> I'd like something relatively inexpensive to initially learn on DigitalOcean: It is $5 for a server that can run pretty much anything you'd need when start

> I'd like something relatively inexpensive to initially learn on DigitalOcean: It is $5 for a server that can run pretty much anything you'd need when starting out, and they have a vast bank of tutorials. A full VM, you will have control of everything. I have had good experience with customer service requests. Rimuhosting: A little more expensive (and with a better spec'd machine) but an awesome technical staff that have been very happy to troubleshoot sometimes very quirky problems (with my programs, not their setups). About $20. Dreamhost: You don't get root, but you do get shell. They take care of ensuring the machine, MySQL, a self hosted mailserver, amongst other things, stay up. Shared hosting with performance boosting options. Sometimes someone looking after the core stack, especially if just setting-out, can be worth it. About $10. I have had good customer support and have had an account with them for around 10 years.