Having been frustrated with web app hosting, we’re considering moving to Xojo Cloud. We’ve had problems with just about everyone that we’ve tried, Hostway, Bluehost, and most recently Hostgator.
I know we could go directly to Rackspace, which seems to be cheaper than what XC charges, but is it really worth going through Xojo for hosting as opposed to dealing with Rackspace. It’s not really about the money, it’s about what you get for your money.
I thought I read on the FAQs for XC that you can’t upload your own Sqlite DB. Is that true, because that would be a deal killer for us. We have a user DB that needs to be uploaded so our users can login to it.
The great thing about Xojo cloud is that there is no term, so you can try it out for just $49. As far as I’m aware any files in the CopyFiles Buildstep will upload when you deploy including your SQLite db.
I think comparing Xojo Cloud to independant hosting is somewhat not relevant. Xojo Cloud is a one click deployment solution, with all the ease of use it entails. You just click deploy and everything is taken care of. No need to know anything about permissions and upload nitty gritty. Also, security is taken care of. But that also means less control on what you can do on your server.
A lot of people have objected to the $49 a month for Xojo, and that may play a role in the choice of a host. But as I use to say, possible downtime and other stupid bad support on Hostway, Bluehost, and most recently Hostgator may have taught you that cheap means cheap all the way. Including substandard service. For any professional site, the monthly fee is peanuts, really. Actually, much less than a well working site can bring in.
Independent hosting is less simple to implement, but has the advantage to give you more control. So if like me you want to be able to host multiple domains, to use php and HTML sites, for instance, or use symbolic links and other typically Linux stuff, it is less difficult. It may also be simpler for you to implement other database managers.
I have been with 1701Software.com since june 2013 and never once had any trouble. Phillip Zedalis is a member of this forum, and he uses Xojo web apps, unlike the people you cited. That makes all the difference. The support he provides is spot on.
Now, the most important thing is to define your needs as accurately is possible, and then see what solution checks the maximum number of boxes. Also, as you have been through the ordeal of hosts with less knowledge of Xojo than the time of day, you may want to weigh how much time you are prepared to invest in managing day to day operation.
I’d make sure you figure out what it is you EXPECT from a hosting service so you have a good idea if XC is going to meets your needs or if you need a different service like 1701 provides.
This is a decent spot to be able to figure out what it is you need & expect and which service meets those needs
Unless you chose a VPS (virtual private server) with Bluehost, HostGator, Hostway, etc. then you are not likely to enjoy the experience. Shared hosting is not well equipped for the power that a Xojo web app can provide. They don’t like daemons, long running processes, 32-bit cgi’s, etc. The level of service and support you will get from us, RackSpace, or XC are in a different dimension all together.
You could go to Rackspace directly but then you need to wear your system administrator’s hat as well. That’s a time consuming process that is better left outsourced. If you have decided to outsource then why not go with a host who specializes in Xojo? Clearly Xojo Cloud is optimized for Xojo so there’s nothing to question except if you have fringe requirements. Michel summed it up quite well the differences between XC and 1701. They are two different services that serve different needs. I know for a fact that some of our customers use both!
In the end you want a hosting partner who has an understanding of what Xojo Web is. When you run into issues they can dig in and help you out. If you wait in live chat for someone to say ‘we know no Xojo’ then you are going to be pulling your hair out and it is entirely avoidable. Just my opinion.
Do you have to transfer your domain immediately when you sign up?
Is there a demo or trial that can be used for testing?
Just curious, why is there no dedicated documentation or support pages for XC? Are we overlooking it? Some screen shots to know what is available and what is not in the control panel would be nice.
So far so good. Signed up for an account and got the File Manager app uploaded.
We are now ready to put deploy a real app. The question is, where should we put our Sqlite DB? I noticed that the app folder has a documents folder in it, is that where the DB should go. Or should it be placed outside the app folder?
We created a folder called “data” in the Shared_Documents folder and have tried to delete it (restarted the server) with no luck. Is there some trick to this that we are missing?