Cheap Web Hosting for Rails Applications
If you want to host Ruby on Rails apps on a shared web hosting account and don’t want to spend too much money, consider using a web hosting company like BlueHost.
Advantages of using BlueHost to host your Rails app
BlueHost currently, as of September 6, 2009, provides the following services. BlueHost offers many more services not listed here. Here I’m mainly focused on explaining the services you’ll probably be interested in if you are planning to deploy your Rails app on BlueHost:
- Cheap, especially if you want to host multiple rails sites One or Two Plans, both at Low Cost
- Host Unlimited Domains and don’t pay extra
- Unlimited File Transfer
- Unlimited DIsk Space
- SSH Account (Shell Access)
- 2500 POP3 Email Accounts
- Create at least 100 MySQL Databases
- Ruby on Rails
- Ability to Install your own RubyGems
- Ability to Install your own Rails Plugins
- Ability to Bake your own Rails version into your Rails app
- Set up a Private Git Repository using same BlueHost account
From reading the above, It’s pretty clear that BlueHost is the way to go, in my opinion, when you’re starting and haven’t made money. You can always move your code to another server when the time comes.
This blog doesn’t really make money. I use BlueHost personally and am an advocate. I hosted this blog on BlueHost as well and am paying one low rate.
If you’d like to sign up with BlueHost and would like to help me at the same time, please sign up with BlueHost through the link below. Thanks!
Use the search box in upper-right to search for other topics. For instance, you may be interested on setting up a Git repository on BlueHost. You’ll find that information here on ionrails.com
Disadvantages of using BlueHost to host your Rails app
Pretty Flexible except they are locked on an older version of Ruby (ruby 1.8.6 (2009-06-08 patchlevel 369) [x86_64-linux]) and they won’t tell me exactly when they’ll upgrade) I’m hoping they at least upgrade to 1.8.7.
The reason I want them to upgrade is because Ruby 1.8.7 and above is needed to be able to use your Gmail account to send email. Hopefully BlueHost will upgrade soon.
I wish I could bake my own version of Ruby into my app somehow. Please let me know if there’s a workaround of some sort.
