• What is LAMP hosting?

  LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) hosting is ideal for those who want full control over their web applications, file uploads/downloads, and the specific PHP or database settings for their site. This service is great for web developers and advanced users looking to customise and manage their own web presence, offering more flexibility and features than standard hosting.

• List of Vanilla's hosting costs.

  • Free web hosting:
    • This is a basic hosting plan that you get when you buy a domain from Vanilla. This uses "http". Services like WhatsApp and browsers add an "s" to the end of "http".
  
  
  • Vanilla LAMP:
    • A monthly fee of R99 per a LAMP instance.
    • LAMP set up fee of R299 which will provide with a single login to manage all your websites.
    • SSL certificate set up per website of R299. This enables your website to use "https" and make it better for Services like WhatsApp, which automatically add an "s" to the end of "http" links.
  
  
  • Vanilla Wordpress:
    • A monthly fee of R99 per a LAMP instance.
    • A monthly fee of R129 per a Wordpress instance.
    • Wordpress set up fee of R500.
    • SSL certificate set up per website of R299. This enables your website to use "https" and make it better for Services like WhatsApp, which automatically add an "s" to the end of "http" links.
  
  
  • Vanilla domain hosting:
    • co.za, biz, org.za, web.za, net.za - R230 per year
    • com, net, org - R330 per year
    • capetown, durban, joburg - R375 per year
    • info, africa, company, business, cloud, space, xyz - R500 per year
• What does our LAMP service include?

  Vanilla’s Fast and flexible LAMP hosting includes 50GB hard disc space, one MySQL database, one domain with optional subdomains and unlimited bandwidth transfers. It’s available including an ssh/sftp service. Hosting on Vanilla servers costs R99 / month per user login, plus a once-off setup fee of R299.

• How can I access my LAMP server to edit my website files?

  You can access your website files using the LAMP login details provided in your welcome note with clients such as FileZilla or Cyberduck. If you encounter any difficulties, please refer to Vanilla's IT services for assistance.

  To ensure the integrity of your website, we advise that the login details that are provided on your welcome note only be used by your web developer or by Vanilla's website engineering services.

• Where's the cPanel login?

  Sorry, we offer personal service to ensure the integrity of our and your systems. cPanel and similar panels come with several drawbacks. First, their licensing costs scale steeply, especially for resellers. They also consume extra system resources, which can slow down smaller servers. The increased attack surface from multiple exposed services adds security risks. Custom server setups are difficult, with limited flexibility to change core components. Panels tend to lag in adopting modern technologies like Docker or HTTP/3. Backup systems can be inefficient and unreliable, particularly for large sites. Lastly, many essential features depend on third-party plugins, which may add cost or cause issues if unsupported. While useful for non-technical users, cPanel is often a poor fit for modern, scalable, or custom infrastructure needs.

• Must I host my DNS with Vanilla for Vanilla hosting?

  No, you are not required to host your DNS with Vanilla. However, we highly recommend it. Hosting your DNS with us allows our support team to assist you more effectively without needing to rely on external third-party DNS providers.

  Vanilla operates four reliable nameservers and has over 20 years of experience in domain name hosting, ensuring the stability and trustworthiness of your DNS management.

• Does LAMP come with root access?

  No it doesn’t. We will install any application on request at a standard hourly rate of R450.

• What is Vanilla’s stance on Wordpress?

  At Vanilla, we discourage WordPress hosting on our shared server due to its vulnerability to hacking and ongoing plugin maintenance. Instead, we specialise in static website hosting or LAMP servers with SFTP login for secure and reliable performance. That said, we do offer support for PHP-based CMS platforms like WordPress for an additional fee. A Wordpress install of a LAMP instance costs R500 once-off and R129 per month to maintain your Wordpress and plugin updates. This price is inclusive of the standard LAMP fees.

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