Finding a Web Host and Creating a Site


Collapse Content

Here's an early sample from the Web for All Tutorials in which Jim consults the Guru and finds out his best options for creating a website.

Jim: I’d like to create a website for my lemonade stand. How do I get started?
Guru: The easiest way is to use an online site builder. For a quick solution, try the free Google Sites or Wix.com for a more modern look. However, if you want more control to edit everything, you should use a tool that lets you deal with the actual HTML.

Jim: Yes, I’d like to have full control. Can you explain what exactly HTML is?
Guru: Every web page is made up of HTML. The HTML marks the different elements of a page, such as headings and paragraphs. To create a web page, you can just upload your HTML file to a web server.

Jim: What’s a web server and how do I get one?
Guru: A web server can simply be a computer connected to the internet that serves web pages and files to other computers that request it. In practice, you’ll want to get a web host to host your web pages on their web servers.

Jim: OK, How do I get a web host?
Guru: Well that depends, do you want a static web host or dynamic one?

Jim: Damnit, I don’t know, what's the difference?
Guru: A static web host just serves web files to those that request it, but doesn’t do any computing on its own side (on the back-end). A dynamic web host can do stuff first, such as running code or accessing a database.

Jim: So which one do I need?
Guru: If you just wanted a simple site with only HTML files, you could use a static web host. Do you want to create any other sites besides for your lemonade stand?

Jim: Well, I’d also like to experiment with a startup idea I have that will demolish Facebook.
Guru: Then you’ll want a dynamic web host so you can run applications on the backend. You can also use web-based tools for editing your lemonade stand site, so you don’t need to edit all the HTML on your computer. So just pick a good dynamic host and get started.

Jim: OK, how do I pick a web host?
Guru: You have 2 general choices to go with: shared hosting or PAAS (Platform-As-A-Service) hosting. Which do you want?

Jim: PAAS my AAS! I just want a website already. I don’t know what these terms mean.
Guru: Patience grasshopper. Remember web servers? Well your little site doesn’t need a whole web server. So shared hosting puts a whole bunch of sites on 1 web server. PAAS or Cloud hosting does the same thing, but in a smarter way so you can easily scale up. Also, some PAAS hosts are free initially.

Jim: So why the hell wouldn’t I go with a PAAS host?
Guru: Shared hosting offers some tools, such as one-click app installations, that can be useful for beginner web creators.

Jim: Since I’m going to be the next Facebook, I need to scale up. So I’ll take a PAAS. Where can I get a free one that’s still easy to use?
Guru: OpenShift is a good PAAS that provides a generous free tier. In fact, it may be better than many paid shared hosting options (but without the support).

Jim: Finally an answer! So now that I have a web host, what do I do with it?
Guru: Well, you can start by installing Wordpress on it (in a couple clicks) so you have a quick site. Later we can look at other alternatives, including completely static options.

Jim: If I’m going to use Wordpress, wouldn’t it be easier to just Wordpress.com?
Guru: Yes, but then you couldn’t customize it how you want. By installing your own Wordpress site, you can easily install thousands of plugins and themes for free.

This is a sample of some early content from the Web for All tutorials. Check out the Kickstarter page for more on the full tutorials, which will include challenges and cartoons.

Contact Us
Sign in or email us at [email protected]