What is the best way to host an image hosting website?

Hi, Im planning to build a new Image hosting website. First I won't get a lot of traffic but in-order to prepare for the future I need to make a good plan. For this, normal webhosting services won't work because of their bandwidth and storage limitations. So I have four options :

1) Use a dedicated server and store everything there. If this is the best option what are the best hosting services?

2) Use Amazon services. This is a bit costly! Isn't it?

3) Let the users connect their cloud storage account like Google Drive and store the images in there. Will this cause any speed problems? Is it ok with Google? Legal?

4) Use a service like Bitcasa (Our own account). Is it legal and allowed? Will it cause speed problems?

**Please note that im trying my best to reduce the cost. But not sacrifice the performance a lot! What is the best option for me?

 

I use both Amazon s3 but sometimes I just upload on the wordpress.

 

I'm not too sure on your two questions about connecting on Google drive and Bitcasa. Seems to me like your best solution would be a dedicated server. Many host have bargain bin services so you can get your service setup on the fly and at a fair cost and then upgrade as the service attracts more users.

 

Actually thats a bit costly no

 

I use to have dedicated server it's more expensive then VPS now and Amazon that is way more affordable and it's almost as fast.

 

I have done this before and it was costly to run. Image hosting services usually have a higher running cost with lower income as everyone likes to hotlink to your site (using your bandwidth) and each time this happens you have costs with no income. Like 1million people look at a hotlinked image = zero revenue.

Some image hosting scripts do allow for connecting multiple servers, as well as to the S3, so depending on your script, you could easily host everything (main website and files) on a vps (managed or unmanaged depending on your skills), and once your disk space hits 75%, or your bandwidth starts getting scary, this is when you might want to start to use your s3 account (or other servers) to host the data.

I think S3 is affordable compared with other options. Most servers charged fixed monthly fees, (doesnt matter if you use it or not), while the S3 you are only paying for what you are using.

I am confused, I do not see the benefit of a user using google drive + your service? Surely a user would use only one or the other?

 

Well, I think that VPS will be fine for your needs. As for good host take a look at supremeservers.com. They are offering nice ssd vps with high performance and stability. Prices are reasonable.

 

To host an image website for start it will be enough stable fast hosting like hosting022.com provides, check them out!

 

Dedicated server hosting is good to select, the advantages of selecting is that, it is reliable, secure, more control and flexible.

 

Basically, it depends upon your website space requirements, image size and number of images you are going to host. If you do not have major web space requirements then you can consider Shared hosting plan and later can upgrade your hosting.

 

I wonder if you actually know what an image host does....

Nearly all shared webhosting providers have a clause against image hosting sites being run from shared servers.

 

Image hosting is one of the few times that CDNs actually help. (But not CloudFlare -- that's lousy CDN. I mean something like MaxCDN.)

And you'll probably need a VPS, though some non-"unlimited" shared hosts have no issue letting you use your quota.

 

Most Companies do not permit Image, Media, Media Hosting on their Shared Servers.
The best option would be to go for a VPS or a Dedicated Server.

Do remember that most of the Hosting providers do not permit using their Server for storing large Media Files.
Ideally, you should be choosing a Hosting package that offers abundant Bandwidth (perhaps even Unlimited)

 

You'll need a VPS to start out (and not the cheapest one you can find). I would recommend investing in a cPanel + Nginx setup with CloudFlare in front of it. That should keep you going for quite a while. CloudFlare is not a lousy CDN as it offers free SSL and is used by top websites. If I was working on a website/wordpress project that required mission critical SEO then of course I would use a paid premium CDN provider, but not for a image hosting site.

 

Begin with and maintain a clear and written understanding of all services and all charges for them. If questions still remain or some terms are unclear it is strongly advised that you ask for clarification before signing up for anything.

 

Try a VPS or a Dedicated Server.

Look for storage Dedicated servers or VPSes. Something with a High Storage volume, depending on how many images you plan to host.

Also, look for a server that comes with unmetered bandwidth, 100mbps should be sufficient.