Hosting options for DropBox - TylerWeinbender/DropBox-Sites GitHub Wiki

#Hosting options for DropBox #####A collection of websites that offer hosting via DropBox public folders.

###Introduction

DropBox has rapidly grown in size, and is one of the most popular cloud storage option for many people, both educational and professional. Recently, people have been hosting prototypes of their websites on DropBox, and using a secondary site to register a domain that mirrors to a specific public folder in DropBox. This is great for giving a client a quick glimpse of a website, before it is finalized and hosted. There are many websites that offer this service, and each has it's pros and cons listed below.

The websites were tested with this website, which contains a fair amount of average sized images, as well as jQuery transition, and CSS animations.

###The Sites

The following list contains the website that were reviewed during this trial.

###DropBox.com

Oddly enough, DropBox actually offers its own form of website hosting that is directly built into the app.

#####How it works

  1. Create a new folder within your Public folder within DropBox.
  2. Upload your main html page (usually index.html).
  3. Upload your CSS, IMG, and JS folders into the directory that you created.
  4. Right click on the primary html file within DropBox, and select Copy public link.
  5. The website link is now copied to your clipboard! Share away!

#####Pros

  • Since this feature is already within DropBox, it is presumably the quickest method to host a website.
  • Does not involve a third party website.
  • Free!
  • Making changes to files is simple and fast.

#####Cons

  • Slow to load images and transitions.
  • Ugly URL However, you can fix this by using a short link service.
  • Public files.
  • Does not allow for custom URLs.
  • Limited bandwidth.

#####Final Thoughts

The internal hosting service provided by DropBox is a quick way to host your prototype. That being said, it is not the best option for presenting a website to a client for review. The URL is distracting, and the images and/or animations may not load as fast as your client desires.

###Site44.com

One of the most popular options, Site44.com is one of the most ideal options for hosting a website off DropBox. They offer free plans, as well as paid plans that allow for more bandwidth.

#####How it works

  1. Use the public folder that we created earlier (see previous).
  2. Navigate to Site44.com. Sign in and allow it access to your DropBox.
  3. Once in, click Create a new website and enter a name for your site under a site44.com domain.
  4. In DropBox, find the Apps folder and then locate the folder named site44, and then the folder named after your site.
  5. Inside this folder, there is an index.html file. Replace it with your own index, as well as CSS, IMG, and JS folders.
  6. Once your files are uploaded, check your site44 domain!

#####Pros

  • Professional service
  • Clean looking default URLs.
  • Custom URLs available.
  • Free!
  • Paid service available, allows for more bandwidth and traffic to your site.
  • Does not operate from DropBox public folder.

#####Cons

  • Paid service gets very expensive compared to Shared Hosting options such as NameCheap.com
  • First come first serve for website names. Good luck getting popular names.
  • Creates its own folder within your Apps folder inside DropBox.
  • Load speeds not up to par.
  • Free service only allows for X amount of visits before it removes the site and forces you to pay.

#####Final Thoughts

Site44 is very clean and great if you want a custom name. They offer unique domain names, and true hosting for a price. When you make a change inside DropBox, your Site44 page is automatically updated. Overall, Site44 brings the most to the table compared to the other options.

###DropPages.com

DropPages is another popular choice when it comes to web hosting via DropBox. They follow practically the same method that Site44 (see above) does, and offer close to the same services.

#####How it works

  1. Navigate your web browser to DropPages.com and sign in via DropBox. Give them permission to access your DropBox if prompted.
  2. Once you arrive at the Account page, click Create a new site
  3. Chose a name for your site.
  4. In DropBox, find the Apps folder and then locate the folder named My.DropPAges, and then the folder named after your site.
  5. Inside this folder, there is an index.html file. Replace it with your own index, as well as CSS, IMG, and JS folders.
  6. Once your files are uploaded, check your DropPages domain!

#####Pros

  • Clean looking default URLs.
  • Custom URLs available.
  • Free! (Up to 50MB)
  • Paid service available, allows for more bandwidth and traffic to your site.
  • Does not operate from DropBox public folder.
  • Loads faster than competitors.

#####Cons

  • Paid service gets very expensive compared to Shared Hosting options such as NameCheap.com
  • First come first serve for website names. Good luck getting popular names.
  • Creates its own folder within your Apps folder inside DropBox.
  • Load speeds not up to par.
  • Free service only allows for up to 50MB amount of data before it removes the site and prompts you to pay.

#####Final Thoughts

DropPages is very similar to Site44. They both offer identical services, and are quick and efficient. DropPages seems to allow for more bandwidth before they prompt you to pay, but that was not confirmed during testing.

###Pancake.io

Pancake.io allows you to publish from Dropbox straight to the web. It offers themes, and allows you to view files such as PDF, Excel, and Word documents. It's a nice feature that they clearly state, whereas other options do not mention it, or offer it in some cases.

#####How it works

  1. Head on over to Pancake.io
  2. Create an Account with Pancake.io in order to begin hosting.
  3. Pick your domain name.
  4. Inside your Apps folder in DropBox, find the Pancake.io one, and then the site that you created.
  5. Upload your files, as well as your IMG, CSS, and JS folders if need be.
  6. That's it! Check your domain to see how it looks.

#####Pros

  • Lets you view files such as PDF, Word, and Excel documents from the webpage. This is handy!
  • Can upgrade to allow for more bandwidth.
  • Simple files like .txt work with Pancake.io
  • Gives you a sweet recipe for Dutch Pancakes.
  • Offer several themes.

#####Cons

  • You have to make an account. This is a major downfall.
  • Limited free bandwidth.
  • Their website is a little confusing.
  • Load speeds were bad for this test, however others have reported the opposite.
  • Not a huge issue, but the domain is a .io

#####Final Thoughts

Pancake.io is a tough decision. They let you view PDF, Word, and Excel documents which can be very handy on the client side, but the downfall of having to create an account in order to use their services out weighs many of the pros. Pancake.io is unique compared to the other options, and may be fit your needs better.

###KISSr.com

KISSr.com is probably the simplest hosting service to use. They offer a range of videos to help guide you through the process, and offer support as well. Their homepage is very clean, and their services are free to use.

#####How it works

  1. On their homepage, located at KISSr.com, enter a website name.
  2. Click on the Try it! button.
  3. Inside your DropBox, find the Apps folder, the KISSr folder inside, and finally your site folder.
  4. Update the content inside of your folder, and create CSS, IMG, and JS folders if need be.
  5. Check your domain, everything should be good.

#####Pros

  • Very simple to use.
  • Totally free.
  • Nice looking URLs.
  • FAQ, other options, and guides are all linked on their homepage.
  • Quick loading.

#####Cons

  • Paid services are not available, yet.
  • JS animations did not load on the first attempt during this testing.
  • Limited website names available.

#####Final Thoughts

KISSr is very nice if you're new to web design and need a quick and informative option to hosting via DropBox. They don't offer in depth hosting like the other options, but everything about KISSr feels very clean and easy to use. The default URL is catchy, and the load times for images was rather fast.

###Synkee.com

Synkee is a simple web hosting solution which uses Dropbox to automatically transfer files from user's computer to a remote server without using standard tools such as FTP. Synkee offers PHP options for DropBox, and are currently the only option for PHP.

Since it is a paid service, testing was unavailable. The billing is annual, and since they have a monopoly on PHP services for DropBox, the prices may appear steep compared to Shared Hosting services that give you access to cPanel.

#####Pros

  • PHP friendly.
  • A ton of space for your site.
  • Allows for a lot of bandwidth, practically equal to Shared Hosting.
  • Decent pricing.

#####Cons

  • Spendy
  • More advanced than other options.
  • Your files are transferred off DropBox and onto a Synkee server. Sketchy

#####Final Thoughts

If you need PHP services, then Synkee is your best way to go. That's really the only reason anyone would take Synkee over the other DropBox hosting options.

###Conclusion

As mentioned, there are many options for hosting a website via DropBox. Hopefully this list gives you some insight and helps you make a choice. All of the options listed are reliable services, and are simple to use.

Hosting via DropBox is still new to the web scene. In the near future, more options will become available. For now however, hosting via DropBox is a great option during the prototyping and development stages of your website.

Dropbox Site-44 Drop Pages KISSr Synkee
Security Options ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓
Sharing Via Dropbox ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Backup Via Dropbox ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Storage Space ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Price per Year Free Free Free Free $69.99
PHP Enabled ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓