I need your help to find a decent free host

john444

Hi my dear flarum-mates

I’m looking for a free host where i can host my existing flarum forum (since my previous host went down). I want something that gives me limited ssh access with the php command just so i can run composer.phar. No free host that I’ve found so far (other than my previous host) has this.

I know that I’m asking for a lot considering that im looking for something free. However, I have no way of making online payments hence why the paid options aren’t really suitable.

Ive considered using freeflarum.com , but the issue is that I cannot migrate my existing forum to it, neither can i install extensions of my choice and freely manage my forum. It just simply won’t work out.

Im aware that i can run composer locally to my forum files then upload them to a free host. However, that’s a huge pain (i know that as that’s how i used to do it before).

So, do any of you know of any free hosts that can give me access to the php command? Or if any of you can host my forum for free, that would be great!

Sorry if i seem to be asking for way too much and expecting it to be free, but im left with no other option.

any help would be appreciated.

thank you!

OrdinaryJellyfish

john444 I've heard of this one host here that does not provide SSH access but will allow you to run composer and the likes through their support. I have never tried them, so I cannot guarantee anything.

john444

Anyone? Sorry if i sound impatient but i need to get my forum back asap

Pilvinen

You don't need a free host. You can rent a VPS with couple of euros / dollars per month. That's like 20-30 per year, the cost of couple of pizzas. And you won't be limited to just forums, you can also host your own websites, etc. Well worth the minimal cost.

Just forget about that free crap and go with something like Kimsufi. You won't regret it. Just get a Paypal account. It's not that hard, you'll figure it out.

john444

Pilvinen as I’ve clearly stated in my post, I have no way of making online payments. So that is obviously not an option.

Pilvinen

john444 Ask your parents to help you.

john444

Pilvinen I already did, I straight up got a no. I’ve also asked friends and family members... to no avail.

jordanjay29

When choosing a product or service, there are three considerations you can maximize to your demands: Quality, Price and Speed.

You can choose two.

You'll likely want Quality, because you need to be able to host Flarum. That leaves you with a choice between Price and Speed.

You'll probably find a free host if you're patient. You'll find any number of hosts immediately if you can pay.

john444

jordanjay29 i am willing to give up speed. I’ve been searching for a free host that lets me use the php command for months now, but couldn’t find any that haven’t went out of business. Hence why I posted this as maybe one of the community members might know a free host that does just that. I am fully aware that I might never find such a host, but im trying my best.

jordanjay29

No, no, Speed doesn't refer to the speed of the host. That falls under Quality. Speed is the time it takes you to receive the product or service. Speed is now or later.

john444

jordanjay29 aha! Sorry for the misunderstanding. In that case, I really have no other option but to wait, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

ahrasis

You are funny @john444 because to me decent free host is something no one can find these days but I hope you find what you are looking for anyway.

john444

ahrasis i am well aware of that.

Staszek

how many people are on your forum? If not too many, you could use RaspberryPI, and create your own hosting in your room😉

john444

Staszek it’s a VERY small forum. However, I cannot really do that...because my internet connection is amazing (I’m being sarcastic). Heck, if i was able to do that, I would’ve done it ages ago with my old laptop... would for sure perform better than a raspberrypi.

peopleinside

john444 Without any guarantee i can suggest a service that i never tried.
https://www.gigarocket.net/free-vps.php

It's like a result of a search on Internet but for have a VPS you need work a little bit.. if i am not wrong you need participate to the forum... you can first activate a simply host and with time a VPS. When you are on free service you have no guarantee about not loose data or to be safe as in a professional service.

john444

peopleinside and jordanjay29 I will give those a try, thanks!

OrdinaryJellyfish it says their free plan is “out of stock”.

peopleinside they’ve discontinued the offer https://www.gigarocket.net/forum/thread-12755.html

jordanjay29

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=261 might be another place to find free hosts.

Can't guarantee their ability to run Flarum, though.

john444

I had a look at the link jordanjay29 posted. And so far, non of the hosts agreed to give me jailed ssh but one... but that one host had proc_open disabled therefore composer didn’t work. I tried using a script to run composer instead of running it through ssh, but it seems like that is somehow detected by some hosts causing them to terminate my account. And other hosts have a thing or two disabled that make it not work.

any ideas?

Prosperous

They're out there. I know because I used to have my own free hosting service (more like a post-to-host type set up). I have given it up quite some time ago and don't plan on starting it back up but you just have to be patient and put some trust in strangers.

I wish I could tell you where to start looking but I believe what people have suggested above already is as far as you'll get in the short-term. Keep looking and something will come up. Do some searches on post-to-host set ups and see whether there are still some that are active.

peopleinside

john444 Sorry to see this John. I believe the best will be a good hosting for a low price. I have the VPS with https://www.contabo.com and I am very happy. It's a VPS not managed and you need know and use SSH, keep update etc. If this not help maybe other previous post made by other members and staff of Florum can be more helpful 🙂

Thank you to update me.