Hosting a CMS
Now, we come down to the meat of these articles. A content management system generally functions by using some sort of code framework to fetch the content from a database. This poses unique demands on a web server, and thus special consideration is required when selecting a host. That is the goal of this site, to help you find out which hosts provide you with the best hosting experience for your CMS needs. Please check out the reviews section of this site, and either browse the reviews to find out which hosts perform well, or write a review detailing your experiences with a given provider. However, there are some basic things to keep in mind that apply to all providers, which I will detail in the following article.
Language Environment
It’s no secret that most web applications these days (especially the widely available free ones) are using the PHP language to do all the fancy footwork. Because of this, most hosting providers will offer PHP as a part of their hosting package. However, keep in mind that there are two common version of PHP active on the net today, versions 4 and 5. Check to make sure your hosting provider provides the latest version, or better yet, both versions as some CMSs may not support version 5 (most should though). If you only have version 4, you will likely run into compatibility issues somewhere down the line.
Though PHP is the platform of choice, there are many other options available. Hosting which offers mod_perl support will allow you to host applications written in the most classic internet programming language, Perl. Ruby on Rails, an up and coming web framework, is also an option, as is Java hosting. Check carefully with your hosting provider to see if they support the languages you need to make your website work.
Database Options
The majority of the time in todays internet applications, you will be using the venerable MySQl database system. Be sure that your hosting offers this system, as it is used by a very large number of great CMSs. Also take note of the database limit. Some hosts will only allow certain numbers of databases with certain plans. On average, you will use one database for every CMS you have set up, so make sure that you have enough available for all your sites. Many hosting companies offer unlimited MySQL databases, which can be a good option if you’ll need them.
Another thing to consider with databases is performance. If you’re on a shared hosting plan, you will not be the only person using your database. Too many people on one database server can lead to reduced performance, so be sure to read some reviews to see how a given host performs.
Other Features
There are many other features that can come with web hosting, but there are a few that can be considered almost essential for a good CMS experience.
One click/automatic installers for popular web software can be a big time saver. Many hosting providers will allow you to install things like Wordpress or phpBB with only a few steps. This can make it much quicker to get up and running with a new website. Of course, just because they don’t offer this feature does not mean that you can’t install a given application, just that it might take a few more steps.
Shell access to Linux servers is very nice. This allows you to have full access to your account through an SSH shell, which allows you to setup and mantain your site/sites through a powerful command line interface.
A good web admin interface for your account can go a long way in making it easy for you to maintain your account. If you can, be sure to check out a demo of the interface to make sure that it works well for you. This should include some sort of database administration panel, as well.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the things you should consider when shopping for a host. As always, you should carefully figure out your own needs, and thoroughly research the available options. Check out our reviews to get in depth information and real user experiences on these webhosts.