It is always a good idea to host a personal website. However hosting just several simple pages on a dedicated server is an over-kill (and costly) option. Here I list some web services which are incredibly cheap and reliable. I may make some guidelines later on how to use them. It costs me around HKD700 (USD 90) annually to host everything.

Or if you have any alternative choices, please give me feedback too. ;-)

Some example of what you can make…

  1. URL redirect
    • http://stackoverflow.billy.hk
    • http://linkedin.billy.hk
    • http://facebook.billy.hk
  2. Your own email server
    • jobs@billy.hk

Service List

Domain

  • http://www.gandi.net
    • I find it inexpensive to register a .hk domain with 3-year contract. I will switch to this provider once my current contract ends.

Static Page

  • https://aws.amazon.com/tw/s3/
    • Amazon S3, highly available and secure. Several MB pages cost only several cents monthly.

Dynamic Page

  • https://www.digitalocean.com
    • Digital Ocean, costs only $5 for a full functioning UNIX machine. Extremely stable.
    • This screenshot can show you the definition of a stable machine.
      • Digital Ocean Uptime

Email

  • Google Apps for Work
    • There was a loophole and it allowed a free account for one user in the domain. I am uncertain if the loophole was fixed. If not, this is the cheapest mail server option.