Getting Started with Slicehost

There comes a time in everyones life when they have to setup a linux computer from scratch. OK, so maybe not, but if you’re a web programmer you might well be faced with the problem of putting out a colocated server, just a VPS where you have full control over the box. With full control comes full responsibility though, so I hope you’re willing to learn a little on your feet. For the new rails site I’m putting together, I decided on Slicehost . Why Slicehost? For cheap, respectable rails hosting with a load of support it just kept coming up. You have all the default features — the ability to upgrade your account at any time, a variety of operating systems. For someone just getting started, you might also want the ability to rebuild your system at anytime, which is possible from the Slicehost web panel. If you decide you want to switch from Ubuntu 7 to 8, or from CentOS to Fedora, it’s just a matter of selecting the option (well, and then rebuilding your slice from scratch). You can also restart of course. What really sold me was the wealth of information available by other Slicehost members. There’s a wiki with some details but the technical article repository is a fantastic source of knowledge for getting a fresh install up and running for just about anything you’d want. I’m still in the process of getting this setup, but I’ll post about my experience at Slicehost more as I use them. If you’re looking for a quick start with Rails from scratch, whether you’re experienced in setting a box from scratch or not, Slicehost offers some very useful tools.