Yes, you heard that right. You donâÃÂÃÂt need to pay to host a website on Google Drive. All you need is a domain name, a predefined website, and a Google account
Before I move, I just want to give some pros and cons of hosting the website on Google Drive
Table of Contents
## Pros
- No need to pay for hosting (free hosting forever)
- Can host unlimited websites
- The site loads very fast. (Because it is on GoogleâÃÂÃÂs servers)
- No website downtime
- Suitable for small businesses that are not very active online
## Cons
- You donâÃÂÃÂt have all the flexibility that you have on any other hosting platform
- The setup is a bit tricky
- You do not receive any emails or requests
- You cannot host applications like WordPress or Magento. You can only host simple static websites
Now you know the pros and cons of using Google Drive to host a website. It is time for you to decide what type of website you want to host. If itâÃÂÃÂs a static website, letâÃÂÃÂs go through the step-by-step guide
## How to Host :
## In a easier way
To host a web page on Google Drive:
- Create a folder in Google Drive and set the sharing permission to
âÃÂÃÂPublic on the webâÃÂÃÂ
- Download the HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files for your web page to the new folder
- Select the HTML file, open it and
click the âÃÂÃÂPreviewâÃÂàbutton on the toolbar
- Share the
URL(it will look like www.googledrive.com/host/âÃÂæ) and everyone can see your webpage
But itâÃÂÃÂs not as easy as I expected. Few take into account that Google Drive only hosts static pages. (There are no dynamic websites like WordPress). If your website has few pages and css files, Google Drive is the best option to host (for free)
## In a detailed way
- Put all your website files in a .zip file (.rar doesnâÃÂÃÂt work, I tried). I made a sample website in a .zip file by modifying AmitâÃÂÃÂs content, you can download it here if you donâÃÂÃÂt have any zipped webpages kicking around
- Open the GoogleÃÂÃÂ Script pageÃÂÃÂ and upload your .zip file
- Hit upload file, and you should see this:
- Enjoy your free web hosting!
**Hosted website on Google Drive**
If youâÃÂÃÂre just learning how to host a site on Google Drive out of curiosity, youâÃÂÃÂre probably not happy that youâÃÂÃÂve done all the work for you with a script. Unfortunately for you, itâÃÂÃÂs not particularly technical or exhaustive, there are just more steps
- Create a new folder in Google Drive
- Download the contents of the .zip file from your website and move it to the folder
- Right click on the folder and choose âÃÂÃÂshareâÃÂàthen âÃÂÃÂadvancedâÃÂàat the bottom of the pop-up window
- Choose âÃÂÃÂPublic on the webâÃÂàand save
- After clicking Save, you will receive a public link, but it will be a link to the folder where your .html files are stored in Drive, not an actual website
- So the next thing we need to do is change the link. Cut out the string of letters and numbers between id = and & usp, and paste it at the end of httpsgoogledrive.com/host/
- Go to your new link and you should see your web page!
## conclusion
For starters, IâÃÂÃÂm not sure how long this feature will stay in Google Drive. ItâÃÂÃÂs not a high-profile feature, so itâÃÂÃÂs probably not used much either. Google tends to ditch things that donâÃÂÃÂt get used much, so weâÃÂÃÂll see how long it lasts
Also, this hosting solution should only be used for rapid prototyping. DO NOT host your website on Google Drive permanently and tell all your friends to visit this link as it is probably not as secure as hosting your website on a dedicated or shared hosting site. This should only be used for internal or personal development purposes
Does Google have free Web hosting?
Technically,ÃÂÃÂ
**Google does not provide free hosting solutions but they do provide a Platform As A Service (PAAS) known as Google App Engine (GAE)
Can I host my own website for free?
xc2àWix** **Wixxc2àis another fully-hosted website builder that offers free website hosting. Like most free hosting services, it is supported by displaying ads and Wix.com branding on your free website. âÃÂæ The free plan will give you a Wix.com subdomain, access to website templates, 500 MB of storage and 500 MB of bandwidth
Can you make money web hosting?
You canÃÂÃÂ
**definitely profit from web hostingxc2àbecause people need hosting and they are willing to pay for it. âÃÂæ Being a reseller web host is a great way to make money because all it takes is you paying for hosting at an affordable rate and then reselling it for a higher price.