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Thread: PHPBB3 hosting

  1. #1

    PHPBB3 hosting

    I need paid hosting for my phpbb3 forum, but I'm a little unsure on some things. Like, until recently I didn't know you need MySQL.

    So anyway, what I'd really like to know is what the hosting requirements for an average phpbb3 forum are. And if someone could figure out how much my forum in particular would need, that'd be fantastic.

    At that point I'd love to hear recommendations for hosts, packages etc

    To start with it'd be great if someone could give me an estimate on how much bandwidth I use (I can't find this out myself as I'm on a free forum).

    Total posts 42605 | Total topics 4601 | Total members 696

    It's been going over a year so obviously it's not the most busy forum on the net, but it's growing and I'd like a little extra space/bandwidth etc.

    I'd be surprised if forums ever take up much web space, so I don't think that's an issue. At 1&1 for instance, the cheapest package with MySQL has 4GB webspace.

    One thing I'm confused about, though, is that the MySQL databases are small in comparison. On said package it's 100MB. Is that the actual limit to the amount of space the forum can take up and is that enough?

    Bandwidth allocation is 40GB on the package. From what I've heard that's enough but confirmation would be great.

    Finally, is it better to use a host from your own country?

    Anyway, yeah, I'd better stop rambling. Any help would be appreciated
    Thanks in advance!
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  2. #2
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    You will want a host that does not limit their MySQL database sizes as this will mean your community will be limited in it's ability to grow on that plan.

    Really, it depends how many users you have online, if you have over 60-70 it's time to look for a VPS or semi-dedicated, however this limit will change depending on what host you use. In terms of space though, forums take up very little unless you are hosting high quality images and videos.

    MySQL is a database system, you don't have to use it with phpBB as it supports several, but you will need one of the database systems it supports. Most web hosts should be able to provide this to you with their package.
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  3. #3
    Eh... there is no reason a hosting provider should limit your MySQL database size nor put a limit on the number of MySQL databases you should have. Those are silly limits and by placing these limits, it's an obvious sign the provider is just out to make a quick extra few $$$. Most providers just take your MySQL database usage and put it into the total space used.

    Hosting with a provider in your country shouldn't matter. If you're hosting in the USA and you are outside of the USA, you should still be fine. Latency will be a little higher, but latency does not really effect regular websites/forums as much as it does web radio/voice/video streaming. Hosting anywhere on a strong network will be fine for your forum.

    Any cPanel+PHP5+MySQL+Lunux provider (most of webhostingtalk lol) should be able to match your needs.

    I'd recommend signing up for a providers smallest plan, and upgrade as you need to, which should end up saving you a bit of money

    Best of luck on your search.
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  4. #4
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    Forums can take lot of resources on cpu. You might need a Dedicated Server. Dont reply here saying your account was suspended because of forum hosting just saying.
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  5. #5
    Thanks for the replies!

    Hmm okay should I disregard 1&1 then? Even their most expensive package only allows 100MB MySQL databases, so if my forum were to grow to the point where I needed more, simply upgrading wouldn't do any good, right?
    Is it posts that take up most database space? How many does a forum tend to have when it hits 100MB?

    Number of users online - well we hit our peak today actually - 43 (previous highest was 42 in October). Not very high but that's good in the sense that it'll cost me less hehe

    On any given day we have between 5 and 10 users online when the site's at its quietest, going up to around 20-30 at precise moments (our board is based around first-come-first-served codes - most people subscribe to email notifications for these so whenever we have more than 20 users online its because of that).

    Our current hosts don't allow us to host any attachments, so we use photobucket and youtube etc, so that's no problem.

    And wouldn't it be best to have MySQL though? Like I say, I have no idea what it means/does but from what I've heard its what most people use.

    OK I think I'm comfortable to start looking at hosts - I see there are some that many of you like, but is there any in particular with a good reputation for forums?

    Ideally I'd like a UK site (guess where me and my members are from!), hence why I was looking at 1and1's uk site. The annoying thing with their website is its hard to tell which packages are Shared, VPS, or Dedicated. It's even harder cos I don't really understand the terms haha. Anyway, AquariusADMIN, when you say I should sign up for a host's smallest plan, surely 1&1's wouldn't suffice? (I can't link to it but it's not hard to find) I'm not gonna sign up to them after your advice on MySQL databases, but I was thinking I'd need around the size of the Business package for its bandwidth, regardless of the MySQL database I thought I needed.

    Anyway, thanks again!
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  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Jatt5 View Post
    Forums can take lot of resources on cpu. You might need a Dedicated Server. Dont reply here saying your account was suspended because of forum hosting just saying.
    Now don't listen to this guy. That's not very helpful advice. You SURELY don't need a dedicated server for your small forum.

    2-3GB of space and 40-60GB of bandwidth should be plenty to start out with. At any point in time that you start creeping up on these limits, a good provider will pro rate you with your permission to the next highest plan.

    Reviews on 1&1 leave a little nasty taste in most peoples mouth.
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  7. #7
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    1&1 do limit all their databases to 100mb and I believe you would be past that on your forum, so yes I'd avoid 1&1.

    Posts will take up a lot of space if they are large posts, but many things can take up lots of space. Private Messages, user profiles, all take up an amount of space in a database.

    MySQL is a good system to use as it's free, open source and supported by many web hosts. It's also a very fast system, so is great for dynamic websites.

    I suggest you do a thorough back up of your forums and request that your host manually import the SQL data into the database. Using phpBB3's in built system can be problematic, especially for large forums.

    I really don't think you are going to take up much space with your forums though, you should get along fine with around 5gb of space and 50gb of bandwidth. If you contact a host, they might allow you to test the waters and give you an account with the highest limits, then downgrade you if it turns out you don't need it.
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  8. #8
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    I don't think you will have any problems in finding a host, your needsa are nothing big, standard shared hosting can do you .

    Like others said, I'd stay away from hosts which limit your MYSQL database sizes, this is often to limit how people can use their hosting (like unlimited providers which limit by certain things!)

    For you going to 1&1 for the basis of them being in the UK, I don't think that it matters too much at all. Websites still respond fast when they are overseas such as in the US to the UK in general. I always get fast speeds off most US sites, although I'm in the UK too. The only thing location matters is on things which response times rely on, such as VOIP and game servers.

    Good luck in finding your host,
    Sam
    ClanDrive Hosting | The No Fuss Webhost
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  9. #9
    Thanks - you guys are great!
    I hadn't realised that I might need as much as 60gb bandwidth...best to get a good amount to be safe I suppose, though like you say the good hosts allow you to change packages...
    Coldkill, thanks for your advice on transferring my site. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to start from scratch since my current (free) hosts disable various of the more advanced admin abilities including backing up the database and I have no FTP access... I can't contact them either... which sucks, but hey, it's free.

    Anyway, I shall now root through this site looking for the best host for me - UK-based or not!

    Thank you all!
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  10. #10
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    It's a shame that you can't transfer the forum to "proper" host.

    What is the free provider you are using at current?
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  11. #11
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    I think 60gb is a bit much to be honest. You would probably be fine with 20-30gb. You said you aren't hosting any large files such as pictures or videos, so all that is going to be transferred from your site is plain text and small images from your skin. That means you are going to use next to no bandwidth. It's only when you start hosting your own files that you will need more space.
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  12. #12
    Yes, it is a shame, but its something I've known about since I first created my site, so I've been able to do preparation.

    I bought a few domains 6 months ago or so, effectively establishing a brand. I couldn't use the domains with the site properly (I could only point them at the site's real address) but whenever I link to the site I give one of the domains and I even put it on the logo. All I'll need to do is move the domains to the new site and the transition will be a lot easier!

    I'm hoping the hosts stay active in the future. I'd like to be able to link back to the old site and call it an archive, but the host is having lots of problems recently and I don't know if that's a possibility. All I know is I need to get the new site while the current one is still active.

    Oh, and to answer your question, it's PHPBB3NOW. Apart from the recent troubles and the limitations it has, it's actually been a rather excellent place.
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  13. #13
    Thanks Coldkill! I don't think we will be hosting any files (there's nothing in particular that calls for it!) so if we keep our bandwidth that low it'd be fantastic. I will see if I can make an arrangement with a host to see if I can start off around that level and go higher if needs be...
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  14. #14
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    Happy to help. Many people don't realise that forums don't really require a lot of bandwidth as it's just a bunch of text. Until you get into the thousands of users and concurrent connections (ie Web Hosting Talk), your requirements will remain pretty low.
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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by AquariusADMIN View Post
    Now don't listen to this guy. That's not very helpful advice. You SURELY don't need a dedicated server for your small forum.

    2-3GB of space and 40-60GB of bandwidth should be plenty to start out with. At any point in time that you start creeping up on these limits, a good provider will pro rate you with your permission to the next highest plan.

    Reviews on 1&1 leave a little nasty taste in most peoples mouth.
    Dont you understand English dont mind. I said Maybe he needs a Dedicated Server if his site becomes Popular. And how is my advise not helpfull. Its the most helpfull advice. Because i have seen hosts suspend accounts if the site gets large hits even if its a Forum Site.
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coldkill View Post
    Happy to help. Many people don't realise that forums don't really require a lot of bandwidth as it's just a bunch of text. Until you get into the thousands of users and concurrent connections (ie Web Hosting Talk), your requirements will remain pretty low.

    Actually forums require to much resource on cpu expecially vbulletin board.
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  17. #17
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    It's a case of picking a host that can accommodate your needs and not going for bargain basement stuff. Moving up the upgrade path too quickly is just a way to waste money.
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  18. #18
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    Yeah, you'll just have to make sure you get all your important stickies and similar off . It doesn't seem like that provider has been too active in development or update the past year either They removed their backup feature a while back.
    ClanDrive Hosting | The No Fuss Webhost
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  19. #19
    If you are experiencing a sustained amount of concurrent traffic, more than 10 or so users on the site at once, regularly (a decent number of concurrent users on the site), I'd recommend you go to something a bit more than a standard shared hosted. Otherwise, your visitors are going to hate you in the long run. Site load times will be crappy at peak hours and maybe even non-peak hours depending on how taxed the server is and what kind of resource usage your site is actually seeing. A "semi-dedicated" plan or maybe even a cheap VPS would probably be your best bet. I would definitely not recommend 1&1 as a "fast and reliable" forum hosting provider.

    Do you not have access to any traffic stats whatsoever? You should be able to get a pretty good idea of your hosting requirements by watching it's traffic over the last few months. Is the site fast and reliable?
    Last edited by chaseideas; 06-17-2009 at 08:51 PM.
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  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by chaseideas View Post
    If you have more than 10 or so users on the site at once (a decent number of concurrent users on the site), on average, I'd recommend you go to something a bit more than a standard shared hosted. Otherwise, your visitors are going to hate you in the long run. Site load times will be crappy at peak hours and maybe even non-peak hours depending on how taxed the server is and what kind of resource usage your site is actually seeing.
    are you sure about that? I have seen forums with 50+ users on at a time with no issues as long as theres no major addons
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  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by darkeden View Post
    are you sure about that? I have seen forums with 50+ users on at a time with no issues as long as theres no major addons
    During peak hours, on a cheap shared host? And it wasn't crawling?? Not to disagree with you, but I somehow doubt that.
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  22. #22
    Also, phpBB is a resource hog, it always has been, they'll readily admit that. There are several cache options available from what I remember. I haven't used it in a couple years, since v2.
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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jatt5 View Post
    Actually forums require to much resource on cpu expecially vbulletin board.
    Bulletin Boards do require more CPU than static websites, however, if you are with a good provider, they should be able to accommodate you. There is no reason to move up the upgrade path before your site is ready, it is just wasting money.

    Quote Originally Posted by chaseideas View Post
    If you are experiencing a sustained amount of concurrent traffic, more than 10 or so users on the site at once, regularly (a decent number of concurrent users on the site), I'd recommend you go to something a bit more than a standard shared hosted.
    Again, 10 is nothing in terms of website usage, dynamic site or not. If you go with a decent provider, they should be able to handle up to around 60-70 concurrent users at any one time. However, if you go with a bargain basement provider that overloads their servers, you are not going to be able to support that many concurrent users.

    Quote Originally Posted by chaseideas View Post
    Also, phpBB is a resource hog, it always has been, they'll readily admit that. There are several cache options available from what I remember. I haven't used it in a couple years, since v2.
    Version 3 has brought about many improvements, especially in load, but there are other forum systems which are less resource intensive.
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  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by chaseideas View Post
    Also, phpBB is a resource hog, it always has been, they'll readily admit that. There are several cache options available from what I remember. I haven't used it in a couple years, since v2.
    yes you havent used it in a couple years. I was using a free host on my forum and it ran fine. unless things have changed since i last used it..




    to the op I would reccomend mddhosting. when your forum starts using a large amount of resources you can upgrade to semi dedicated
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  25. #25
    mddhosting looks interesting... do they do easy upgrades?

    I'm also looking at Hawk Host, though I fear they're the "bargain basement" type Coldkill is talking about...
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