Having a Blog is not difficult as there are Platforms like Google Blogger(Sites Ending with .blogspot.com subdomain) that gives you options for Instant Blog Creation Using Your Own Google Account.In this Guide, I will be Discussing my Own Strategy to Start Your Own Website on Cloud Hosting for FREE(Yes NO CREDIT CARD Yet Enterprise Class Performance at 0 $ or 0 INR).In This Case I will be Using WordPress CMS(Content Management System) for Website Creation.
What Do You Need to Start Your Own Website on Cloud Hosting for Free
1.A Domain Name(e.g. Vivekbose.com) or a Free Domain Name
2.Hosting Account at OpenShift Origin(Free IAAS:Infrastructure as Service Provider)
Investments Needed to Start Your Own Website
Blogging is a Thriving Industry With Webmasters Spending Huge Sums for Providing Consistent Experience to Massive Followers and Visitors.It has Hefty Investments Involved Once You Plan to Hit the WARP Drive of Business.The RoI(Return on Investments are Massive As You Probably Know about Adsense Ads on various Websites With Webmasters getting as High as $50 Per Click for Getting Clicks on Ads)
As I Have Told You That This Will Be Free, So Lets Stick To Plan
- 0$ or 0 INR for Domain Name(.tk,.ga,.ml etc domains) (Domain is Free for 1 Year Atleast)[I would Suggest to use it For Educational Purpose ONLY as these free domains are generally used by Spammers)
- Cloud Hosting is Free(You can Create Upto 3 Applications for More You Have to Pay).The Greatest Advantage is Scalability & Uptime in Case of Cloud Hosting.
Domain Name for your Website
Domain Name is the Address of Your Website or Application over Internet.You can Skip this Process but You Will Get Long Ugly Looking Application URLs from Openshift which is Difficult to Remember.Getting a Top Level Domain like .com,.org,.net etc is NOT Free However You have Option to Get Free Domain Name from freenom.com.Top Level Domain Names Have Many Benefits over SEO and I Will Definitely Say you to Buy Domain Name If you are Aspiring for Long Time)
How to Get Free Domain Name for Your Website
1.Signup at Freenom.com (See the Screenshot Below)
2.After Signin Enter Name of Your Domain Name (in My Case I entered VIVEKBOSE) to checkout available domain options( In This Case .tk,.ml,.ga,.cf,.gq were free).Select Any One And Register it for 12 Months Atleast.
I am Registering it for 12 Months, Click Option Continue,Enter the Details & Click Checkout to Finalize the Domain Registration Process
OpenShift Cloud Hosting
OpenShift is Red Hat’s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that allows developers to quickly develop, host, and scale applications in a cloud environment. With OpenShift you have a choice of offerings, including online, on-premise, and open source project options.
Benefits of OpenShift Cloud Hosting
- No MONEY NO CREDIT CARD REQUIREMENT YET Superior Performance
- Million Times Better than Free Webhosting Providers who are Notorious for SUSPENDING Websites once it starts receiving traffic
- Scalable Once You Start Getting Heavy Traffic(For Starters I will Definitely Suggest OpenShift Online)
Free plan offers Virtual Containers (Gears) with 512MB RAM & 1GB WebSpace sufficient for any Newbie Blogger.
How to Start WordPress Website at Openshift
1.Go to Openshift Online & Signup (Ignore if you have signed up,Choose Free Account During Signup).
2.Signin into Account & Click Create Your First Application Now as in Screenshot
3.Under Instant App,Click WordPress 4.4 as in Screenshot
4.Under Configuring Applications, Enter Details like PUBLIC URL & Other Details,You can Enter anything it must be unique.Click Create Application it Will Take Time
After Few Minutes,You Will get The Credentials Window as shown in Screenshot Below
5.Click on the Application URL to Get WordPress Installation Screen(in This Case vivek-bose.rhcloud.com)
6.In Next Step Enter Your Website Title,Password,Username & Email ID & Click Install WordPress to Get Your New Website
Finally Your WordPress Website is Ready( Check it out visit your own Application URL in this case vivek-bose.rhcloud.com).You can Access Admin Panel via (http://siteurl/wp-login.php)
We Have Finished Installing WordPress on Open Shift Online Server.Now We Need to Map our Own Domain Name to Our Application URL
How to Use Custom URL Names for WordPress Websites at Openshift
1.Under Openshift Applications,Click Change in Order to Insert Your Own Domain Name(We Will Use Free Domain Name .tk created in FREENOM.com).If you Have Purchased Your Own Domain Name,Put it There
2. Enter Your Own Domain Name if you have it or Enter Free Domain Name Registered Earlier in Freenom.com(in This Case vivekbose.tk)
3.You Will See Successful Domain Aliasing Process in Next Screenshot
4.Now It is Time to Point OUR .TK Website to OpenShift Online.Login to Freenom.com and Go to Domain Area->Click Manage Freenom DNS[If you have Purchased Domain, Go to DNS Management of Your Domain Registrar]
5.Enter the Details of your Application URL in TARGET Field,NAME to BE WWW and Type:CNAME,Then Save it
6.Wait for DNS Propagation for nearly 3-4 Hrs and Then Hit Your Domain in Browser with URL(https://www.vivekbose.tk or your own site http://www.mysite.com)
Now We Need to Change Site URLs from Inside WordPress Administration Panel,(visit http://www.yoursite.tk/wp-login.php or in this case http://www.vivekbose.tk/wp-login.php) & enter username password.Finally go to Settings & Update Your Site URL
Finally Click Save Changes,Now You have Successfully Completed How to Start Your Own Website on Cloud Hosting For Free.You can Now Run Your WordPress Website on Openshift Online Cloud Hosting for Free Unless your Domain Expires.
Final Word on How to Start Your Own Website on Cloud Hosting For Free
I will Definitely Suggest You to Buy Top Level Domains If you Have Plans for Long Term Blogging as .tk & Free Domains have Low SEO Visibility.They are often rescinded to Other Users & can be Terminated without any reason.In School Days I often Used to use Free Domains With Free Webhosting which Used to Get Terminated after few months.But With Openshift Cloud Hosting by RED HAT,I have Finally Managed to Establish a Long Term Web Adventure with My own Domain Vivekbose.com wihout any Investments except Annual Domain Charges.
I would Explicitly Advice You to Avoid any Free Shared Webhosting Providers as these Shared Hosting Providers Suspend Your Account against Traffic Tradeoff.They allure Potential Customers for Heavy Billing in the Long Run.They Never Disclose about Throttling and Bandwidth Limitations. Free is a Simple Marketing Strategy to Convert a Potential Buyer into Long Term Customer.
However,I have Been Using Openshift Online Free Plan & Has Not Experienced any kind of trouble since migration from Free Shared Webhosting.