Cloud-based web hosting services are already ubiquitous, but Cloudways‘ cloud hosting accomplishes a few unique things that set it apart in a crowded sector. It allows you to choose from five platforms, including Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, and offers budget-friendly pay-as-you-go plans. You can even join up for a free trial without having to use your credit card. Its lack of features, such as domain registration and bundled email, takes away some of the lusters. Nonetheless, this outstanding cloud hosting service is certainly worth considering.
PROS ✔
- Very easy to set up.
- Excellent uptime.
- Supports numerous apps.
CONS ✖
- No domain registration option.
- Email costs extra.
Starting Out
Unlike most other web hosting providers, Cloudways allows you to create a website for free. Create a username and password for a three-day trial account, or log in with Github, Google, or LinkedIn credentials, which is a great touch. After logging in, you’ll be prompted to choose a content management system (CMS) from a list of well-known and well-respected options, including Drupal, Joomla, Koken, Magento, Media Wiki, PHP Stack, Prestashop, and, of course, WordPress. Here, there’s a lot of versatility on display.
You can construct a site on top of a variety of infrastructure-as-a-service options, including Amazon Web Services, DigitalOcean, Google Cloud Platform, Linode, Stackpath, and Vultr. You can also choose from a number of server locations across the country.
Plans for Cloud Hosting
Cloudways balances your website load by utilizing the resources of numerous clustered servers, it does not offer typical shared, VPS, or dedicated hosting solutions. Instead, the company offers a variety of pay-as-you-go, hourly cloud hosting plans that only charge you for the time you spend. If you cancel a plan 10 days into a month, for example, you’ll only be charged for 10 days of hosting.
Even if you cancel a week into the cycle, hosts like the Editors’ Choice award-winning DreamHost and HostGator will charge you for the entire month. Cloudways also provides standard monthly billing. Monthly web hosting plans begin at $10 (for 25GB of storage, 1TB of monthly data transfers, 1GB of RAM, and a single-core processor) and go up to $1,035 (for unlimited storage, 1TB of monthly data transfers, 1GB of RAM, and a single-core processor) (for 3840GB of storage, 12TB of month data transfers, 192GB of RAM, and a 32-core processor.) Many web hosting’s most powerful dedicated server plans are outclassed by this high-end option. In fact, Cloudways’ top-level specifications are more in line with Liquid Web, which allows you to outfit a server with a whopping 512GB of RAM. The above plans start at just over $0.01 and scale up to slightly more than $1.43 if you choose hourly billing.
Some Errors
Cloudways does not provide domain registration, therefore you’ll have to get one from NameCheap or another vendor. Another URL-related disadvantage is that Cloudways’ back end is unusually built, making it difficult to point the purchased URL to your hosting arrangement. While I had no trouble connecting the connections after reviewing the web documentation, novices may find the process complex. Furthermore, unless they’re dead set on Cloudways, I can imagine users never coming back if they have to go somewhere else just to get started. Another point to consider is the service’s email offering, as Cloudways’ plans include no email accounts. Instead, Cloudways, in collaboration with RackSpace, expects you to pay $1 per month per email account. Depending on your requirements, this could be pricey. The majority of other web providers include some level of service with even the most basic package.
Developing a Website
Although Cloudways lacks several common web hosting features, creating a website is a rather simple process. In testing, I used WordPress as my CMS of choice, and the service set up a server in about seven minutes. I joined in with my Cloudways credentials, chose a theme, changed the appearance of pages and posts, and added images. It was a pleasant experience.
This WordPress version is managed, which means your installation gets the white-glove care, including automatic CMS updates, daily backups, real-time site monitoring, and WordPress-specific security. Cloudways also includes staging zones and one-click cloning (so you can easily clone your apps and servers) (so you can test website elements without placing them live on your site).
Customers can monitor the applications hosted on a server independently with Cloudways. There are two aspects to this application-level monitoring: Analytics and Logs. Analytics shows information about traffic, PHP queries, MySQL requests, and disc usage. Logs, on the other hand, display the access and fault logs for your website.
Security and E-commerce
Many e-commerce technologies are available in Cloudways’ app library, including the popular Magento and Prestashop platforms. By dragging and dropping website elements, I was able to design a beautiful store in only a few minutes using Magento.
Cloudways experts protect your installation from assaults by releasing frequent operating system and firmware upgrades as a managed cloud hosting platform. Cloudways also provides free Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certifications, which should be regarded as critical data security if you plan to sell anything. Additionally, for enhanced protection, the suggested Rackspace email includes Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) authentication technologies.
Uptime is excellent
One of the most significant components of a hosting service is website uptime. Clients or consumers will be unable to discover you or use your products or services while your site is down, and they may not return. As a result; I’m pleased to inform you that Cloudways has a high uptime.
I utilized a website monitoring application to track the uptime of my Cloudways-hosted test site for this testing. The tool pings my website every 15 minutes and sends me an email if it can’t contact me for more than one minute. For each site’s review, I look at the data from the previous 30 days. Cloudways has proven to be highly stable in my recent tests. It didn’t even go down once.
Customer Service
Cloudways provides customer assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you’ll be able to reach someone at any time. However, if you want to speak to a human being, there is a catch. To request a phone or Skype call, you must first complete out a form.
You can also use webchat to communicate with a customer support person. You’ll be able to get replies quickly this way. I never had to wait more than a few seconds for a Cloudways representative to respond to one of my chat inquiries. The personnel is also very knowledgeable. The members provided me with detailed information on the distinctions between cloud and traditional hosting, as well as the company’s pricing structure. A primer on infrastructure as a service was also given to me.
Cloudways’ refund policy differs from that of most other web providers, which offer 30-, 60-, or 90-day money-back guarantees. In fact, Cloudways’ customer service team merely directed me to this page because the structure is so comprehensive. There’s a lot to take in.
A Reliable and Focused Web Host
Cloudways has a number of positive aspects. Flexible cloud hosting options, quick setup times, top-notch web-based customer assistance, and outstanding uptime are all features of the service. It’s a company you can rely on to keep your website up and running, as well as services that provide those services. Furthermore, some individuals will be put off by the unusual method of contacting a customer support representative. Give Cloudways a chance if those caveats aren’t a deal-breaker. You might discover it has all you need to get and maintain your website up and running.
PROS ✔
- Very easy to set up.
- Excellent uptime.
- Supports numerous apps.
- Several flexible account tiers.
- Pay-as-you-go plans.
- Can try service for free before signing up.
- Site cloning.
CONS ✖
- No domain registration option.
- Email costs extra.
