Tutorial - How to host your website on your computer

[cancer10]

Hi,

This is a tutorial on how to host your website on your PC.


1) Download CIS WebServer from Here

2) Install it (its very easy to install like other programs).

3) After installation, run the program from Start > Programs > CIS WebServer > CIS WebServer.exe. You will see a screen similar to the following:

A little description about each of the controls.

* Status = Current status of the server.
* Site Hits = Total hits your site got till now.
* Users Connected = Total unique visitors connected to your site.
* Bytes Sent = Total size of packets sent from your PC.
* Bytes Received = Total size of packets received to your PC.
* Server Uptime = Total time since the server is running.
* Local Address = Is the local server address which can be accessed through LAN. or you can use http://localhost/ instead.
* Your Site Located At = This is the IP address through which your site can be viewed on LAN and Internet.
* Connected IP Address = Visitors IP address who has visited your site with Date and Time.
* Save Auto Log = Automatically save logs of the visitor's IP address.
* Enable IP Listing = Enables IP listing in the listbox. If unchecked does not logs any IP addresses.


4) Click on the Settings button > Set path

5) Clicking on the Set Path shows you another window, where in you can select the Drive > Directory name where you have your index.html file. (index.html file is the main file that shows as your default homepage)

6) Click on Settings > Preferences > HTTP Options.

You can set the Preferences of your web server. You can set your desired Port number. But it is recommended that you set your Port number to 80. You can enable a music file if you want it to play when a user visits your site. Checking on Run on Startup enables your WebServer to run automatically when Windows Starts. You can ban IP address of your visitors. Press Ban IP to show the Ban IP window. Click Save to save the settings.

7) You are done. Open your browser and type http:// followed by your IP address. or you can simply click on the Your Site is Located at link on the web server. You can see your index.html file in this way.

 

[Kenny]

Sweet... has anyone tried this? Rep up'd!!!
Could there be possible issues with your ISP?

 

[Keral_Patel]

Humm.... I am using sokkit to host the local server on my Windows.

It comes with Apache and PHP. MySQL has to be installed on it.

I haven't tried this one but will give it a try today.

 

[shockie]

you have to check with your isp first or else they might just disconnect you completely for a few days, maybe even weeks.

 

[BrendonM]

looks complicated! Oh welll great tutorial!

 

[Cicero]

Actually.. I have tried it. But you must have a reliable high speed net.. definitely above 512kbps. Also for decent uptime.. you must have a well ventilated CPU , running atleast 23 hrs a day.

 

[leusmith]

Hey!
Its great info!

I dont have a static IP address.
How do I host my site then?

 

[maximum]

I dont have a static IP address.
How do I host my site then?

http://no-ip.com

 

[RickM]

Lots of people here in the UK host their own sites as we all tend to have fast internet connections (most people on approx 2mbps, others on cable such as myself can get upto 20mbps). I would be very wary. Contact your ISP personally to make sure they allow it. I've seen many people loose their internet for breaking their ISP's TOS.

Also, security is a huge problem when hosting your own sites. Remember, datacenters have thousands of protection methods...many hardware based such as firewalls (not your standard ZoneAlarm stuff....I'm taking $5000+ hardware firewalls).

Just be very careful!

On another note, for Apache, PHP, MySQL and PHPMyAdmin I recommend:

WAMPP or XAMPP for Windows
and MAMP for fellow Mac OS X users

 

[rafaelrls]

http://no-ip.com

very good tip man!

 

[qbert220]

Lots of people here in the UK host their own sites as we all tend to have fast internet connections (most people on approx 2mbps, others on cable such as myself can get upto 20mbps).

Be careful what you are measuring. Most home broadband connections are asymmetrical, meaning that the data rate is higher from the internet to your home PC (inbound) than from your home to the internet (outbound). My UK ADSL line is about 2Mbps inbound, but about 400kbps outbound.

If your site is popular and offers large downloads/pictures/videos etc, then your site could easily suffer slow download speeds with a few simultaneous visitors.

Also, security is a huge[/h] problem when hosting your own sites.

Couldn't agree more. Do you really want hackers getting access to all files on your hard drive? All that personal information you've got there? It could happen. If your site is just HTML then you are probably OK. If you start running scripts (your own or other peoples) then you should start to worry seriously about security.

 

[RickM]

I overlooked the outbound speeds there, thanks for pointing that out qbert. Its a shame that our ADSL lets the side down in the UK. I'm on cable and currently get 500mbps upload, however the lines can get upto approx 50mbps upload. ADSL is maxxed out at approx 1mbps upload!

 

[popopo]

datacenters have thousands of protection ways, security is a huge problem.

 

[user-7256]

Yeah, be careful doing this... I would not recommend it. Some ISPs have hissy-fits about hosting a public HTTP server... along with all the other issues mentioned here. But it would work well for personal/Intranet needs.

Good tut.

But my $0.02 is that I recommend Apache be installed to better emulate Linux server environments.

Aside from security, if your inbound Internet feed comes into a router box (to support multiple computers in a home), you'll need to do some port forwarding magic. It's easy though.

 

[diadem617]

I am very interested in this, I am not sure about ip. Can you give me more info on this, I have a couple month old computer. Sorry I am just in a fog about ip addresses. Also if I do this when I turn my computer off will my website still be accessible.

 

[weblord]

yes there would be im sure of it, most isp will not like their bandwidth used for hosting without asking their permission first and of course there are additional fees, you'll know this if you contact your isp.
let them be the first to know that you're running a web server on your computer.

Sweet... has anyone tried this? Rep up'd!!!
Could there be possible issues with your ISP?

 

[user-7256]

I am very interested in this, I am not sure about ip. Can you give me more info on this, I have a couple month old computer. Sorry I am just in a fog about ip addresses. Also if I do this when I turn my computer off will my website still be accessible.

If you have a broadband (always-on) connection, your ISP gave you, most likely, a static IP address, meaning it never changes.

I don't know about cable Internet, but DSL/Wireless is set up such that an Ethernet line goes straight into your computer from "the outside". This means your computer now has a global IP address and is "accessible" around the world. This is kind of dangerous - typing your IP in your web browser would attempt to connect to your computer. Scary, eh? E.g. type 72.213.158.32 in your URL bar. I haven't tried this one myself, but it will probably just say "Connecting to..." and never connect. Obviously this person doesn't have port 80 open.

(Domain names are just like masks for IP addresses... so domain/IP address = basically the same thing for our purposes here.)

If you run an HTTP web server, it opens port 80. (A port is like an entry way - a gate, almost. It's open, closed, and when open, allows data transfer.) When port 80 is open on your computer, if the Internet line comes directly into your house, then into your computer, anyone that types your IP address in their browser will access your web server root directory. If you don't know what you're doing, they have access to read all the files in that folder and sub-folders.

It's more advisable to have your computers behind a router (even just one) - then, your IP address that your ISP gives you is assigned to your ROUTER, and you connect to your ROUTER instead of your COMPUTER directly. In a way, it acts kind of like a firewall. If you want to access port 80 (the HTTP port) so you can just type your IP address in your browser, you have to "forward" that port to your computer. Otherwise your router will discard it, it won't know what to do with it.

You login to your router control panel, then you forward inbound port 80 to [your computer's LAN address - usually 192.168.*.*]. That's it. It just takes any requests for port 80 and sends it to your computer at 192.168.*.*:80.

Your web server software reads the data coming through the open port 80 and sends the files requested back through.


SO IN CONCLUSION: Do this only if you know what you're doing or are willing to experiment on a private/small scale, and maybe with no volatile data on your comp at the time.

Even I don't feel comfortable opening up port 80 to access my machine. If only you need to access your machine, even just certain files, Remote Desktop, VPN, or SSH/SFTP tunnels all work great.


PS. And no, turning the computer off would be the same thing as yanking the cord out of it. It has to be on and alive (not sleeping/hibernating) in order to be accessed. It can be "Locked" however.

 

[diadem617]

Well lets say that I bought a computer just for this freature. Got its own internet connection that isp will accept all this. I kept it on for 24/7. Would that be reliable?

Also would I be able to add sub domains, email, and ftp access to other on the web if I host it like this?

I am interest in hosting a website for free websites. I am trying to find a reliable host. So far none come to the expectations required. I am now seeking alternative hosting!

Also on a completely separate note, does anyone know a isp that would be good to do this off of. I am thinking of switching.

 

[barefoottech]

Just get a Cheap Hosting account from the MILLIONS of webhosting companies
Why have the Hassles

 

[RickM]

No home server is reliable. DC's have redundent power that can last for days on end, they have air conditioning, multiple connections, etc.

A tower PC plugged into a modem....not reliable

Put it this way, home servers are great for playing around. But it comes to serving actual webpages, thats where it all falls appart.

TBH why go for a home server when you can get hosting for under $1?

I do myself run a home server (2 actually) however they are strictly for personal use (I.E development, streaming my itunes library to all my computers, media, etc).

 

[user-7256]

Hosting under $1 is no more reliable than your home server. Probably less reliable, actually.

If you're gonna put a site online, do it right. Don't pay less than about $9/mo. for hosting. If you do, you're not getting your money's worth. Datacenters are equipped to handle websites constantly. Your home ISP is not.

If you just want to tinker, it's not worth it to find a whole new ISP (unless you're having major problems anyway) and rethink your computing lifestyle. :p Just use what you have to play around with.

 

[qbert220]

@diadem617 - Your free hosting is not free. Your PC will be on 24/7. This will cost you more in electricity than buying hosting.

Don't pay less than about $9/mo. for hosting. If you do, you're not getting your money's worth.

Do you have any data to back up that statement? Reliable quality hosting is available for less than $5 per month, as I'm sure many here will agree.

 

[user-7256]

Do you have any data to back up that statement?

Yep, you backed it yourself:

Your PC will be on 24/7. This will cost you more in electricity than buying hosting.

Considering power costs alone, how do you think hosting companies support their expenses charging less than a substantial amount? ($5/mo is petty money compared to what hosts must spend on their energy alone.)

 

[qbert220]

Power costs will be probably between $10 to $30. But there will be many other sites sharing the same server, all contributing to the power costs. 100 sites on a server means that each pays perhaps 20 cents per month on power. If you run the same server at home 24/7 you pay $20 per month on power.

 

[RickM]

Yep, you backed it yourself:



Considering power costs alone, how do you think hosting companies support their expenses charging less than a substantial amount? ($5/mo is petty money compared to what hosts must spend on their energy alone.)

Hosts that chage $5 a month dont provide a server per customer. They have about 2000 customers on a server, so yes....it is ok for hosts to charge $5 a month.