| I write web server creation tools, so I'm somewhat familiar with this space. I'm not sure I'd recommend shared hosting setups. If you're going that route then you might as well host on WordPress.com or squarespace or whatever. The logical place to serve is of course from your home machine. These days there are lots of users with good access, good enough to serve. Assuming you don't have a crappy ISP that blocks incoming ports. Even with a dynamic IP address its trivial for a server to keep its domain updated. (Use a DNS provider that supports APIs, like DNSimple.) But I'm not sure that the actual headline of this article is necessary. Making your own Web server is easy already. If you don't have the time, or skill, to set up a box now, then you likely don't have the understanding of how much is needed "long term". Web serving is not like posting to Instagram. It's not fire and forget. It takes long-term maintainence. Keep that DNS alive (with money). Keep that server software updated. Understand "this folder on my machine is public". Keep a casual eye on the automatic certificates. Don't freak out when you see endless scripts probing with strange requests. Monitor the comments section (you want engagement right? Until you discover all your sign ups and comments are spammers.) So yeah, there's a barrier to entry. But perhaps that's a good thing. Perhaps a "minimum level of effort" acts as a barrier to keep the really unsafe behaviours from becoming universal. Put another way, my mom should not be hosting a Web server, regardless of how easy it is to do. |