Where to Host Your Next App: Top 10 Django Hosting Providers
One of the most fundamental things to do at this stage is to find a Django-friendly hosting service.
Since this framework has a special syntax and flow, as well as a unique file structure, it’s important to make sure that a given provider supports it entirely. You should check if your host:
- supports multiple editions of Python and Django,
- offers fast and easy Django installation and configuration,
- makes it possible to easily deploy and scale any Django project,
- has a dedicated support team.
Of course, there are other things you need to pay attention to as well, but these depend on the more specific requirements of your project, and your future plans. However, in order to make your life easier, here’s a brief overview of 10 Django-compatible hosting providers that are definitely worth considering.
1. PythonAnywhere
PythonAnywhere runs on powerful Amazon EC2 servers and it’s great for Python-only projects. It’s preconfigured with tons of libraries, and works on iOS devices (beta for Android), so you can code on the go.
Pros
- It’s easy to set up and use.
- All accounts get free SSL support and you can share your console with other people.
- It has great customer service.
- It includes easy options for scaling.
- It offers flexible payments (you’re billed monthly and can cancel anytime).
Cons
- It’s Python-only on the server side.
- You cannot host a real-time app, as PA has no websocket support.
Plans & pricing
Free Beginner account + 3 paid plans ($5-$99/month) + custom plans ($5-$500/month).
2. Heroku
Heroku has a PaaS architecture, and supports a variety of languages (Python, Ruby, Java and PHP), databases, and add-ons. It features app metrics, code and data rollback, real-time insights, GitHub Integration, and more. Best for small and medium-sized apps.
Pros
- It’s highly scalable and customizable.
- The dashboard is user-friendly.
- The upload, update, and deployment process is easy.
- It’s reliable and flexible.
Cons
- When you grow to be really big, it may become too expensive.
Plans & pricing
Free account + paid plans (“pay as you go” model, up to even tens of thousands of dollars per month).
3. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is an independent company featuring unlimited disk space and bandwidth, 99.9% uptime guarantee, and shared Linux hosting. It has options for both low-traffic and high-traffic sites, but is mostly used for fast-growing projects. Here’s why.
Pros
- It’s focused on speed and high performance.
- The physical locations of your server don’t matter, as they have data centers around the globe.
- The products are fully customizable - can be tailored to the client’s needs.
Cons
- No free account to test the features.
- There are relatively strict restrictions on the cheapest plans in comparison with the more expensive ones.
Plans & pricing
3 paid Linux plans ($3.92-$9.31) + 3 paid Windows plans ($4.90-$10.78) + 1 custom plan ($119.99)
4. AWS
It’s huge, offers tons of web-hosting options, and a lot of high-end additional services. It’s extremely customizable both in terms of features and pricing plans. Amazon Web Services hosting is supported on Windows and Linux servers. It’s excellent for big and complex projects.
Pros
- It’s highly reliable, with options that include server cloning, full redundancy, and backups.
- It has broad framework support for its machine learning and data analytics tools.
- It’s not just focused on speed and performance, but also on security, compliance, and privacy.
- It has top-notch customer support.
- You can easily run and scale your application.
Cons
- Limited disk space and bandwidth.
- Too many options - very confusing for newcomers.
- Complicated pricing scheme.
Plans & pricing
There are a lot of variations. Prices depend on the services you use and the time intervals you choose - they start at $0.08 per hour.
5. HostUpon
HostUpon offers unlimited disk space, bandwidth and websites hosted on all plans. It has 5 data centers across the globe, and promises 99.9% uptime for hosting services. It delivers tailored solutions for small, medium and large businesses.
Pros
- It doesn’t just support Python, but PHP and Perl as well.
- It offers 24/7 live customer support - very fast and knowledgeable.
- Prices are affordable, and you get a 30-day money back guarantee.
Cons
- No free plans.
- It may have too many unnecessary options in the basic plan.
Plans & pricing
$3.95-15.95/month for Shared Hosting Plans, $49.95-149.95/month for VPS Hosting Plans, $24.95-99.95/month for Cloud Hosting Plans, and $175.00-595.00/month for Dedicated Server Plans.
6. TMD Hosting
TMD Hosting uses cutting-edge cloud technology and SSD servers in order to offer faster load times. They have data centers in 7 locations around the world. They also bet on security: regular updates, daily backups, and traffic monitoring. It’s good for getting projects off the ground, and for medium-sized businesses.
Pros
- It’s highly reliable and secure.
- It’s easy and intuitive to use.
- Its performance is great, as they have a “zero-tolerance” policy for downtimes.
- The perfectly trained support team handles both basic and technical queries in under 15 minutes, 24/7.
Cons
- No free plans available for testing.
- Not so many options for more complex projects.
Plans & pricing
The prices start at $2.95/month for the Starter Plan, $5.95/month for the Business Plan, and $12.95 for the Professional Plan.
7. DigitalOcean
It’s one of the most popular cloud hosting options these days. DigitalOcean is valued for its simplicity, fast load times (thanks to SSD storage and its 8 data centers) and reliability. The control panel is easy to navigate, and the support team is really helpful. Fantastic for start-up projects, no worse for more advanced businesses.
Pros
- It’s an easy platform to use for deploying, managing, and scaling apps of any size.
- It has a very high degree of flexibility and customization.
- It boasts great 24/7/365 support and offers lots of tutorials and FAQs.
- It offers competitive prices.
Cons
- DigitalOcean doesn’t offer Windows servers.
Plans & pricing
$5.00-960.00/month for Standard Droplets and $20.00-920.00/month for CPU Optimized Droplets.
8. Azure by Microsoft
Azure by Microsoft is one of the biggest cloud providers, which hosts Django and allows for content delivery network, media services, web applications, API applications, and offers different toolkits. Azure will be suitable for hosting a Django website that receives a lot of traffic and requests every month. The well-known companies using Azure for hosting Django include HP, Asos, and AirBus
Pros
- It’s scalable.
- It has multi-factor authentication.
- It has more than 40 data centres around the world.
Cons
- It’s complex and might take some time for new users to understand it.
- It’s effective only for managing data.
- It lacks a recovery mode.
Plan and pricing
You can choose from different packages from Free Package with up to 10 web, mobile API apps and 1 GB disk place, but lacks custom domain. However, the Basic Package starts from 54.75$ to 219$ per month and includes an unlimited number of web, mobile API apps and custom domain.
9. Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud Platform is also Django hosting provider and focuses on services suitable for enterprises such as Spotify, Coca-Cola, and Sony Music. It offers many different tools, including computing, storing, running big data analytics and machine learning. The platform is also suitable for companies that look for excellent support assistance.
Pros
- It’s beneficial for companies that needs analytics and data storage.
- Django can run on on the same infrastructure that powers all of Google's products that positively impacts the apps's ability to adapt to a liable workload.
Cons
- It has less features than, for example, AWS.
- It’s costly.
Plan and pricing
Google Cloud Platform offers $300 in free credits to run, test, and deploy workloads for new customers. All customers can use 20+ products for free, however, up to monthly usage limits. The prices start from $0.01 per GB monthly.
10. Hetzner
Hetzner is a Germany-based company that offers a variety of services that might be useful for hosting Django, SSL certificates, domain registration, dedicated services, among others. The platform is used by companies such as Showma, Autodoc.
Pros
- It’s suitable for small and large-scale projects.
- It’s more affordable than other hosting providers.
- It has high quality software (partnership with Dell and Intel).
Cons
- No data centers in the USA; only in Germany and Finland.
- Technical documentation available only in German.
- It’s interface is not very user-friendly.
Plan and pricing
Hetzner offers very affordable pricing plans. Level CX11 starts at €2.49 monthly and includes 20 GB disk space and 20 TB traffic. The most expensive plan is CX51 that costs €29.90 monthly and includes 240 GB disk space and 20 TB traffic.
Final Thoughts
All of the 10 hosting providers support Django, and make working with it easy and enjoyable. So if you are sure that Django will be perfect for your project, you are ready to start! Of course, you can choose a different host if you feel that it would fit your needs and requirements more accurately. There are plenty to choose from, each offering different solutions and options, with more, or less, flexible pricing schemes.
Just remember one thing. If Django support is not explicitly mentioned on the provider’s website, ask about it before you sign up.
