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What is the modern simple and cheap way to set up a static HTTPS site with a custom domain? With HTTP this was doable with S3 for pennies a month; is S3+CloudFl

What is the modern simple and cheap way to set up a static HTTPS site with a custom domain? With HTTP this was doable with S3 for pennies a month; is S3+CloudFlare now the current price leader?

analogic 9y ago
netlify
AndrewConn 9y ago
For a static site on AWS, you can easily set up S3 + CloudFront + Route 53 + free certificate from AWS Certificate Manager. My bill is around $1.07 per month.
ctw 9y ago
I use the free tier of Google Cloud Platform's compute engine to run my server. I use Let's Encrypt for HTTPS. My website is totally free.
- kgdinesh 9y ago
  In that case, your website is one HN post away from getting slash-dotted.
krat0sprakhar 9y ago
Firebase Hosting (Disclosure: I work for Firebase)
ridiculous_fish 9y ago
Replying to myself. It's distressing how many of the options assume command line competence. It used to be that graphic designers, photographers, families, etc. could set up a simple site with a shared host, an FTP client, and a bit of HTML. Now requiring HTTPS will push this further out of reach. This content is now funneled into either managed platforms, either free ones that monetize it (Medium, Flickr, Facebook, etc.) or more expensive higher-touch services (SquareSpace, Wix, etc). The de-democratization of the web continues.
- jacobparker 9y ago
  Whatever company offering you FTP access and hosting those files for you over HTTP should be setting up HTTPS for you automatically without any extra input from you. That’s why all the instructions assume command-line competence: designers are not the target audience; sys-admins are. If your host hasn’t caught up with the times yet it’s very straight-forward to get this for free (along with other benefits) from cloudflare with a few clicks. This is misinformed FUD.
- AndrewConn 9y ago
  Generally agree with you... however, I’m a designer and I’ve had surprisingly positive experiences with AWS. I thought it was going to be highly technical and frustrating, but for basic static hosting AWS doesn’t require any command line skills. It’s all point and click. You can even set up SFTP to your S3 bucket with something like Transmit from Panic (Mac). More of what you’ll find yourself dealing with is AWS’s confusing UX, understanding how all the AWS parts fit together (Route 53, CloudFront, etc,) and discoverability in their help documentation.
e12e 9y ago
I'd have a look at https://neocities.org/ https://neocities.org/ if what you actually need is a static page.

What is the modern simple and cheap way to set up a static HTTPS site with a custom domain? With HTTP this was doable with S3 for pennies a month; is S3+CloudFlare now the current price leader?

analogic 9y ago

netlify

AndrewConn 9y ago

For a static site on AWS, you can easily set up S3 + CloudFront + Route 53 + free certificate from AWS Certificate Manager. My bill is around $1.07 per month.

ctw 9y ago

I use the free tier of Google Cloud Platform's compute engine to run my server. I use Let's Encrypt for HTTPS. My website is totally free.

kgdinesh 9y ago
In that case, your website is one HN post away from getting slash-dotted.

krat0sprakhar 9y ago

Firebase Hosting (Disclosure: I work for Firebase)

ridiculous_fish 9y ago

Replying to myself. It's distressing how many of the options assume command line competence. It used to be that graphic designers, photographers, families, etc. could set up a simple site with a shared host, an FTP client, and a bit of HTML. Now requiring HTTPS will push this further out of reach. This content is now funneled into either managed platforms, either free ones that monetize it (Medium, Flickr, Facebook, etc.) or more expensive higher-touch services (SquareSpace, Wix, etc). The de-democratization of the web continues.

jacobparker 9y ago
Whatever company offering you FTP access and hosting those files for you over HTTP should be setting up HTTPS for you automatically without any extra input from you. That’s why all the instructions assume command-line competence: designers are not the target audience; sys-admins are. If your host hasn’t caught up with the times yet it’s very straight-forward to get this for free (along with other benefits) from cloudflare with a few clicks. This is misinformed FUD.
AndrewConn 9y ago
Generally agree with you... however, I’m a designer and I’ve had surprisingly positive experiences with AWS. I thought it was going to be highly technical and frustrating, but for basic static hosting AWS doesn’t require any command line skills. It’s all point and click. You can even set up SFTP to your S3 bucket with something like Transmit from Panic (Mac). More of what you’ll find yourself dealing with is AWS’s confusing UX, understanding how all the AWS parts fit together (Route 53, CloudFront, etc,) and discoverability in their help documentation.

e12e 9y ago

I'd have a look at https://neocities.org/ https://neocities.org/ if what you actually need is a static page.