I decided to no longer use a virtual private server and instead build my own web server. I obtained a Comcast Xfinity business class Internet broadband service. As long as you have a business class service, then you can physically host your own website(s).
Comcast Xfinity will most likely block your hyper text transfer protocol traffic with one of their residential Internet services. Anyways, one predicament of maintaining your own web server, is what operating system and or web serving software to use. I tried for days if not weeks to install a web server manually.
This is often times called a Linux Apache Mysql PHP hypertext preprocessor server. What I could not over come was some of the configuration files for hosting multiple websites. I finally gave up and started researching free open source multi website control panels.
I finally found a solution for an Internet service provider easy hosting control panel, called ISPConfig. I had used cPanel for years. However, cPanel requires a monthly subscription.
ISPConfig is one of the first free open source hosting control panels I tried. The installation can have quite a bit of a learning curve. Depending on what Linux distribution you install, you might end up using the ISPConfig installation script.
This installation script requires that you answer some web hosting technical questions. You will need to know and understand how a website actually works on the server end. Once you are able to successfully install ISPConfig 3, then this web hosting control panel could be classified as easy.
ISPConfig control panel is just as easy to use as cPanel control panel. However, there is a lack of documentation as the developers require that you purchase the user manual. I was able to find most if not all of my questions answered on their public forums.
I was able to configure and maintain two Wordpress content management system hosted websites for four years. I was able to configure email service as well. ISPConfig control panel has a web based administrator interface.
Most if not all tasks that you can complete in cPanel contro panel can completed in ISPConfig control panel. You can access the live online demo for free. You can even access the online demonstration to test the administrator interface.
With anything that is new, their will become a learning curve. However, once you familiarize yourself with the web based interface, you will be up in running in no time. I actually because of a lack of money, had to abandon my business class Internet and thus host my own physical web server.
I am paying very little for a virtual private server currently. I tried installing ISPConfig control panel with their quick installer. However, it failed and I decided to install Centos web panel instead.
However, I am considering installing ISPConfig three control panel again. I was in a bit of a rush to move three websites from a yearly shared hosting plan. I would just need to provision my virtual private server again and restore all three websites.
ISPConfig three control panel has four major sections where you maintain your website(s).
* Sites
* Email
* Domain name system
* Virtual server
Also, you can actually use ISPConfig three control panel to resell web space. You just create separate clients for each customer. I was pleasantly surprised with the ease and speed of maintaining a web server.
Most major tools are at your finger tips so that you can maintain multiple websites. Installing WordPress content management system is straight forward. Initially, I had installed ISPConfig three control panel on a minimal version of Ubuntu server version operating system.
However, when I recently tried installing it, I was using a minimal server version of Centos Linux operating system. This could be the problem I was having trying to install ISPConfig three control panel. Creating email inboxes was actually quite simple.
Also, you can create catch all inboxes with ISPConfig three control panel. Adding an Internet protocol address is simple as well. Many tasks like adding domains and sub domains only require a couple of mouse clicks.
I was able to maintain multiple websites with ISPConfig control panel quite quickly just like I had before with cPanel control panel. ISPConfig three control panel supports the following Linux operating system distributions:
* Debian
* Ubuntu
* Centos
* Fedora
* Open Suse
There is a separate billing module that you can purchase if you want to become a web hosting seller. Comparitively speaking maintaining website(s) with ISPConfig three control panel easy enough that perhaps even a novice to website control panels could easily learn. You can possibly maintain your website(s) just as efficiently with ISPConfig three control panel versus Cpanel control panel or even Centos control panel.