Deciding to use Drupal as your CMS of choice is a great decision. It’s open source, extremely customizable, and search engines like it. Now you have to find a Drupal web hosting company to fit your needs. Here are five things to consider when choosing a Drupal web host.
1. Does the Web Host Have Proper Support for a Drupal Installation?
In this case, “support” represents two different things. The first thing is the platform. Make sure that the web hosting account you choose has the actual equipment and software to support a Drupal installation. Drupal requires the following:
• An Apache, Nginx, or Microsoft IIS web server
• At least 15 megabytes of disk space
• PHP support
• MySQL or other database support
The more recent the version of Drupal, the more recent the versions of PHP and database software you require. In most cases, if the web host offers Drupal, then it likely meets the requirements.
I would check which versions the web host offers, and match it against the requirements from the official Drupal site to be sure. Even better, you can look for hosts that fine-tune the database and PHP settings specifically for Drupal.
The second kind of support you are looking for is tech support. If something goes wrong with your Drupal installation or if there are any problems, you want a host that can actually help you. Just because a web host offers Drupal, it does not mean it can help you troubleshoot Drupal related issues.
There is a lot of documentation online, but sometimes it’s far easier, and quicker, to just speak with your web host and see if they have a solution for you. So make sure the host you choose has a knowledgeable team.
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