PHP hosting for web applications - php mysql hosting
Web hosting is one of the most critical aspects of any web application. When an application is in development, it's developed on local systems and tested on web servers to ensure that application will work as per the expectation. To host your application all you need is a web hosting provider that supports PHP and mySQL databases. But it's not as simple as that!
Mentioned below are the vital steps to follow before you buy web hosting account.
Do you know your application's hosting requirements?
Before even you start searching for a web hosting company, you must prepare a list of your application's requirement. This list will help you filter companies and avoid those companies that don't support your requirements. The following are some of the items that should be on your list:
- How much space and bandwidth is needed for your application? Don't forget to take future growth into account when calculating the bandwidth that will be needed in the future.
- Which version of PHP and MySQL do you need for your application?
- Are there any third party softwares or plugins that will be required on the server?
- Are there any specific server side variables that should be enabled for your application to work?
- What should be the backup frequency for your application?
- Is there a preferred control panel that you need?
How to identify a good web hosting company to host your application?
Mentioned below are some of the most important factors that differentiates good hosting companies from the crowd. These factors have a long term role to play in stability and reliability of your hosted application.
- Tech support - Don't compromise on tech support of the hosting company. When you face problems with your hosting account, you will have to contact the hosting company's tech support staff to get the issue resolved. If the tech support is not competent, your hosting issues will take longer to resolve.
- Uptime - One of the critical factors in hosting is the uptime offered by the hosting company.
- Hosting features - Before you finalize a host, consider all the features offered by the hosting provider. Look for SLAs, backups, mode of support, technical documentation etc.
Our recommended web hosting companies for your application
We recommend the following top web hosting providers for all your hosting needs. We have tested some of them in the past, others were used by some of my friends and their clients and found them to be very reliable in terms of support and uptime of your website.