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This guide details the technical and administrative aspects of hosting multiple websites on the same platform.
Technically speaking
A hosting encompasses multiple websites. It is therefore possible to add several websites to a hosting (multi-site/multi-domain management). In this case, the resources of the hosting (disk space, databases, script execution time and memory, etc.) are shared among the different websites of the hosting.
The basic Serveur Cloud plan includes a certain number of hostings (for example 5) and a higher number of websites (for example 20). In this example, this means that you can create 20 websites (with 20 different domain names/subdomains) that you can freely organize across your 5 hostings.
Administratively
At the Organization level on the Infomaniak Manager, management and access rights cannot be assigned to a specific website on a hosting plan. A user you add to the Organization will not be able to have a right limited to a single site; they will always access the entire hosting plan.
However, it is possible to create an FTP user restricted to a specific folder on the server (in this case, it should be limited to the folder containing the site).
Limited management of one site among others on the same hosting can also be considered directly within the tool used for the site (WordPress user management for example).
This guide explains what a web host like Infomaniak is and specifies its role and limits of intervention.
Infomaniak, web host since 1996
According to Wikipedia, a web host is a company that provides Internet hosting for computer systems to individuals or entities that do not wish to do so themselves.
Infomaniak is also…
- … decades of experience in hosting and online solutions
- … more than a million users in Switzerland and Europe (CHF 36.5 million in revenue in 2022)
- … a company certified ISO 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and committed to sustainable development
- … 100% Swiss-made technological expertise with data hosted in Switzerland
- … a rich knowledge base and customer support available
Responsibilities and limits of intervention
As a web host, Infomaniak installs, secures, and keeps servers up to date, updates its web interfaces (Manager) and guides its clients in the use of services.
However, **Infomaniak does not intervene in the content of the servers or the development of websites**.
Technical support limitations
The technical support cannot help you with…
- … solve issues related to site development or its updates
- … implement solutions (migrations, complete installations)
- … manually install WordPress
- … take control of your computer remotely
but can assist you with…
- … solve issues related to the infrastructure or the Manager
- … clarify certain processes
A Premium support and a migration service are available for more demanding needs.
Find external help
For help with your site's content or organizing your emails, use the Infomaniak tender platform which lists over 1000 verified professionals, or consult the directory.
This guide explains the differences between the web hosting offers to help you choose the best solution according to your computer needs.
If you are looking to host your email, refer to this other guide.
Web Hosting Starter
The free web hosting
The Starter Web hosting is offered for free with each domain name registered with Infomaniak. It provides 10 MB of disk space to create a site (basic pages in HTML language only - no PHP, no database) even without particular knowledge thanks to the Welcome Page tool.
- Register or transfer a domain name with Infomaniak
- Learn more about the benefits included with a domain name
Shared Web Hosting
The flagship offer to create your sites
These web hostings are shared offers (the websites will be hosted on servers whose resources are shared with other customers). To ensure the reliability of these shared services, Infomaniak servers use on average only 40% of the CPU power and are equipped with professional, latest generation SSD disks.
Web hosting offers a minimum of 250 GB of disk space and allows you to manage multiple websites with multiple domain names. This offer includes all the technologies usually used to create professional sites: PHP, MySQL, FTP and SSH access, SSL certificates and easy installation of WordPress or common CMS, etc. It is also possible to add a Node.js site and/or Site Creator.
Cloud Server
Professional Web hosting
With a Cloud Server, the resources allocated to you are not shared with other clients and you can customize the hardware and software configuration of your server according to your needs. A Cloud Server also allows you to use components that are not available on shared web hosting (Node.js, mongoDB, Sol, FFMPEG, etc.).
- A Cloud Server allows you to easily manage your server via the same administration interface as Web hosting - you manage the sites in the same way.
- A VPS allows you to manage your server completely autonomously with the version of Windows or the Linux distribution of your choice (
Debian,Ubuntu,openSUSE, ...) - solid technical skills are required to use a VPS, including VPS Lite.
Public Cloud (and Kubernetes Service)
Open, proven, and secure IaaS solution
For Infomaniak, it is the infrastructure that drives kDrive, Swiss Backup and the Webmail, services used by several million users. But Public Cloud is accessible to everyone and provides the resources you need to develop your projects.
With customized and tailored offers, you will have no trouble managing your development budget. No setup fees. No minimum amount. Cancelable at any time. You only pay for the resources actually used with Public Cloud at the end of each month, same for Kubernetes Service.
Jelastic Cloud
Web hosting tailored to your chosen technologies
Jelastic Cloud allows you to create custom development environments with the technologies of your choice (PHP, Java, Docker, Ruby, etc.). It is a flexible cloud offering:
- Horizontal and vertical scaling of resources.
- Payment based on actual resource consumption.
- Easy customization of your infrastructure (redundancy, IP, SSL, load balancing, etc.).
This guide details the offer of Serveur Cloud which allows you to create several hostings (FTP "spaces" for which you create your FTP/SSH accounts) on which you add sites (Apache "vhosts" for the indicated domain), and the VPS offer intended for a different use.
Breaking free from shared hosting limitations
With a managed Cloud Server, you can distribute your sites across your hosting environments as you wish. You can configure them by specifying the root directory as well as certain information such as the memory_limit and the max_execution_time beyond the limits imposed by a shared environment.
Web tools are available such as cronjobs, Site Creator, WordPress (which allows for the installation and use of the WordPress tool with ease) or access and error logs. It is quite possible to add a specific Apache module or to install a caching system.
Server Cloud or VPS?
Managed (Serveur Cloud)
Infomaniak manages the software part of the servers under FastCGI and PHP-FPM without allowing you to freely configure the server (for example, no custom installation). Only specific programs can be installed.
Unmanaged (VPS)
Infomaniak handles the hardware and installs the chosen version of Linux or Windows upon order. There is no software-level intervention. The server is under "your responsibility". You can restart the server via the Infomaniak Manager and a snapshot system is available (excluding VPS Lite).
If you are hesitant to take a Server and you mainly plan to have a large amount of video content, you can pair a shared hosting with a VOD space. This solves the problems of overload on a site since it allows you to separate the audiovisual content from your shared hosting and thus have a video storage space that easily supports significant load increases. You will also have detailed statistics at your disposal regarding the viewing of your videos.
Switching from one to the other...
To migrate a **Serveur Cloud** to a **VPS**, or vice versa, there is no "turnkey" solution. For this type of migration, you must cancel the product that is no longer desired and then order the product you need in its place. Infomaniak will refund upon request any purchase of a new server if the cancellation occurs within 30 days of the order.
This guide explains how to customize the limits of a site hosted on a Web Hosting or a Cloud Server.
Unlock or adjust the limits of a site
To access website management:
- Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
- Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product:
- Click on Manage under Advanced Settings:
- Click on the PHP / Apache tab.
You will be able to…
- … unlock for 60 minutes the memory limit (
memory_limit= 1280 Mb) and the maximum script execution time (max_execution_time= 60 minutes):
- This unlock is possible up to 10 times a year.
- … customize the limits of:
max_execution_time(in seconds)memory_limit(in MB)post_max_size&upload_max_filesize(maximum file size for upload, in Mo)- Cloud Server only:
Max children(refer to this other guide) - Cloud Server only:
Max input time
Don't forget to save the changes at the bottom of the page.
Maximum values by hosting type
| Limits | Shared | Cloud Server | CLI (Cloud Server only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| max_execution_time | 300 s | 3600 s | 0 (unlimited) s max |
| memory limit | 1280 MB | 2048 MB max | 512 MB max |
| post_max_size + upload_max_filesize | 9223372036854775807 Mo max | 9223372036854775807 Mo max | 48 MB max |
| max_children | 20 max | 20 (default, modifiable) | |
| simultaneous connections per IP | 30 max | 30 (default, modifiable) | |
| maximum input time | 0 (unlimited) | 0 (default, modifiable) | 0 (unlimited) |
| files (inodes) | no limit on the number of files per hosting | ||
This guide explains how to modify the limits of MySQL / MariaDB on a Serveur Cloud.
Preamble
MySQLis installed on a dedicated Cloud Server; resources are not shared.- Only one instance of
MySQLis present per Cloud Server. - The number and size of the databases are only limited by the disk space and the server's resources.
- For large volumes of data, MongoDB is recommended.
Configure MySQL / MariaDB on Cloud Server
List of modifiable MySQL / MariaDB variables:
| Name | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer size for bulk insertion operations | 8M |
| ||
| Option to explicitly declare default values for timestamp type columns | "" |
| Increment for the auto-extending of the InnoDB table space | "" |
| Size of the key buffer for tables MyISAM | "" |
| Maximum word length for Full-Text search | Undefined |
| Minimum word length for Full-Text search | 3 |
| Size of the additional memory pool for InnoDB | "" |
| Size of the buffer memory pool InnoDB, which stores the data and indexes | "" |
| Journal write frequency InnoDB on disk | "" |
| Enable wide prefix extension InnoDB | |
| Maximum wait time for acquiring locks InnoDB | "" |
| Journal buffer size InnoDB | "" |
| Size of the journal files InnoDB | "" |
| Minimum token size for Full-Text search | Undefined |
| Maximum token size for Full-Text search | Undefined |
| Join buffer size for queries | 1M |
| Size of the key buffer for tables MyISAM | 4M |
| Parameter for the time and date format | Undefined |
| Enabling or disabling local file reading | 0 |
| Enabling or disabling binary logging MySQL | true |
| Maximum allowed network packet size | Undefined |
| Maximum number of connection errors before blocking | 10 |
| Maximum number of simultaneous connections | Undefined |
| Maximum size of in-memory tables | 8M |
| Maximum number of simultaneous connections per user | 38 |
| Maximum size of the temporary file for table sorting MyISAM | 2G |
| Size of the sort buffer for tables MyISAM | 16M |
| Recovery options MyISAM | myisam-recover-options |
| Enabling or disabling the query cache | |
| Limit on the size of results stored in the query cache | 256K |
| Total size of the query cache | 64M |
| Query cache type | 0 |
| Size of the read buffer for queries | 2M |
| Size of the random read buffer for requests | 2M |
| ||
| Number of tables that the server can keep open | 256 |
| Thread cache size | 1 |
| Number of concurrent threads. By default, this is 0 (infinite) | 0 |
| Stack size per thread | 256K |
| Timeouts (wait_timeout and interactive_timeout) | 30 |
| Maximum size of temporary tables in memory | 8M |
| Path to the temporary directory for temporary files | "/home/nfs-clients/.mysql_tmp |
These variables allow you to configure various aspects of the behavior of MySQL/MariaDB on a Cloud Server.
Anything that is not defined is, by default, set to its default value.
Edit the MySQL / MariaDB limits
To configure HAProxy:
- Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
- Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product.
- Click on MySQL/MariaDB in the left sidebar.
- Edit the necessary values.
In terms of free software for handling multimedia files, FFmpeg is a powerful and flexible tool. It can be used to convert, edit, and stream videos and audios.
However, using FFmpeg on shared hosting presents certain challenges and limitations for both users and hosts.
You should opt for the Cloud Server offer for using FFmpeg.
You can also turn to the service of VOD/AOD Infomaniak.
This guide relates to the execution of scripts launched via SSH on various types of machines.
No time limit
There is no predefined time limit for the execution of scripts launched via SSH, meaning that the script can run as long as necessary. However, if the SSH session ends, the script will also be interrupted.
It is possible to run scripts in the background to avoid this issue. In this case, the script will continue to run even if the SSH session is interrupted.
Other resources may be limited either by the machine's capacity or by the configuration (PHP scripts limited to 512 MB of memory, for example).
It is possible to change these limits on Serveur Cloud machines, but not on hébergements mutualisés.
Jelastic Cloud is a platform as a service (PaaS) that allows you to easily create development environments on the fly. This solution is particularly advantageous if your resource consumption (CPU, RAM) varies greatly depending on the time of year.
A Cloud Server allows you to manage applications and websites as easily as shared hosting while giving you the advantage of being able to install additional software as needed. This solution is very advantageous if your resource consumption (CPU, RAM) is stable and predictable.
A VPS Cloud or VPS Lite allows you to manage your entire server with the Linux distribution of your choice. Solid technical skills are required. This solution is very advantageous if your resource consumption (CPU, RAM) is stable and predictable.
In all three cases, you benefit from fully dedicated resources that you can freely adjust according to your needs.
Also, check out the Public Cloud offer.
This guide explains what you need to determine as a website visitor if you encounter a 403 error in order to resolve the issue.
What is the 403 error?
The HTTP 403 error code generally means that access to a resource is denied to the client by the server.
In which case does this error occur?
The user is not authenticated: the server requires the user to identify themselves to access the resource. This can be the case for private pages requiring authentication, for example.
The user is authenticated but does not have the necessary permissions: the server recognizes the user but does not authorize access to the requested resource due to permission or role restrictions. This cause of error 403 may be an incorrect permission issue, on a folder or a file. For a folder, the error message is of type "403 Forbidden", for a file, "failed to open stream: Permission denied". In this case, you must check that the permissions of your folders/files are correct, namely a minimum of 644 for a file and 755 for a folder. Learn more
The user's IP address is blocked or restricted: the server may block access to a specific IP address for security reasons, protection against attacks... Learn more
The requested resource does not exist on the server: in this case, the server returns a 403 error instead of a 404 error to avoid disclosing confidential information. If you are trying to access your homepage or a part of your site by entering an address of the type www.domaine.xyz or www.domaine.xyz/dossier/ make sure there is a homepage named "index.html or .htm or .php" placed in the correct location (at the root of your FTP space, in the /web directory, or in the /dossier/ directory). Learn more
Moreover, check that there are no uppercase letters in the file name, all file names or folders present must be in lowercase, without accents or spaces.
Script-related error: if you were running a script, filling out a form, or uploading a file online and you receive this type of message:
Accès interdit!
Vous n'avez pas le droit d'accéder à l'objet demandé.
Soit celui-ci est protégé, soit il ne peut être lu par le serveur.
Si vous pensez qu'il s'agit d'une erreur du serveur, veuillez contacter le gestionnaire du site.
Error 403The cause may be a filter that prevents the unwanted use of scripts by spammers. Indeed, the Infomaniak antivirus blocks the uploading of files via scripts or via FTP. This concretely means that when a hacker sends a file identified as a virus via a form, an unsecured script or via FTP, its installation is directly blocked, the file is not uploaded to the server and the upload generates a 403 error.
In case of a false positive, contact Infomaniak support by providing the URL of the page where you encounter this error message to precisely diagnose the origin of the problem.
However, there are many other cases in which you might receive a "403 forbidden" message for various reasons (PHP scripts, Perl, mod_security, .htaccess, ...).