Before you can build a website or make a project accessible on the web, you need to know where it will live. What we mean by that is that need a server to host your project and then serve it out to a web browser. Some of the tools that we introduce on the Building a Website page have hosting solutions built into their service. That doesn't mean you have to use that service, and it may very well be that it is better for you to not use that service. If you are not using a tool with an accompanying hosting service then you will need to find a server that allows for hosting. Below we share Princeton and external server solutions. Remember that Princeton hosting solutions will only be accessible to you while you are at Princeton and have Princeton credentials. If you are a student or a scholar who may not be at Princeton long-term, you will want a contingency plan for migrating your project or to choose an external hosting service.
The following are options for Princeton-hosted server infrastructure. You will gain flexibility for your project, but will also need to navigate greater complexity and maintenance.
Many web publishing platforms at Princeton include a server solution. Visit the Building a Website page for more details on the different website builders and publishing platforms.
Sometimes, a Princeton-credentialed application may not be right for your project. Projects built with Princeton tools and on Princeton servers often stay there and become inaccessible once you lose your Princeton credentials. For example, graduate students and early career scholars change institutions frequently and may lose access to projects built with institutional tools and servers. Depending on the purpose of your project and your expectations for project longevity, you may want to use an external hosting service:
*Note: Any platforms listed below will be explained in more detail on the Building a Website page.*
Reclaim Hosting: This is an affordable and well supported service that academics and community organizations turn to web hosting. It is the same infrastructure as c-panel listed above, but is independent of Princeton. The interface can first appear daunting, but it is a user friendly and cost-effect route for project hosting. You can use existing Content Management Systems like Omeka, Wordpress, or Scalar or build sites and repositories from scratch.
GitHub Pages: The code hosting service GitHub has a free web hosting service called GitHub Pages. The platform utilizes the static site generator Jekyll to make it easy to create a blog or simple website. You can also use GitHub Pages to generate more complex websites with other frameworks (like CollectionBuilder or Wax) that leverage built in site generation.
Other options: Many of the web-building tools listed on the Building a Website page offer hosting services of their own. Omeka and WordPress are two examples of platforms that you can pay to host your project. But don't assume that you can easily transfer your project from Princeton servers to an external service, even if it is the same platform.