean is different in that it runs on hourly billing. All DigitalOcean VPS can run Docker allowing you to use Wapplers Docker features. Their pricing is in line with Linode and Vultr. Normally offers $100 of free credit throughout the year.
-
Linode | from $5/mo | Linenode also offers hourly and monthly billing. All Linode VPS can run Docker allowing you to use Wapplers Docker features. Their pricing is inline DigitalOcean and Vultr.
-
Vultr | from $5/mo | Linenode also offers hourly and monthly billing. All Vultr VPS can run Docker allowing you to use Wapplers Docker features. Their pricing is in line with Linode and DigitalOcean. You’ll find lots of referral links on the internet that provide you with free credit.
-
OVH | One of the most well-known Dedicated and VPS providers, and one you can always count on. Docker runs on all OVH VPS, and they offer a wide variety of Distros. OVH doesn’t have the best reviews on sites like Trustpilot, but that’s due to people mainly trying to contact their support for managed-level service on unmanaged services. They provide extra IP addresses extremely cheap and are my go-to for any project.
-
HostUS | from $1.98/mo | A smaller provider when compared to the above, but one which offers an amazing service. They offer both OpenVZ and KVM plans, so you’ll need to pick which one you’ll need. Usually has good deals at Christmas and BlackFriday.
-
BuyVM | from $2.50/mo | *A much smaller provider but one that is well known on web hosting forums like LET and WHT. They offer great performance and a bunch of freebies, such as free DirectAdmin (Similar to cPanel), Softaclus, Windows Server, and more. They are often out of stock and restock on the 1st of every month. Docker runs here.
And that wraps up the VPS list! Again, there are thousands of providers so what matters is the reviews of them. Forums like WebHostingTalk and LowEndTalk are great places to find providers and reviews about them. If you wish to run something like Apache, any VPS will run your Wappler site just fine.
Dedicated
Coming soon, need a break from typing!
And that sums up the list! I hope this is helpful to anyone looking for information on hosting. It’s a huge industry with lots of providers, but as long as you look out for the key things listed in this thread most of them should be able to handle your Wappler sites just fine.
If you find this thread helpful, please do let me know. Likewise, if you want to see tutorial posts about securing servers, or setting up VPS for Wappler projects let me know. I’m happy to create some tutorials based on my knowledge.