Posted by magellen on February 20, 2012 at 4:54pm
We are wondering what other people in Florida think is the best hosting facility. We are pretty small now but hope to grow to significant traffic and don't want to have to move. Reliability, speed and knowledgeable Drupal support are important.
First off - Does anyone have recommendations on Unix/Linux/Ubuntu vs. windows environment? Our current hosting environment is windows 2008 server-based - not specifically a drupal host (Intermedia).
I read a recommendation for Greengeeks, Hostgator and Bluehost. Anyone have experience with any of these?
Comments
If I had to pick from the
If I had to pick from the three you listed I would say Bluehost although I personally use a VPS. With Bluehost I was able to do more than I could with Hostgator installing git being one. I found them to be all around better experience and performance wise.
Like I said though I try to keep everything on VPS and if you can swing it I would highly recommend going that way. Scaling will be much easier and a lot less headaches
Linode
For significant scalability, I really like linode.com. But the support is not that great. Documentation is ok - but you'll have to have a few cmd line skills. But that really helps anyway, especially when installing drupal, using drush etc..
However - I used to use bluehost and was really happy with the simplescripts installer!
Do yourself a favor and steer away from greengeeks
They come across so nice at the beginning. Truth is they are a bunch of liars. To add injury to insult they serious limit your your server resources so if you want to host a site with as little as 200 visitors per day be prepared to get an upsell on resources or live with server errors due to the limitations you have. I've built dozens of Drupal sites, hosted with many different providers, and let me tell you that these guys are, BY FAR, the worst. As far as support, if you like canned responses and a footer with an ad for an upsell then you'll love these guys. And finally, if you want to back up and move from these goofballs, be prepared... they have disabled backups in cpanel. What a colossal joke!!!
MANY more complaints here:
MANY more complaints here: http://drupal.org/node/810476
Hot Drupal is good
http://www.hotdrupal.com/drupal-hosting - they may cost a little more than basic cheap hosting but provide a really good environment
Joe Moraca
WebDevGeeks.com
I have used many server hosts
I have used many server hosts but I must say I like godaddy the most.
if you have a VDS or DS with them, you have full access to the server. if you have a hosted server, their customer support is top notch.
godaddy
You're kidding, right?
yer kidding
why would you say something like that without supporting your statement?
Maybe it's different with
Maybe it's different with their dedicated server solutions, but the few times I've worked with godaddy hosting (when a client has an existing shared hosting account), I've found it poor on backend functionality and pricey. I believe it's designed that way on purpose so as to be idiot-proof as possible for non-techie types to use for simple websites which is the target customer they are going for. They are also the king of cross-selling and mass marketing. I register domains there, but I would never use them for hosting. I've also read of countless host-related issues in support forums where GoDaddy hosting was involved.
Ditto
I second this. Exactly my experience, as well. I moved a perfectly working HTML/ASP site, live hosted elsewhere, to GoDaddy hosting and it broke. Was hell dealing with them to resolve.
For one thing, they don't do the hosting -- it is contracted out. So, the level 1 techs have to put in a ticket to that company. But, the level 1 tech who knows nothing is the one to relay their reply. You don't get to speak with the hosting tech support one on one.
Secondly, they have settings turned off - such as error reporting, important for developers.
For basic turn-key sites without advanced functionality, maybe okay. Beyond that, I'd say a big "no".
Fair enough
Fair enough
a couple suggestions
I've used many hosts over the years, including hostgator. They are OK, but not the best I've used. I currently use http://asmallorange.com/hosting/cloud/ - Their support is absolutely wonderful. They respond to every ticket within a minute or two and resolve them typically within minutes. They have never tried to sell me additional services. No BS, just quality hosting.
and I've also heard good things about http://www.site5.com/ but haven't tried them, YET.
I host several sites (shared
I host several sites (shared hosting) with HostGator. My primary objective was more eco-friendly hosting. My Drupal sites have all run great there, and the service technically speaking has been good. Lots of options enabled for CPanel.
Ironically, when I twice used their managed VPS service (for 2 different clients), it was a disaster! Servers not configured correctly. Problem with DNS resolution, so client's original site was down for days, when the transition should have been seamless. And, their customer service supervisors did NOT handle the customer service issue well, IMO.
Their level 1 customer service has really slipped in the last years, too.
I have been looking for a new "green" host. But, after my GreenGeeks nightmare, I'm in less of a hurry.
inmotion
How does inmotion compare? I've used them for a number of non-drupal sites and been pleased with the results.
BTW: WebEnabled has come highly recommended....
tk
Drupal should host
The Drupal Assoc should host a server specifically for drupal sites. That way there is also some revenue to improve core etc.
Insist on cPanel
When I first started Drupaling I Googled "good drupal hosting" and found http://drupal.org/node/113476. Lots of good opinion there. I'm in complete agreement that they must provide cPanel. The cPanel File Manager is invaluable for drupal installs, backups and zips. cPanel's PHP Configuration lets me make my own Drupal required settings. The Databases section provides great MySql db mgmt. And the phpMyAdmin GUI makes DB admin easy.
Regarding Greengeeks: Like jusyjim, things started out just fine, then, over a weekend, my app started failing with insufficient memory resource errors. I submitted a ticket on it. Then went round and round with their support providing canned responses and solving nothing but suggesting that I upgrade my plan. Instead, I ported the app over to HostGator and it ran just fine again and still does to this day.
Regarding Hostgator: Provides cPanel, as does GG, and they both have very similar features, but HG is far and away my favorite hosting service. The HostGator cPanel has an SEO section and also provides a nice set of usage stats.
I have multiple domains and sub-domains on a single account there and have no complaints. They also do automatic backups with email notification. I also really liked the default.htm they provide initially with links to cPanel Login, Webmail Login, Getting Started, Billing / Invoices, Video Tutorials, Purchase / Transfer Domain Name, Knowledgebase, Ticket System, Online Forums and Contact Us. Really handy to have all those links on one page.
I think between this forum and http://drupal.org/node/113476 you have plenty of personal experiences to draw upon. Good Luck. It would be nice to know where you go.
@Bobvollmer, have you tried
@Bobvollmer, have you tried WebEnabled? They have the above-mentioned features plus a one-click clone to move your site to another host or another server in WebEnabled (dev to production or vice versa), plus web-based drush console in their control panel. If you use git or svn that is baked in too.
Full disclosure : Mike and I have a free developer account from them. I would still be using it for developing sites regardless. I recommend them all the time.
Ryan Price
DrupalEasy Podcast
I concur with Ryan. I've
I concur with Ryan. I've been with WebEnabled for over 2 years and overall it's pretty good value for the money. Availability for support can sometimes be an issue, but I think they're working hard to improve that. Mostly I dig that their server environment always seems to cover about any base I need without much fussing with server configuration issues.
--
Digital Frontiers Media
WebEnabled
Just looked over the WebEnabled site. I like the concept and will definitely check it out on a future project.
Thanks Ryan
Just in case you need a third
Just in case you need a third recommendation for Webenabled, I use them too for production and development hosting.