RiverMar 24

Toying with the idea of making a second website, and so I'm considering some of my options for hosting it. Github won't let me host another site for free. It looks like Gitlab has a pretty good service? It looks like I can do as many as I like for free, or am I mistaken?

Any other recommendations I should check out? I'm planning on just doing a static site, either WordPress¹ or 11ty. Needs to be free or dirt cheap, and if they're not evil, that's ideal.

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¹ Is WordPress actually good? It seems widely used even by some FOSS and tech people? I've only ever used 11ty, but I'm also trying to consider the viability of something that non-technical folks can interact with too.

#askFedi #webHosting #indieWeb #11ty #wordPress #techSupport

Show threadShadow53

@riverpunk You might know this already, but WordPress isn't "static" in the way 11ty is. IIRC, 11th generates HTML files that you upload to be served directly, while WordPress uses PHP and a database to dynamically generate HTML when a page is visited.

If you want a Static Site Builder, look at https://jamstack.org/generators/ or https://github.com/myles/awesome-static-generators

I've only used Hugo and Zola (my current).

For hosting, https://pgs.sh offers a free tier. GitLab Pages and CodeBerg pages are also options.

Static Site Generators - Top Open Source SSGs | Jamstack

Check out this showcase of some of the best, open source static site generators. This is community-drive so be sure to submit your favorite today!

Jamstack.org
Mar 24 at 8:33amWeb
Show threadShadow53Mar 24

@riverpunk Netlify used to make it easy to deploy static sites, but it seems they've pivoted from that?

I think hosting alone is worth asking fedi about. #hosting #StaticWebsites maybe?

Show threadRiverMar 24

@shadow53 interesting. Good to know stuff. Something I'm also trying to look into is a good way to run a newsletter for those readers who aren't comfortable with RSS.

I've got a temporary fix I use on my website with https://feedmail.org/ but tbh I kind of worry that something might happen to the platform and I'll have no access to my mailing list to migrate elsewhere.

Easy RSS-to-Email Service - FeedMail

Get updates from your favourite sites by email. The latest news, directly to your email.

Show threadRootHostsMar 24
@shadow53 @riverpunk Hey! We actually provide hosting for both WordPress and static sites, including email, free TLS certificates, and no need to manage DNS.
Show threadRiverMar 24

@roothosts @shadow53 Are there any output or subscriber limits for your email at the Start tier? Also curious if you have any resources on how a static site might use your email services?

Thank you so much for the reply, your pricing seems fairly reasonable.

Show threadRootHostsMar 24

@riverpunk @shadow53

Regarding email on the Start tier of our Web/Shared hosting, you can create up to 2 email accounts.

As for static sites, there’s nothing special required — even a simple index.html counts as a static website and can be hosted with us. To send emails from a static site, you need to use a custom domain. If you don’t have one, we can provide an email address using our domain.

Show threadShadow53Mar 24
@roothosts @riverpunk Definitely recommend using your own domain for anything you want to keep around for a while
Show threadShadow53Mar 24
@riverpunk If you want a standard blog, maybe @write_as is an option for you? It's paid only right now, but IIRC has good ActivityPub integration?
Show threadRiverMar 24

@shadow53 I've seen write.as, it's interesting. Too simple for my taste. I want my website to actually look like something. I'm a big fan of playing with HTML templates.

I want to be able to create the whole site + template, and then give a login to somebody less technical and they're able to edit text and create posts on the site.