Hosting my website at home

MoogPoo

Hi, I'm running apache at home on my computer and can view it from another network by typing in my ip address. So i'm trying to get a domain name and set it up properly instead of typing in the ip.
I'm with smart telecom and have a dynamic ip. So do I just ask smart for a static ip, then buy a domain name from a registrar and then tell smart to send traffic for that domain name to that new ip??

Is that right? Also, do you pay once off for domain name and does it matter what registrar you use? Do you have to pay for a static ip? Any other things i need to know??

Sparks

To be honest, you'd be much better off getting a hosting deal with a company that does that kind of thing (there are several); that way your website remains up when your computer is turned off, you can use your computer for other things without impairing website response times, and you can use your local machine as a staging platform. It's also a lot simpler to set up and if you don't know enough about networking to figure out how to host from home, you probably don't want to try - the security issues alone would give you a headache.

In fact, you might want to consider if you even need a website at all. Is it just a blog you're doing? Or are you writing web apps?

MoogPoo

Oh I know yeah, my website is basically "Hi I am a website." haha

I'm just studying web design and networking and programming and that sort of thing so I'm only doing it for fun and to learn how it all works

I'd probably get it hosted elsewhere eventually if it actually becomes good though.

Sparks

If you're just studying it, I'd say don't bother with hosting it on the 'net. Just play with it on your own machine. If you're running unix, edit your /etc/hosts file to give it something that looks like a domain name so you're not always looking at http://127.0.0.1/ or http://localhost/

Hosting it on the open net would introduce a load of other elements that will only muddle things up while you learn the basics.

Slydice

i vaguely remember reading about a method to do it

something like:
1. setup apache on your computer
2. setup your broadband router to port forward web ports (80 and 443) to the computer with apache
3. setup a free dynamic dns service for the computer with apache. I've never done this but think it can get you something like yourname.dyndns.com
4. find a service for controling the dns of domain names. maybe zoneedit.com? I'm not sure
5. using the dns control, setup a c-name entry for your domain to point to your yourname.dyndns.com

so what I think happens then is something like this:

user <types yourdomain.com into> browser <which points to> yourname.dyndns.com <which points to> your routers public ip address <which points to> your computer with apache

maybe someone more knowledgeable could yea/nay what I've written above.

it's pretty straight forward from what I can tell but I can't say it works as I've never tried it

Draco

Sparks wrote: »

If you're running unix, edit your /etc/hosts file to give it something that looks like a domain name so you're not always looking at http://127.0.0.1/ or http://localhost/

The equivalent file under windows is WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.

Eoin

Remember that it's your broadband upload, not download speed that comes into effect here. Shared hosting is so cheap these days that I'd just go for that and not have to worry about any bandwidth or security issues.

You can host here free
http://www.000webhost.com/

Ross

Digiweb have a "free hosting for students" offer last time I checked (maybe other hosts do too), though if your college has a networking society you can probably get hosting from them!

Liam Byrne

I've seen hosting quotes from under €3 a month that include PHP & MySQL

So I wouldn't even dream of hosting it at home (which is more than likely against your broadband T&C anyways)

castie

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I've seen hosting quotes from under €3 a month that include PHP & MySQL

So I wouldn't even dream of hosting it at home (which is more than likely against your broadband T&C anyways)

Theres also lots of free ones that do php and mysql as well others that do .net and sql

Evil Phil

Are you going to be promoting this site on the web or do you just need a webserver to play with? It it's the latter then WAMP or equivilant will probably do.

Naikon

Get yourself an old box. Put Debian linux on it. Download and configure Apache, mysql, and php. Compile the latest versions from source if you want, otherwise use apt. Great learning experience you can't get by using shared/dedicated hosting imo.

MoogPoo

Evil Phil wrote: »

Are you going to be promoting this site on the web or do you just need a webserver to play with? It it's the latter then WAMP or equivilant will probably do.

Naikon wrote: »

Get yourself an old box. Put Debian linux on it. Download and configure Apache, mysql, and php. Compile the latest versions from source if you want, otherwise use apt. Great learning experience you can't get by using shared/dedicated hosting imo.

Hi, yeah thanks this is what i have done. I have LAMP at the moment working on my home network. Its just for fun I know and I dont even have ideas for a website but want to play around.

I'm going through a php/mySql/Apache book at the moment and its great. I dont really want to go down the hosting route as I am doing it just for learning and the site isnt supposed to be useful. Its just a lot of random things like a basic forum etc... But what I really want to know is the procedure of making my site accessable with a domain name? I've port forwarded port 80 and all that so my site is accessable by using my ip in the address bar. However I have a dynamic ip at the moment. So how do I go about getting static ip, and getting domain name to go to that ip?? I'm with Smart Telecom.

MoogPoo

NoDrama wrote: »

You can host here free
http://www.000webhost.com/

Thanks, I tried that it was fun. Didnt know it was so easy these days... All those templates really speed it up.

Dr.Silly

MoogPoo wrote: »

Hi, yeah thanks this is what i have done. I have LAMP at the moment working on my home network. Its just for fun I know and I dont even have ideas for a website but want to play around.

I'm going through a php/mySql/Apache book at the moment and its great. I dont really want to go down the hosting route as I am doing it just for learning and the site isnt supposed to be useful. Its just a lot of random things like a basic forum etc... But what I really want to know is the procedure of making my site accessable with a domain name? I've port forwarded port 80 and all that so my site is accessable by using my ip in the address bar. However I have a dynamic ip at the moment. So how do I go about getting static ip, and getting domain name to go to that ip?? I'm with Smart Telecom.

You're on a dynamic IP but more than likely you can be 99% sure you'll have the same IP address for a good while.
If you go to the home page of your router, there'll be an option there to allow remote access into your IP address. Just need to point the domain name to that IP then.

kjl

vpslink.com

ted1

use dyndns.com and iis with windows