Hello,

I am planning to get a hosting account. Shared or Dedicated Server. Just make some suggestions what host would be the best way to create a file hosting site? How much does bandwidth of a package require to create a file hosting site?

Robert

I wouldn't go with any of the companies that are massively overselling, as they usually have problems with file hosts ... mainly because they ARE going to use a little more of the allocated space, which would be a problem for them.

Yeah..
A file hosting service is usally very demanding both in HDD space and bandwidth.

For a file hosting site you will absolutely need a dedicated server (probably several). You should try to get a deal with the provider enabling you to easily scale bandwidth to your need.

If not dedicated you would atleast need to go with a vps. Shared hosting is not suited for your needs and as stated above you will find alot of shared hosts massively oversell.

I agree with going to a dedicated one. But what will be the minimum bandwidth should I have? LOL.

But what will be the minimum bandwidth should I have?

Doesn't that depend on your service's popularity?

Anyway, for simple file hosting, I guess the aim should be for as much as possible. If you were hosting forums, the data transfer you get would count little, and the server specifications would count a lot more.

Start with the smallest plan and see how it's going, upgrade when you need it.

If you want to PM me details, maybe I can give you a rough estimate on how much space / bandwidth youll need.

For the most part though, like someone said, it all depends on your site popularity. Obviously sites like download.com requires multiple clusters of servers to provide what they do but if your just starting out, you will be able to just start off a single server without it bogging down to much.

There is separate kind of web hosting "file web hosting".
I think that SEs know about that.

It depends on how popular you think it will be. You could try a Shared Host to start with, and then move onto a Dedicated Server.

A shared hosting service will probably not accept a "file host" on their servers.

Check filefactory.com, they offer free file and video hosting.

If it's cheap space you need, you could check out amazon S3.

filehosting site will need huge space and bandwidth requirements. You will need multiple servers, if you grow to a reasonable size. not easy to monitize to cover the costs, so make sure that you know what you are doing.

hostgator is best IMHO..very cheap and you get so much in return!

Why not use amazon s3. go to aws.amazon.com
They charge you 15 cents for a gig storage and 17 cents for a gig of bandwidth. That is cheap and pownce uses it.

Hey Robert,

You will need your own dedicated server if your going to have your own file hosting site. Again just like everyone else said, how much bandwith you need depends on your sites popularity. Its best to start small and slowly build up as demand increases.

Best Regards,

I think not all hosts allow file hosting on their servers, as this means very small bandwidth consumption, so if you decide to go for a shared plan, check host's TOS.
You may consider GlobalTap.com, they seem to allow file hosting.

Originally Posted by delighted

For a file hosting site you will absolutely need a dedicated server (probably several). You should try to get a deal with the provider enabling you to easily scale bandwidth to your need.

If he just started with his file host or want to start 1 he better buy a VPS.
He has to build a reputation first. Ppl get to know his file host service etc. No need for a Dedicated server yet.