Scaleway (https://www.scaleway.com/en/web-hosting) is a European cloud service provider that is known for providing its services at a very competitive price. On doing a quick comparison with Amazon Lightsail (https://aws.amazon.com/lightsail), it appears at least in this niche, Scaleway fails to compete with Amazon Lightsail in providing cheap web hosting. However within their starting subscription cost of 5.99 Euro per month, they are providing one email hosting, a feature not available with Amazon Lightsail with its starting price of 3.50$ per month.
Optimize cost for WordPress sites hosted on AWS Lightsail using free Plesk Web Admin edition
Optmize cost for WordPress sites hosted on AWS Lightsail using free Plesk Web Admin edition
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Managed WordPress hosting: Nexcess vs. AWS Lightsail – Making an informed choice
When it comes to hosting your WordPress website, choosing the right hosting provider is crucial for ensuring optimal performance, security, and ease of management.
In this article, we will compare two popular hosting services: Nexcess and AWS Lightsail, to help you make an informed choice.
Nexcess is a managed WordPress hosting service that offers a convenient and hassle-free way to host your WordPress site, as they handle essential tasks like server setup, maintenance, security, and backups, allowing you to focus on your website’s content and growth.
AWS Lightsail provides pre-configured blueprints specifically designed for WordPress, making it effortless to set up a WordPress instance with just a few clicks. These blueprints include the necessary software, configurations, and settings to get your WordPress site up and running quickly.
Nexcess
Nexcess is a well-known managed hosting provider that specializes in hosting WordPress sites and other applications. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Nexcess has built a reputation for reliable and high-performance hosting solutions. Here are some key features of Nexcess managed WordPress hosting:
- Performance Optimization: Nexcess employs advanced technologies like server-side caching, content delivery networks (CDNs), and PHP optimization to ensure fast loading times and excellent website performance.
- Scalability: Nexcess offers scalable hosting plans, allowing your website to handle traffic spikes and grow as your business expands.
- Automatic Backups: Regular automated backups are included with Nexcess hosting, ensuring that your website’s data is safe and can be restored in case of any issues.
- Security: Nexcess takes website security seriously, providing features like free SSL certificates, Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), and proactive monitoring to protect your site from threats.
- Expert Support: The Nexcess support team consists of WordPress experts available 24/7 to assist with any technical issues and provide guidance.
AWS Lightsail
AWS Lightsail is Amazon Web Services’ managed VPS service, which can be used to host WordPress sites on the AWS cloud infrastructure. Let’s explore some key features of AWS Lightsail:
- Ease of Use: AWS Lightsail is designed for users who are new to cloud hosting. It offers a user-friendly interface with pre-configured options to launch WordPress instances quickly.
- Predictable Pricing: With AWS Lightsail, you get flat-rate pricing, which includes the server, storage, data transfer, and other costs, providing cost predictability for your hosting expenses.
- Scalability: While Lightsail does offer some level of scalability, it may not be as flexible as other AWS services like EC2, making it more suitable for smaller or straightforward projects.
- Integration with AWS Ecosystem: As part of AWS, Lightsail can easily integrate with other AWS services, enabling you to extend your website’s functionality as needed.
- Basic Support: AWS provides basic support for Lightsail users, but access to more advanced support plans may require an additional cost.
Demo of launching a WordPress site using AWS Lightsail:
Here are the high-level steps to launch a WordPress site with Nexcess hosting:
Overview of how to make a WordPress site live with Nexcess
While not denying that Lightsail is an easy-to-use platform, launching a WordPress site requires more technical expertise using Lightsail versus Nexcess. For instance you need to take a call which blueprint to use out of numerous options including WordPress by Bitnami, Plesk Hosting Stack on Ubuntu, and cPanel.
Making the Choice: Nexcess or AWS Lightsail?
Choosing between Nexcess and AWS Lightsail for managed WordPress hosting depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you value performance optimization, expert support, and a hosting provider specialized in WordPress hosting, Nexcess may be the better choice. On the other hand, if you are looking for an easy-to-use platform with predictable pricing and the ability to leverage other AWS services, AWS Lightsail could be a suitable option.
Consider factors such as your website’s traffic, scalability requirements, technical expertise, and budget when making your decision. Both providers offer solid managed hosting solutions, so whichever you choose, rest assured that your WordPress website will be in capable hands.
Hosting your first WordPress site on AWS for free for first 3 months on 5$/10$ per month plan
For hosting progannum.com, I was considering a managed WordPress plan that has a reputation of meeting mission critical needs and yet most cost effective. Out of numerous, I considered WP Engine and Nexcess given my association with them as agency and affiliate partner for my other entities. The third option which I finally opted was AWS. Given my past experience hosting WordPress sites on Amazon Lightsail using Plesk Web Admin edition, I found AWS the most cost effective one. While Plesk Web Admin comes free with a Lightsail instance, more managed features can be activated by pro Plesk subscription. On the downside, there will be limited support from both AWS and Plesk unlike WP Engine and Nexcess where you get 24×7 customer support and true managed WordPress environment with few clicks, easy install of WordPress site.
Reading ratings/reviews on Trustpilot is a great way to leverage experience from past and present customers about a brand. Unlike the likes of G2 and Capterra where paid reviews lead to a bias, Trustpilot appears far more trustworthy.
WPEngine has its one site WordPress managed hosting plan starting from 30$ when paid monthly (keeping aside initial discounts). With Nexcess, it is 19$ per month.
Initially I contemplated applying for AWS Activate Founders Credit.
But as could be seen later in the screenshots, not approved. The reason should be I had already availed AWS Activate Founders Credit for one of my other entities in 2020 being granted 1350$ AWS credit (1,000 USD in AWS credits, valid for two years, and $350 USD in AWS Developer Support credits valid for one year).
Registering for an AWS account
Applying for AWS Activate
Launching WordPress site on Lightsail @5$ per month plan with first 3 months free making use of Plesk Web Admin option (free version)
The free Lighsail instance that is provided for 3 months is apparently for one AWS account, one instance. As could be seen from the screenshots above, I was not allowed to activate 10$ plan and instead asked to get in touch with the AWS Support. As I raised a ticket, I received a phone call over which the AWS Support agent enquired about the no. of instances I am planning to use. He further said that for one user, they allow one free instance and that he will help activate 10$ plan. As I already in the meantime activated 5$ plan, I was told that for this AWS account, it will not be possible now to revert to the free 10$ plan trial of 3 months. If indeed I needed to activate 10$ AWS Lightsail plan (with initial 3 months free), then I might need to register a fresh AWS account. I decided to continue with the 5$ plan.
Interesting to note is that each AWS Lightsail instance launched on Plesk hosting stack (Plesk Web Admin edition) allows 3 WordPress websites. So with a 5$ per month AWS Lightsail plan, you can have 3 WordPress sites up and running. Obviously you will need to upgrade your AWS Lightsail instance from 5$ per month to higher in case memory and resources exhausted.
Once AWS Lighsail instance activated with Plesk Hosting Stack, next process is to move to Plesk dashboard and from there launch WordPress instance.
Here is the process explained in my earlier articles:
- Plesk Hosting Stack on Ubuntu: 3 websites under one instance with plans starting 5$ per month on Amazon Lightsail and a demo of migration with free Migrate Guru plugin
- Managing multiple WordPress websites under one AWS Lightsail hosting plan through Plesk
Also by upgrading your Plesk Web Admin edition, you can get more managed WordPress features and upto 30 domains (websites) instead of 3 domains.
Read our review about AWS Lightsail and Plesk here on TrustRadius: AWS Lightsail: Highly recommended for launching WordPress websites
Although AWS Activate credit was not approved, within few days of opening the AWS account received an email of offer of 300$ AWS credit. This should be more than sufficient to avail AWS Lightsail hosting for free for the WordPress site for more than 12 months of their 5$/10$ per month plan.
Plesk Obsidian on Ubuntu (Web Admin Edition SE – FREE): Lightsail performance appears better than EC2
Initially, launched a couple of instances on AWS Lightsail of Plesk Obsidian on Ubuntu (Web Admin Edition SE – FREE). The results were satisfactory. If there is an issue with the scarcity of memory resources manifesting in the slow loading of websites, you can upgrade. This is unlike on EC2 wherein you suddenly lose access to Plesk admin dashboard as well as WordPress admin dashboard.
When the 3 sites were of small sizes with less than 10 blog posts, I lose access apparently because of lack of free space.
The same outcome followed despite the content of the websites remaining the same while upgrading instance types from t3.small to t3a.medium and finally m5a.large in the course of few days.
To be fair, it is clearly mentioned in the catalog:
Note: Plesk runs smoothly on a t3.micro instance for not more than 3 websites or domains with a small load. Note: In case you need the full Plesk functionality and/or larger instance types and/or more available AWS regions, please refer to the commercial Plesk AMIs on the AWS Marketplace (Web Host Editions).
If you have AWS credits and do not intend to pay a subscription fee to Plesk, going with this same Plesk Obsidian on Ubuntu (Web Admin Edition SE – FREE) on Lightsail instead of EC2 works better by my experience.
Plesk Hosting Stack on Ubuntu: 3 websites under one instance with plans starting 5$ per month on Amazon Lightsail and a demo of migration with free Migrate Guru plugin
Launch three websites after creating a Plesk Ubuntu instance on AWS Lightsail with plans starting at 5$ per month. This post will also include a demo of migration of an existing WordPress here using Migrate Guru plugin.
In case you intend to connect with FTP for files access, make sure to open ports 20-22, 49152-65535 under Networking. They are blocked by default. I have opened them as intend to migrate another WordPress instance/website to this using Migrate Guru plugin that needs FTP details as part of migration process.
Update A records of the domain name under DNS. For this demo, NameCheap.
From WordPress menu, install a fresh WordPress instance.
Migrating to the above WordPress instance using free Migrate Guru plugin
Will be using FTP option.
In the Directory Path field, first check in which directory wpconfig.php file located. If within httpdocs, then under Directory Path enter httpdocs (Directory path for WordPress site migration to Plesk using Migrator Guru plugin).
For destination URL, entering https://digitalsplendid.work as SSL activated earlier from the Plesk dashboard.
One of the hurdles I faced while migrating from a Bitnami application (under AWS Lightsail) is inability to add new plugins with this error message:
Installation failed: Download failed. Destination directory for file streaming does not exist or is not writable.
Here is the solution:
So, I address this issue for digitalsplendid.xyz.
Made a search with “Bitnami” on wp-config.php file and removed the line that has a code starting with define. After that, I could upload new plugins (as well update existing plugins).
You can upgrade Lightsail instances seamlessly, downgrade possible but not a one click process
We started with 5$ per month plan (cheapest plan for Plesk Ubuntu). Not surprisingly, once three WordPress websites live and contents posted, there will be resource issues. Refer this on how to upgrade: https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center/change-lightsail-plan/