DreamHost Shared Starter hosting review: Keenly priced, flexible web hosting

DreamHost was based in a university dorm within the late Nineteen Nineties and has grown to turn out to be one of many web’s largest hosting suppliers. Based within the US, it’s dwelling to greater than 1.5m web sites, with 400,000 prospects in 100 international locations.

As nicely because the Shared Starter hosting plan we’re reviewing right here, it gives managed WordPress hosting, devoted server hosting, and cloud and VPS hosting.

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DreamHost evaluate: What do you get for the cash?

DreamHost is uncommon in providing month-to-month hosting plans, in addition to annual and three-year offers.

Whichever interval you select, the Shared Starter tier helps you to host a single web site with limitless site visitors, limitless storage, a free SSL certificates and, optionally, WordPress put in by the management panel. Email is additional, beginning at $1.67 (£1.36) per 30 days however, should you join a yr or extra, DreamHost bundles a site of your alternative (so long as it’s out there) from a spread of top-level domains (TLD) that features .com, .web and .data. You don’t get a free area with month-to-month hosting however you should buy a .com for $8.99 (£7.30).

Alternatively, if you have already got a site that you simply’ve registered elsewhere and don’t wish to transfer, you may level it at your DreamHost web area by updating the nameserver data.

Shared Starter hosting helps you to arrange 5 subdomains (there’s no cap should you join Shared Unlimited), and you may add a free LetsEncrypt certificates with a few clicks. MySQL is supported, with Shared Starter accounts restricted to 6 databases apiece, of as much as 3GB every. There’s no point out of MariaDB.

Those who’re snug working with the command line, can join through SSH and, when you’ve got a job you might want to run frequently, you may arrange Cron utilizing a kind on the management panel. It’s a nicely thought-out course of, with the shape by no means getting any extra advanced than strictly essential. If you wish to run your job hourly, for example, choose that from the ‘When to run’ menu and it’ll hearth up each hour. But, should you want one thing extra focused, you may drill down by particular days, occasions, months, and so forth, or set your job to run on a server reboot if its solely objective is to kickstart a background course of or reset a variable.

You can block spiders by the management panel relatively than counting on .htaccess or different workarounds, too, and arrange WebDAV entry for particular directories. Do that, and you may block direct file linking inside your WebDAV area, and even outlaw particular file sorts, comparable to photos, audio and video recordsdata.

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DreamHost review: How easy is it to set up?

The sign-up process asks if you need a domain or already have one you want to use. If you pick the latter, you can enter its address before you reach the checkout. This is a nice touch as it means DreamHost has all the information it needs to get you started once you’ve activated your account.

The e mail you obtain if you full signing up consists of particulars of DreamHost’s DNS servers, which you should utilize immediately to repoint an present area. There’s additionally a hyperlink to the management panel pages for establishing an e mail handle, which is able to appeal to a further cost on the Starter plan.

An SFTP (SSH FTP) account is created as a part of the sign-up course of, and though FTP has been disabled, you may allow it by the management panel. You can arrange 5 further SFTP logins, and the identical customers can entry the shell.

Behind the scenes, DreamHost’s management panel is complete and simple to navigate. The first time you log in, you could have the choice of stepping by a few screens that inform you what’s happening.

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DreamHost evaluate: Is it straightforward to construct an internet site?

You can set up WordPress with a few clicks utilizing the built-in web-based installer. Installation can take as much as ten minutes however, as soon as it’s full, you’ll obtain an e mail explaining the best way to log in for the primary time, the best way to reset a misplaced password, and so forth. There’s even a assist for many who already had WordPress recordsdata in place, explaining they’ve been backed up utilizing a file suffix, so haven’t been misplaced.

Elsewhere, you’ll discover a hyperlink to the complete record of supported functions, which incorporates phpBB, Drupal, Joomla and different widespread choices.Clicking by for particulars doesn’t open an installer, however directions on putting in them for your self. This isn’t as person pleasant an possibility as an installer would have been however the directions are clearly and comprehensively written, so shouldn’t pose too many issues for the typical person.

There’s no web site builder outdoors of WordPress, and no pre-configured on-line retailer (though you may use WooCommerce inside WordPress, or level a subdomain to an exterior retailer from Shopify or comparable).

PHP 8.0 FastCGI was put in by default on our area however you may change this to the FastCGI or CGI variations of PHP 7.4, 8.0 or 8.1 when you’ve got particular necessities.

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DreamHost evaluate: How a lot do different choices price?

While annual and three-year contracts naturally appeal to important reductions, DreamHost’s month-to-month possibility is an fascinating proposition for anybody establishing an occasion or a suggestion with a definitive finish date.

The annual Shared Starter plan, reviewed right here, begins at $2.95 per 30 days (round £2.40) for the primary yr ($35.40/£28.80 whole) should you join a full yr, rising to $6.99 a month from yr two ($83.88/£68 yearly). Opt for month-to-month billing, and your first three months will price $4.95 every, rising to $7.99 per 30 days, for a complete first-year worth of $86.76 (£70.60). It’s potential to lock in barely extra beneficiant financial savings by committing to a few years up entrance.

DreamHost additionally gives a Shared Unlimited tier, which is the place issues get actually fascinating, as this allows you to host a vast variety of web sites, with limitless e mail and site visitors. As with the Shared Starter plan, you may bag this for $2.95 (£2.40) per 30 days for the primary yr, after which it reverts to its common $12.99 per 30 days ($155.88/£127 per yr), which continues to be nice worth.

Signing up is simple sufficient and there’s a 97-day a reimbursement assure should you pay by bank card. Do control the basket, although, should you solely wish to purchase the vanilla bundle, as e mail and DreamShield safety are added by default at additional price. DreamShield Protection scans your web site to determine and flag malicious code, out-of-date software program and extra for a further $3 per 30 days. Opting out of both or each is a straightforward case of unchecking what you don’t need.

Overall, DreamHost’s providing is compelling. The one-month possibility is uncommon, and nice for anybody hosting an upcoming on-off occasion, after which an internet site can be redundant. At the identical time, its longer-term choices characterize superb worth for cash, notably with limitless storage and site visitors. I’d prefer to see a minimum of one e mail account included with the Starter deal however when it prices so little within the first place, it’s not unreasonable that Dreamhost fees just a little extra per 30 days.

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Dreamhost evaluate: Should you enroll?

There’s a lot to love in DreamHost’s providing, with a nicely thought-out management panel, shell entry for many who want it, and unmetered bandwidth and storage.

Pair this with a few of the most flexible pricing we’ve come throughout and it’s a tempting proposition, whether or not you’re knocking up a short lived web site, archiving a lifetime’s work, or someplace in between.

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