ColdFusion Hosting
Finding a ColdFusion host that provides the access to features and tags you need can be tough. Here we will compare Coldfusion hosting companies so you can make the best choice. This will focus mainly on SHARED ColdFusion Hosting.
Criteria For Selecting a ColdFusion Host
There are several key items to check for in a ColdFusion Hosting company. These criteria and how you choose can make the difference between being satisfied with your hosting company or not. Most hosts no days provide enough disk space and bandwidth that these are not going to be discussed too much here. Instead I wanted to focus on the ColdFusion specific aspects of Hosting/
- Available Features
- Level of Control
- Service / Support
- Network Quality
- Control Panel Software
Available Features
Available Features can be critical for ColdFusion Hosting. Some things to consider: What CF Tags does the host allow you to use in a shared environment. This alone can make or break your application development plans. Some tags like CFFILE, CFDIRECTORY, CFOBJECT, CFINVOKE, CFCONTENT and others are NOT available in many shared Coldfusion Plans.
What CFX Tags are available on the shared server? Can you install your own or get a new one approved for installation? How about Custom Tags? What about CF Mappings? How many DSN's are you allowed?
Level of Control
The level of control can be very important for some, and less so for others. A good host will allow you to manage your own DSN via their control panel software. Also custom tag paths and cf mappings should be available for you to manage on your own. Be aware that not all shared host plans will allow you to change or manage these on your own.
Service / Support
Service and support may be subjective and hard to determine while comparing hosting companies before settling.
When narrowing your choices here is a little bit of advice that can go a long ways. CALL EACH ONE and talk to a service rep. Ask them questions based on the requirements for your applications and plans for development. The level of help you get at this point often mirrors what you will get later.
