Writer: Alexandra Anderson
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
Key Takeaways
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Self-hosting is ultimately not practical for any serious project.
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Hosting your own website requires time, money, and technical skill beyond the scope of most people.
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Most users are best suited by purchasing a third-party web hosting plan — it's cheaper and way easier to set up.
Learning how to host your own website sounds like a daunting task, no matter if it’s your first site or 100th. Fortunately, you have tons of options when figuring out where to house your burgeoning online presence.
Just as your choices for making a website range from using a super-simple site builder to hand coding, hosting a website can be as easy — or as difficult — as you wish. We much prefer coupling performance and security upgrades with peace of mind by finding a respected web hosting provider, but the more adventurous may opt to run a server from home.
Hosting your own website still has some serious obstacles, including dynamic IP addresses, bandwidth constraints, and electricity costs, but we can walk you through how to set up a server for Windows — or Linux-based sites. Up first, take a look at how to host your own server, or skip ahead to third-party hosts using the links below:
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How to Host Your Own Server
For the more adventurous tech nerds out there, and we mean that endearingly, there are few greater allures than becoming your own website host. Cut out the third-party hosting providers by following these steps.
Windows: How to Host Your Own Website Using Your PC as a WAMP Server
First, let’s try hosting a website using your personal computer with the Windows operating system. Less than one-third of all websites use Windows, meaning your hosting options tend to be a little more limited than those of Linux developers. But if ASP.NET and C are what you code in, then Windows is the way to go.
Step 1: Get Started With WAMP
To make this super easy, we’ll use a WAMP installation program (of which there are several) called WampServer. This will cover your Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. You could also opt to install each package manually, but this process requires much more work and is error-prone.
First, download the 32-bit or 64-bit WAMP-binary here, follow the on-screen instructions, and launch WampServer when it’s done. (Note: There may be a port 80 conflict with your Skype software, but there’s a fix for that.)
Upon installation, a www directory will be created automatically. You’ll likely find it here: c:wampwww
From that directory, you can create subdirectories (called “projects” in WampServer), and put any HTML or PHP files inside those subdirectories. If you click on the localhost link in the WampSever menu or open your internet browser with the URL http://localhost, you should be shown the main screen of WampServer.
Step 2: Create an HTML Page and Configure MySQL
To test our WampServer, we can put an example file called “info.php” into our www-directory. Go directly to this directory by clicking “www directory” in the WampServer menu. From there, create a new file with the sample code below and save it.
Now you can browse to http://localhost/info.php to see the details of your PHP installation. You can create any HTML and PHP file structure to suit your needs.
If you click on the phpMyAdmin menu option, you can start configuring your MySQL databases (which may be needed for a CMS like WordPress). The phpMyAdmin login screen will open in a new browser window. By default, the admin username will be root, and you can leave the password field blank.
From there, you can create new MySQL databases and alter existing ones. Most software, like WordPress, will automatically set up a new database for you, though.
Step 3: Make the Site Public
By default, the Apache configuration file is set to deny any incoming HTTP connections, except in the case of someone coming from the localhost. To make your site publicly accessible, you need to change the Apache configuration file (httpd.conf). You can find and edit this file by going to the WampServer menu, clicking Apache, and selecting httpd.conf. Find these few lines of code:
In the screenshot above, you would replace line 2 with “Order Allow,Deny” and change line 3 to “Allow from all.”
Restart all WampServer services by clicking “Restart All Services” in the menu. The site should now be accessible from beyond your localhost. Confirm there isn’t a PC firewall blocking web requests. You may need to set up port-forwarding on your internet router as well.
Step 4: Using a Domain Name
To use a domain name with your WAMP installation, we’ll need to configure some files first. Let’s assume that our example.com domain has an A record in your DNS with the IP address 100.100.100.100.
First, we need to add the following line to the C:Windowssystem32driversetchosts file:
100.100.100.100 exampleNext, we need to edit the httpd.conf file again (accessible via the WampServer menu) to add a virtual host. Once that file is open, look for “Virtual hosts,” and uncomment the line after it, which should be this:
# Virtual hosts
Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.confNow, we need to manually add a file in “C:wampbinapacheApache-VERSIONconfextra” (VERSION is your Apache version). Create a file in Notepad, or your text editor of choice. Add the following code, and save the file in that Apache directory.
Click “Restart All Services” in the WampServer menu to activate these changes. Confirm your site is accessible via its domain name. Voila!
Linux: How to Host Your Own Website on a Linux Machine
Let’s now cover how to set up Apache, MySQL, and PHP on a Linux system. LAMP stacks are the most common Linux hosting configuration but don’t be afraid to play with NGINX or LiteSpeed webservers.
Step 1: Install Your Software Using the Terminal
To start our LAMP software install, type the following in the terminal:
sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php7.0
During the installation process, you will be asked to enter (and re-enter) a password for the MySQL root user. Technically, it’s not necessary (as it should have been done upon installation), but just to be sure, we will restart the Apache webserver.
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restartAny time you change the global configuration of Apache, you need to execute the command below, unless you do the configuration using local .htaccess files.
Step 2: Check PHP
To confirm your PHP server works and see what PHP modules are currently available, you can place a test PHP file in the webserver root directory (/var/www/html/):
sudo echo "" > /var/www/html/info.phpWe can now visit that PHP page by browsing to http://localhost/info.php.
You should see the currently running PHP version, current configuration, and currently installed modules. Note that you can later install other PHP modules using the Ubuntu package manager, as some PHP applications might require that. To determine which extra modules are available, search within the graphical package manager, or simply use the command line:
apt search php | grep moduleStep 3: Check MySQL
As most content management systems, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, use MySQL databases, we should also confirm our installation worked and the software is fully updated. To see if your MySQL installation is working, type “service mysql status” into the terminal.
If you don’t see that the MySQL Community Server started, you can type “sudo service mysql restart” to restart the MySQL server. From here, we can use the MySQL command-line client to manage databases.
For this, we need to use the admin credentials we typed earlier when MySQL was installed. Reach the login prompt by entering:
$ mysql -u root -pThe CMS will often automatically create the database for you, but sometimes you need to do something to the database manually. PHPMyAdmin is a friendly database management tool most web experts will recommend.
Finally, configure the /etc/phpmyadmin/config.inc.php file using the steps described here.
Step 4: Configure DNS
To use your own domain for your local web server, you’ll need to configure Apache to accept web requests for your domain. First, make sure your domain’s DNS has an A record (which points to a specific IP address) for your domain name, e.g., www.example.com. Your DNS hosting provider will have online tools to correctly set up these DNS records.
Once that is done, we’ll use the dig tool. To request the A record for www.example.com, type:
$ dig www.example.com A
;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.example.com. 86400 IN A 100.100.100.100
AUTHORITY SECTION:
example.com. 86398 IN NS a.iana-servers.net.
example.com. 86398 IN NS b.iana-servers.net.You can use this tool to direct a URL, such as http://www.example.com, to the server with an IP address you specify.
Step 5: Configure Apache
Now, we need to tell Apache to accept web requests for our name www.example.com and from what directory to serve content when we get those requests. To do that, we’ll set up a directory for our example.com domain.
Create an example index.html file before setting some filesystem permissions using the code above.
To see the page, the last step is to set up a Virtual Host file for Apache for our domain.
sudo cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf
Now edit the file to look like this (the optional comments are not shown here):
Next, reload Apache for the changes to take effect:
sudo a2ensite example.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 example.com
We can now visit your self-hosted site by going to http://www.example.com.
Pros and Cons of Self-Hosting
Now that we’ve discussed the nitty-gritty of self-hosting, let’s take a look at the pros and cons:
Pros
- A highly educational and fun experience for those who enjoy tech
- Control over your resources and data
- Flexibility and no restrictions on uploads
- No contracts
- Your choice of hardware and software
As illustrated by the table above, self-hosting isn’t all smooth sailing. Though it can be a challenging but rewarding experience for tech hobbyists, the adventures of self-hosting come with traversing some tough terrain, including high costs. Weighing the pros and the cons will be key in making your final decision.
Whatever you choose, we have the deets to help you embark on either route — both leading you to the end of the journey, your website. Read further to check out our top web hosts and instructions for getting started with self-hosting from home.
Why You Should Buy Web Hosting
Instead of trying to host a website locally, you can go through a web hosting provider and still have the same control of server management with more support and peace of mind. A shared hosting plan is the best for beginners and those who need affordable solutions, while virtual and dedicated hosting options allocate more server resources and fine-grain control.
When you purchase a web hosting plan from a hosting service, you get oodles of features. Common perks may include unlimited bandwidth, a free website builder, 24/7 customer support, and an intuitive control panel to accomplish site administration tasks.
Web hosting gives you everything in one place, including customer support, so you won’t have to go on the hunt to solve server issues or find additional resources. Below, we’ll dive into some of our favorite web hosts so you can determine whether third-party web hosting is the right fit for you.
Best Cheap (Shared) Hosting
For those looking for the easiest way to host your own website, look no further than the affordable shared hosting providers listed below. Don’t let the low prices fool you — a shared web hosting company still provides premium services with personable customer support available 24/7.
Shared computing resources mean you sacrifice a little bit of flexibility, but you should find all your software needs met with easy one-click installations, free domain registration, and automatic SSL certificates.
Take a look at our reviews of the best shared hosting plans:
1. Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.69
- Unlimited everything, from storage to databases
- FREE site builder & WP performance upgrades
- FREE daily or weekly backups
- Custom control panel and auto-installation scripts
- SSH access & unlimited FREE SSL certificates
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Laura Bernheim
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 25 GB SSD – 100 GB NVMe | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
2. ScalaHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.51
- 1-click install for WordPress, Drupal and 400 others
- Unlimited email accounts, databases & bandwidth
- 24/7 tech support for beginners and pros alike
- 12-month or 36-month plan at $2.51 /month
- Anytime unconditional money-back guarantee
- Get started on ScalaHosting now.
Laura Bernheim
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 50 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 6 minutes |
Beginner website owners really can’t go wrong with a shared hosting plan. The value it provides for its price is a fair bargain. Plus, shared hosting accounts are also easy to manage. Unlike unmanaged VPSes and dedicated servers, every shared host provides an easy-to-use control panel for website management. Although you can’t beat its price, shared hosting doesn’t offer as many resources or control as VPS or dedicated servers.
More shared hosting providers »
Best VPS Hosting
The primary advantage of a VPS, or virtual private server, is scalability — and the fact that you can scale up resources only as you need them, making it cost-efficient, too. You get maximum flexibility and control whether you choose a managed service or opt to handle server configurations and maintenance yourself.
Check out reviews of the VPS providers we recommend if this alternative sounds up your alley:
3. Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.49
- NVMe SSD storage and 1GB network speed
- Automatic weekly backups and Kodee AI assistant
- FREE dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
- Custom control panel for reboots and OS installs
- 1-click operating system template and API access
- HostingAdvice readers enjoy more than 50% off
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Laura Bernheim
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 50 GB NVMe – 400 GB NVMe | 1 – 8 cores | 4 GB – 32 GB |
4. InterServer.net
Monthly Starting Price $3.00
- $0.01 for the first month using code HOSTINGADV
- Then $6 monthly with no contracts, no changes
- Latest of PHP, MySQL, Perl, Python, and Ruby
- 7 operating system options for Linux or Windows
- Full root access and choice of datacenter
- Get started on InterServer now.
Laura Bernheim
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 30 GB SSD – 480 GB SSD | 1 – 16 CPUs | 2 – 32 GB |
Once you’ve outgrown the resource constraints of a shared server, it’s time to upgrade to a VPS. The best part is that many entry-level VPS plans cost roughly the same as shared servers. You can spend as little (or as much) as you want.
Best Dedicated Servers
The perks to dedicated hosting include as much RAM and processing power as you want, complete isolation — so a neighboring website’s demise won’t bring down your own — and the best uptime and performance stats money can buy. And we’re not talking a boatload of money, either.
While dedicated servers are the priciest of the server types, they’re a dream when compared to the costs and headaches of hosting a website yourself. Below are a few top-recommended dedicated server plans:
5. InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $35.00
- Bare-metal or managed servers available
- 1-on-1 time with a server administrator
- 99.99% uptime via Smart Routing™ technology
- Tier 1 network with redundant bandwidth
- SSH root access and DDoS protection on all servers
- Upgrade for cPanel, migration, and auto backups
- Get started on InMotion now.
PJ Fancher
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 minutes | 1 TB SSD – 3.2 TB SSD | 12 – 32 cores | 192 GB DDR4 – 512 GB DDR4 |
6. Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $141.19
- Instant provisioning for all Bluehost server plans
- Minimum 3 dedicated IP addresses
- Modern hardware, built and maintained in house
- 24/7 expedited support from a dedicated team
- Sign up to save 25% on your first term
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Ryan Frankel
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 minutes | 500 GB – 1 TB (RAID-1) | 4 cores, 4 – 8 threads | 4 GB – 16 GB |
7. LiquidWeb.com
Monthly Starting Price $44.00
- Linux or Windows with choice of 3 control panels
- 100% network and power uptime guarantees
- Custom configurations and instant provisioning
- Auto-migrations, backups, and real-time monitoring
- Block/object storage and load balancer add-ons
- Get started on Liquid Web now.
Alexandra Anderson
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 minutes | 480 GB SSD – 960 GB SSD (+ 2 TB SATA) | 4 – 16 cores | 16 GB – 64 GB |
Even though dedicated servers are the priciest of the bunch, the amount of money you’ll save compared to hosting your own server is astounding. You will also enjoy the same control and flexibility while having the capable support and technical assistance of your web hosting provider on your side the entire time.
More dedicated server providers »
Learning How to Host a Website From Home Is Fun But Impractical
Although we covered the steps to setting up a good website hosting system on both Windows and Linux, I’d like to remind everyone that self-hosting is ultimately not practical for any serious project. While we can hope this will become more feasible in the future, it’s not the case as of late.
Hosting your own website is akin to those who can build their own PC or reassemble an engine. Those achievements are quite possible for seasoned pros and perhaps even highly motivated beginners — but the end results often can’t stack up in the long run with the commercially built counterparts.
The hosting providers we featured at the beginning of the article have been in the industry for decades and simply know how to host websites at scale.
Fun fact: There are folks working on distributed content-serving ideas. Projects like IPFS could allow people to create decentralized content hosting networks — eventually. The internet keeps surprising us, so who knows what the future of hosting holds! Follow us to stay up to date with the industry and all its twists and turns.
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