Cloudways Hosting Review 2023

If you are on the lookout for a seasoned website hosting platform for your business then Cloudways is a good choice. It allows users to garner immense power and helps them spearhead their projects.

You can easily create a cloud server with Cloudways and have it hosted on a cloud provider of your choice such as Amazon, linode or Google Cloud among other providers.

Also, you do not have to go through a lengthy setup process by creating accounts on these platforms. That’s the thing about Cloudways it does all of it by itself.

Shared hosting lets you host multiple servers whereas with Cloudways, dedicated resources are allotted to the user. Hence why you get increased performance and reliability. You can expect performance boosters with Cloudways technology such as PHP7, Varnish and HTTP/2 etc.

Let’s take a look at how you can set up your account with Cloudways and its other handy features.

Getting started

Cloudways is meant for professionals. So if you are looking to get started all you have to do is click on ‘Getting Started’ button and it will take you for a walkthrough on how to settle in.

With a Cloudways account you can log in to Github and LinkedIn with ease or you can always enter your credentials and log in manually.

The technology is high-end but it does not shy away from letting users creating the server as if it were a cakewalk. You can choose from applications such as Magento, Drupal or WordPress etc. and be on your way!

Next thing, it lets you choose the cloud provider of your preference (as already stated above). It also provides you with the liberty of selecting server size and location of your data center. The list of locations could range from anywhere between New York, Amsterdam, Toronto or Bangalore; you name it!

Pricing and server size will vary depending on the cloud provider, you decide on.

Assembling the site

When it comes to assembling the website, there are few things you can take advantage of with Cloudways. First off, you have the option of a custom control panel instead of a cPanel or Plesk-type setup.

It can prove to be a cumbersome job but with some speedy shortcuts courtesy of Cloudways, you can navigate this bit. You can quickly get to the setup page of your application in a matter of few clicks. For instance, if you find yourself without a domain, Cloudways will assign you one on a temporary basis.

From that point forward, you can work on the website like you would with any other site. The control panel previously referred to packs in some handy features such as a Monitoring tab. These are charts that detail your CPU’s usage over a period of time. It is an indicator of whether or not your system is heating up which can later cause performance issues.

Another standout feature is the Backup facility. It runs automatically in the background and lets you back up your data as per the demand. SMTP feature, on the other hand can enable you to schedule outgoing emails from your server.

With a Settings and Packages panel, you have the ability to configure PHP settings, MySQL versions and more! Furthermore, Security section helps you disable IP addresses which can leak your information to anyone who might be snooping on your data.

So if you have the necessary training and expertise, you will have no trouble playing with its features and in getting a website (especially WordPress) up and running, in no time!

The show it puts on

If you want to leverage Cloudways to the maximum, it might be a good thing to refer to the walkthrough manual every now and then. For instance, you need to tap the ‘Need a hand?” tab and you will be provided with user-friendly articles on troubleshooting issues you might be facing.

Though Cloudways is intended mainly for well-versed developers and users with advanced expertise of hosting but the articles in Help Center are pretty much understandable even by a novice user. Actionable steps are detailed in a couple of sentences and jargons are kept to a minimum.

Try looking up WordPress and you will notice that not only articles pertaining to troubleshooting are available but also, on how you can migrate if from other web hosting services are laid out in plain English such as from GoDaddy or HostGator etc. Furthermore, bearing in mind the example of WordPress only, expect guides on its caching schemes as well as other issues.

With Cloudways you get a dedicated community which is there to lend out help to fellow users of Cloudways service. This gives you an insight as to what people are talking about and what kind of problems they run into.

The option for 24/7 live chat option is available and there is also an option to create a ticket from the user dashboard for speedy resolution. Performance wise, results have proven to be optimal – time and again. Response times from all over the world have been consistent which an impressive feat.

Much will depend on the selection of cloud provider and your location, in terms of speeds. However, Cloudways is not at all a poor choice if you are eyeing top-notch performance at an affordable price.

In conclusion

Although, Cloudways doesn’t rank high when it comes to technical detail, nevertheless a user gets automatic installation of 12 of the most popular apps (WordPress, Drupal, OpenCart, PrestaShop, Joomla and SugarCRM etc.). With its generic PHP application, a user has the power to install other apps or you can always configure them manually.

If the website you are hosting isn’t too demanding, the installation of multiple applications is not at all difficult. Thus, each server can be assigned a different domain name with Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates as per the need. Cloudways comes with a 3-day trial and in order to bask in it you don’t have to enter your card details just your email address.