Drupal Web Hosting

More about Drupal

Drupal offers anything from basic web site installation to a sophisticated programming interface. This fact alone makes it extremely popular and it has been downloaded by millions proving its reputation. Drupal's interface is available in 44 languages which makes it accessible to people all over the globe.

We know that it can feel like a jungle out there when it comes to web hosting and its providers. Drupal web hosting is no exception and this is the reason to why weave created this toplist. Read the reviews and compare the different providers before deciding upon which one you find to be the best drupal host.

Choosing Drupal

Many people are turning to online content management systems (CMS) or content management frameworks (CMF) to build their own websites instead of buying expensive software or hiring even more expensive developers to do it.

Drupal aims to be a hybrid. Like hybrid cars, it combines two types of systems in one vehicle so that you can have the ease of a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) software building program with the complexity of a scratch built application. It can be used as a blog, a news wiki, or an e-commerce site among many other formats. Drupal has the capability to build most any kind of site you need.

A strict content management system provides tools for building a website and connecting to a database. It may offer some flexibility by allowing plugins and themes to be added, but the basic format is pretty cut and dried. It is a good way for someone with little programming experience to get a simple website up and running quickly but, in this case, WYSIWYG may mean you are mostly limited to what you see.

On the other hand, a CMF is exactly what it says, a framework that allows you to put together your own version of the application by picking the parts you need and leaving off those you don’t want. However, a CMF usually requires more technical knowledge and has a much higher learning curve.

Drupal gives you a simple to use and understand interface for handling operations along with a complex system of modules and building blocks to put together an interactive site for almost any purpose. Some of the more than 6,000 modules available must be purchased, but many, like the core software, are free.

Finding a Drupal web hosting situation is fairly simple. There are several great hosting companies that offer Drupal as a CMS choice. To use the application, you will need a Drupal Hosting situation that can meet its system requirements:

- From 3 MB to 40 MB of disk space, depending on the number of add on modules you require, in addition to room for your database, media content and other files.

- Drupal will work on either Apache of IIS5 or higher server software. However, it is more compatible with Apache. If your technical expertise is limited, Apache may make things easier.

- MySQL 4.1 or higher is a necessity. Drupal 7 will only support MySQL 5.0.15 or higher.

- PHP 5 or higher is a requirement. Drupal 5 & 6 need a minimum of PHP 5.2 and PHP 5.3 is recommended for Drupal 7.

Some Drupal Hosting companies may still be running the older software, but newer versions are usually more efficient and secure with better support from the community.