If you're a graphic designer, you know how important it is to have a reliable web hosting provider. After all, your portfolio and online presence are key to attracting clients and showcasing your work. That's why I decided to try out Niagahoster, an Indonesian web hosting provider that claims to offer fast and reliable service at an affordable price. In this review, I'll share my experience with purchasing hosting from Niagahoster and give you my honest opinion on whether it's a good choice for graphic designers.
Before I dive into the details, let me give you a quick overview of what Niagahoster offers. They have a range of hosting plans, including shared hosting, cloud hosting, and VPS hosting. Their prices are quite affordable, with plans starting at just Rp. 19,000 per month (that's about $1.30 USD). They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try out their service risk-free.
Choosing the Right Plan
Before you can purchase hosting from Niagahoster, you'll need to choose the right plan for your needs. This can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you're not familiar with all the technical jargon that hosting providers use. Here's a breakdown of the different types of hosting that Niagahoster offers:
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most basic type of hosting, and it's usually the most affordable. With shared hosting, your website shares a server with other websites. This can sometimes lead to slower load times and less reliability, especially if one of the other websites on the server gets a lot of traffic. However, for most small to medium-sized websites, shared hosting is perfectly adequate.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is a newer type of hosting that uses multiple servers to host your website. This can make your website more reliable and faster, since it can automatically switch to a different server if one goes down. Cloud hosting is also more scalable, which means it can handle sudden spikes in traffic better than shared hosting. However, it's also more expensive.
VPS Hosting
VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is a step up from shared hosting. With VPS hosting, your website still shares a server with other websites, but you get your own section of the server that's completely isolated from the other websites. This means you have more control over your hosting environment and can customize it to your needs. VPS hosting is also faster and more reliable than shared hosting, but it's more expensive.
Signing Up for Niagahoster
Once you've chosen the right hosting plan for your needs, it's time to sign up for Niagahoster. The process is pretty straightforward, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
Domain Name
First, you'll need to choose a domain name for your website. Niagahoster offers domain registration as well as hosting, so you can purchase your domain name directly from them. If you already have a domain name, you can transfer it to Niagahoster or just use it with your new hosting account.
Payment Options
Niagahoster offers several payment options, including bank transfer, credit card, and PayPal. Keep in mind that some payment methods may not be available in your country. If you're not sure which payment method to choose, I recommend using PayPal, since it's the most secure and widely accepted.
Control Panel
After you've signed up for Niagahoster, you'll be given access to your control panel. This is where you can manage your hosting account, install software, and upload files to your website. Niagahoster uses cPanel, which is a popular and user-friendly control panel that's easy to navigate.
Installing WordPress
If you're a graphic designer, chances are you'll want to use WordPress to build your website. Luckily, Niagahoster makes it easy to install WordPress with just a few clicks.
Softaculous
Niagahoster uses Softaculous, a popular software installer, to make it easy to install WordPress and other software on your hosting account. To install WordPress, just log in to your control panel, click on the Softaculous icon, and choose WordPress from the list of available software. Follow the prompts to install WordPress, and you'll be up and running in no time.
Manual Installation
If you prefer to install WordPress manually, Niagahoster also provides step-by-step instructions on their website. This method is a bit more complicated, but it gives you more control over the installation process.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I've been quite impressed with Niagahoster's hosting service. Their prices are affordable, their service is reliable, and their control panel is easy to use. If you're a graphic designer looking for a hosting provider, I would definitely recommend giving Niagahoster a try. Just make sure to choose the right hosting plan for your needs, and don't forget to install WordPress using Softaculous or manual installation.
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable pricing | Customer support can be slow |
| Reliable service | Some features (like backups) cost extra |
| Easy-to-use control panel | Limited server locations |