Space for your site comes with the mailbox. No payment, no card details, and no trial period that quietly ends.
What you get
Disk
500 MB
MySQL database
200 MB, one
PHP
8.4, a separate process per client
Memory per request
128 MB
Script run time
up to 60 seconds
Traffic
neither counted nor capped
File upload
up to 64 MB
Your own domains
as many as you like, all showing one site
HTTPS certificate
issued and renewed automatically
File manager and phpMyAdmin
in the browser, nothing to install
Getting started
Hosting is switched on from your account with one click. Within a minute you get the file manager and database credentials — they are shown once, so save them straight away.
a preview address is issued immediately; a domain can be attached later
site files go into the root of the file manager
the database is created with the account; its name and password come with the same credentials
What is not here
We would rather say this up front than after you sign up.
scripts cannot send mail: the mail() function is disabled, or free hosting turns into a spam cannon within a week
external programs cannot be started: exec, shell_exec, system and the like are closed
there is no SSH access and no user cron jobs
this is not space for video or file sharing — the disk is sized for a website
we keep no backups: a deleted file or a broken database cannot be restored from our side
there is no FTP or SFTP access: files go through the file manager in the browser
.htaccess does nothing here: the platform runs nginx, not Apache
the site currently answers over IPv4 only: the server does have IPv6 addresses, but they are not wired through to the platform yet
How isolation works
Every client has its own system user and its own PHP process. A program sees only its own directory: stepping outside it or reading someone else's files is not possible.
Space is limited by the file system, not counted in a panel. When the limit is reached writing simply stops — neighbouring sites never notice.
Your own domain
The simplest way is to hand the domain to us entirely: set our nameservers ns1.alpost.ch and ns2.alpost.ch at your registrar, then press the button in your account. We create the zone, sign it with DNSSEC and issue the certificate — no addresses or records to type.
If the domain must stay on your own DNS — because it already carries mail elsewhere, for instance — point its A record at 5.39.3.123.
Platform technologies
Versions are kept at current stable releases.
Web server
nginx 1.26
PHP
8.4, FPM, OPcache enabled
PHP extensions
curl, gd, intl, mbstring, mysqli, pdo_mysql, sodium, xml, zip
Database
MariaDB 11.8
Encryption
TLS 1.2 and 1.3, Let’s Encrypt certificate
Nameservers
ns1.alpost.ch and ns2.alpost.ch, zones signed with DNSSEC
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free? What is the catch?
There is no catch, there are advertisements: the service lives on the ads shown on the portal pages. We never ask for payment details, at sign-up or later, and there is no paid tier you are expected to graduate to.
Which nameservers do I set at my registrar?
ns1.alpost.ch and ns2.alpost.ch. Nothing else to type: we create the zone, sign it with DNSSEC and issue the certificate.
How long does a nameserver change take?
A registrar usually passes the change to the registry within a few hours, and the previous answer stays in providers’ caches for about a day. One day is a reasonable wait.
Will WordPress work?
Yes, with three caveats. Five hundred megabytes is enough for a site with text and a moderate number of images, but not for a photo gallery. WordPress will not send mail: the mail() function is disabled, so you need a plugin with an external SMTP. There are no scheduled tasks, so WP-Cron only fires when a visitor arrives.
What happens when the disk fills up?
Writing stops: the site stays reachable, but new files and database writes will not go through. Nothing is deleted and neighbours are unaffected — free some space and it works again.
Can I host several sites?
You can attach as many domains as you like, but an account has one directory, and all of them show the same site. Separating them is only possible inside the site itself.
Will my site be deleted if I stop using it?
Hosting lives with the mailbox. If nobody signs in for 180 days, the mailbox is deleted together with the site and the database; a warning arrives 10 days beforehand, and any sign-in cancels the deletion.
Are there backups?
No. We do not back up client sites and cannot restore a deleted file or a broken database. Keep your own copy — on free hosting that is a necessity, not a precaution.