Online Web Hosting & Domain Plan

If you have .net website and you are worrying about the hosting of your site on minimum cost then don't worry. Here are my investigation which I had done during my website hosting which was developed in .net core 2.1 including SQL server for data storage.

Options

1.  HostAdvice (https://hostadvice.com/)

This gives you different options of hosting from different partners/vendors and comparison between based on your need.

2. Go daddy for domain or (both at go daddy domain and server db connectivity)

This do not provide shared instance for window, so if you hare dot.net code then you would require dedicated machine which will cost you more. The buying domain only is fine and cheap.

3. AWS EC2 server.

Dedicated machine which will cost you more.

4. AWS S3

This option is best only when you want to host only static website.

5. Bluehost

do not provide window machine 

6. Namecheap

This is also one of the best option but do not provide shared instance for window, so if you hare dot.net code then you would require dedicated machine which will cost you more. The buying domain only is fine and cheap.

7. Self-machine/laptop (need public ip, so that domain can point to your ip or if you network provider allow private IP to redirect to your laptop, like you can use free DDNS like noip.com which allow to configure IP and give you name).

8. HostGator (https://www.hostgator.in/web-hosting/windows-hosting.php)

This option is good and provide shared window instance to host your .net code on minimum cost. This provide you option to buy domain as well if you do not have already.

9. Smarter Asp.net (https://www.smarterasp.net/hosting_plans)

This option is really great as you get 60 days free trail to host your website and this hosting option is specially for the .net code and easy to configure via control panel. Below are the steps and configuration options which you will getting/doing when you starting with this.

• Working flow
• Register yourself-take any plan like I took free 60 days plan and go step by step, it will give you all the options to configure like OS(Window machine), it will give you one FTP which you can use for uploading code base, it will give you one URL as per their standard like (in my case http://*********-site1.dtempurl.com/), it will give you server name, web site name etc..
• To have further configuration like code upload, DB configuration, virtual directly, domain add etc, go to your hosting section + control panel
• Here you will see below your FTP code location + mapped default URL which you can use in browser
• To upload code, click on FTP location and there you have upload, download, edit etc.. Options.
• Here make sure when you are uploading your code, first do publish your code base on your local machine + zip all the files and folders together + upload the zip + unzip on the root location
• Additional help if require : https://www.smarterasp.net/support/kb/a1779/how-to-publish-asp_net-core-web-application-via-visual-studio-2015.aspx?KBSearchID=677998
• To create virtual directory : In control panel, go to advance setting + virtual directory and here you create your virtual directly and select the specific folder which you map to the virtual directory. And to upload your virtual directory code base please follow the same above steps.
• To configure database : Control panel + Database, here you will get option to name your DB, get your DB server name, user name and password and then same credential you can use on your laptop and on your project to connect with DB created.
• To manager your application pool setting : this is not require as by default it give when you publish and upload you code but in case you require then go to Control panel, advance, Application pool.
• IIS remote manager, if you want to connect your website into your local machine IIS then, go to Control panel, advance, Remote IIS manager and enable this option. Here when you now move to your local machine IIS and if you are not getting option to configure server connect then probably you need to install the software (remote management extension - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41177).

Additional help if require : https://www.smarterasp.net/support/kb/a246/how-can-i-use-internet-information-services-iis-manager-to-remote-connect-to-your-iis.aspx?KBSearchID=678001

• To map domain/URL : Go to control panel, websites, go to your created project and then manager my domain. Here you can add your purchased domain and then take the IP by click below option given as GET IP  and go your DNS and map your domain with the IP.
• To raise ticket/support : Go to helpdesk top link and raise the request.