Should You Host Your Site At Home?

James Rolfe – better known as the Angry Video Game Nerd – recently had a bit of a hosting problem.

His host couldn’t keep up with demand, so he decided to host his website at home.

Home hosting can work in some cases – but is it right for everyone?

Home Hosting: What You Need

Rolfe’s new setup is actually a very good example of what it takes to run a website from home.

(Some NSFW language)

You’ll need the following:

A server. Rolfe uses two, one for the web server and one for the database. You can probably get by with one.
A good connection. Most home connections can’t provide the upstream bandwidth you’ll need. You need a special connection.
Networking and security equipment. Routers and firewalls, basically.
Power backups. Rolfe uses batteries. You can also use generators.
Data backups. External hard drives or secondary servers.
Expertise. You’re pretty much on your own with this setup.

In Rolfe’s setup, for example, the servers alone cost about $1,500 each, so this isn’t a cheap way to host a site (if you do it properly).

But for very high capacity sites, it might be justifiable.

Also, if you’re technically savvy, it is easier and faster to work on a computer when its local to you, so that’s a small pro as well.

If you don’t incur hosting bills higher than the cost of leading a dedicated internet connection, then DIY hosting isn’t worthwhile.

There are other considerations, too:

Datacenters have multiple backups, multiple connections, multiple power systems and staff to help out.
Real web hosting means having a helping hand with the heavy lifting.
DIY hosting could have unexpected consequences, such as higher power bills, spare parts and upgrades.