If you want to show your ASP.NET Core application to the world, you need to consider where you are going to host your application.
A2 Hosting is one of the many web hosting providers out there.
As a web hosting provider that I've used before, I'm going to share some of the reasons as to why you should consider on using them to host your ASP.NET Core application.
As a programmer working on a Microsoft product, you may be put off with using Linux hosting. And if you prefer Windows Hosting, or are familiar with setting up a Windows environment, than A2Hosting may not be for you.
However, you may want to learn the skills in configurating a Linux server.
With A2 Hosting's Unmanaged VPS Hosting, you can install your server with many of the popular Linux operating systems out there, such as Ubuntu, CentOS, or Debian.
Then, by using SSH commands, you can install the relevant software and set up your web application.
Now, if SSH is just a three word acronym to you, you can follow my guide on How to Install An ASP.NET Core In .NET 5 App On Ubuntu 20.04.
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In addition, you can also install an Xrdp server on your Linux server. Xrdp is basically an open-source implementation of Microsoft's Remote Desktop protocol, and allows you to view a graphical interface of your Linux server from a remote location.
Just bare in mind that I have found Xrdp to be quite memory intensive on Ubuntu. So, if you have a small spec server, it may not be the best option.
One of the benefits of Linux hosting is that it's cheap!
If you are just starting up and not expecting too much traffic to your web application, then you can go for a really low-spec server and pay a low monthly fee to have it online.
And the nice thing about using a virtual-private server (VPS) is that it's normally easy to beef up, usually for just a small addition to your monthly hosting fee.
In addition, with A2 Hosting, the more time you commit to your hosting, the less you will pay.
So, if you are willing to pay for your hosting for a period of three years, you will pay less per month than if you only want your hosting for one month.
An alternative to having a dedicated VPS server is shared hosting. A2 Hosting offers shared hosting.
Shared hosting is basically where you share your website with a number of other websites on the same server.
And with shared hosting, you can install a number of defined tools, features and software for your web application. Plus, it's cheaper than buying a VPS.
However, I'm not sure how you can install ASP.NET Core on A2 Hosting's shared servers.
But, I know for certain on how to do it on a VPS.
Also, there is always a risk with shared hosting that other websites on the same server may have performance issues. Performance issues that may affect your website!
And if your website receives a lot of traffic, a VPS may be able to cope better.
But the good thing with A2 Hosting is that you have a choice. You can go for shared hosting, or setup a VPS.
Watch our tutorial where we installed an ASP.NET Core application on Ubuntu 20.04.
We'll take you through the steps on how to sign up for unmetered VPS hosting with A2 Hosting.
From there, we'll show you around the control panel, and what SSH commands you need to install the relevant software onto your Ubuntu server.
Finally, we show you how to upload the files, change the DNS for your domain name, and get your application working on the world wide web.
