A few ways to host a PHP site for free

Introduction

In the world of web development, PHP remains one of the most popular scripting languages, powering a significant proportion of the web. As a versatile and dynamic language, it’s the backbone of countless applications and websites. If you’re a student, hobbyist, or starting a new venture, you might wish to minimize costs—which prompts the question: how can you host a PHP site for free?

Free hosting solutions provide an opportunity to test, launch, and manage your projects without immediate investment. This tutorial will guide you through various ways to host a PHP site at no cost, focusing on different platforms and their features.

Understanding Free PHP Hosting

Before diving into the various options, it’s important to understand what ‘free hosting’ entails. Typically, free hosting services are limited in resources, such as storage space, bandwidth, and sometimes, features. They also may display ads on your website and lack certain functionalities that are only available in paid plans. With these trade-offs in mind, let’s explore some popular free PHP hosting options.

GitHub Pages with a PHP Back-End via Heroku

GitHub Pages offers static site hosting, meaning it doesn’t directly support PHP. However, you can still leverage GitHub for front-end hosting while using Heroku, a platform that supports various programming languages, for your PHP backend.

• Host the front-end of your site on GitHub Pages.
• Deploy your PHP backend on Heroku.
• Communicate between the two using APIs or Ajax calls.

Instructions:

1. Create a GitHub account and push your static site files to a new repository.
2. Enable GitHub Pages for your repository.
3. Create a Heroku account and install the Heroku CLI on your local machine.
4. Create a new application on Heroku and link it to your GitHub repository containing the PHP backend.
5. Set up your Procfile and deploy your Heroku application.

000webhost

000webhost is an old-timer in the realm of free web hosting, offering PHP and MySQL support in their free tier.

• PHP and a MySQL database are included.
• cPanel is provided for managing your hosting environment.
• No advertisements are enforced on your free website.

InfinityFree

InfinityFree is another contender, boasting unlimited disk space and bandwidth with its free PHP hosting service.

• It provides a free subdomain, or you can use your own.
• cPanel and Softaculous script installer come as standard.
• Offers an ad-free experience.

AwardSpace

AwardSpace is a hosting provider that offers both free and premium hosting services, and its free plan has decent offerings for those looking to host PHP sites.

• 1 GB of disk space and 5 GB of bandwidth.
• Support for PHP and one MySQL database.
• Zacky website builder and an ad-free environment are included.

These hosts are excellent for learning and small-scale projects, but it’s crucial to remember that free hosting generally isn’t suitable for high-traffic sites or those requiring robust security features. For such projects, consider paid hosting services.

When choosing a free host for your PHP site, research the terms of service, resource limits, and, importantly, customer reviews. This will give you a clear idea of what to expect and how reliable the service might be.

Deploying Your PHP Site

Deploying your PHP website typically involves transferring files to the server, setting up databases, and configuring any necessary services or applications. Most free hosting services provide uploading options via a web-based interface or FTP. For example, if you are using InfinityFree, here are common steps you might follow:

1. Create an account and set up a new hosting account for your website.
2. Determine whether you’ll be using a free subdomain or a domain name you own.
3. Through the provided cPanel, access the online file manager or set up an FTP client like FileZilla using the provided credentials.
4. Upload your PHP files and assets to the server.
5. Create a MySQL database and user, and execute your database setup scripts if necessary.
6. Configure any specific PHP settings through the control panel’s ‘PHP Config’ section.
7. Test your website to ensure the deployment was successful.

See also: How to Deploy a PHP Site to an Ubuntu Server.

Caveats and Considerations

While the lure of free hosting is strong, walk into it with open eyes. Here are a few things to consider:

• Performance: Free servers often host many websites, leading to slower load times.
• Reliability: Uptimes may not be as high as with paid hosting, which could affect your site’s availability.
• Support: Customer service is usually limited in free hosting environments, so you might be on your own if you encounter issues.
• Limitations: There are strict limitations on server resources, which can restrict your site’s growth and functionality.
• Security: Free hosts may not offer robust security features, leaving your site vulnerable to threats.
• Data Ownership: Always check the terms and verify that you maintain ownership of your site’s content.

Conclusion

Hosting a PHP website for free is very much possible, and there are several platforms available to get you started. Ideal for development, testing environments, and small projects, these free solutions can help you establish your presence online without financial burden. However, it’s important to consider their limitations, particularly in terms of performance, reliability, and support, and prepare for a future upgrade should your project scale.

Create wisely, and happy coding!