Free web hosting for developers

A cheap, real environment for PHP, Node.js and Python work — with the constraint stated first rather than buried: no Ruby and no root access. If that fits, everything below is why it is good value. Traxio itself is free for 30 days with no card, then 99p a month.

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  • No card to start
  • No setup fee
  • Then £0.99/month

What this environment cannot run

The runtimes, up front: PHP, Node.js and Python, but no Ruby. PHP 7.4 to 8.3 and MySQL are the core, with Python apps, Node.js apps (several versions), SSH, Git and WP-CLI. There is no root access, so if your project needs Ruby or its own server software, get a VPS or an application platform — we would rather you knew in the first paragraph than after signing up.

What makes an environment usable rather than available

With that established: for PHP work, a £0.99 shared account is an unusually good deal, because it gives you the specific things that make a hosting environment usable for development rather than merely available. Per-domain PHP switching, a real database with phpMyAdmin, cron from one-minute intervals, SFTP, full .htaccess control, and error logs you can actually read.

That last one matters more than it sounds. A great deal of cheap hosting hides the error log, disables the functions a diagnostic needs, or pins PHP to whatever the server happens to run. Debugging under those conditions is guesswork.

What you get, precisely

The development-relevant specification
Capability What is available
PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 — switchable per domain
Database MySQL / MariaDB, administered through phpMyAdmin
Scheduled tasks Cron jobs, from one-minute intervals
File access SSH and SFTP (port 26628), FTP and a browser file manager
Rewrite rules Full .htaccess control
Diagnostics PHP error logs available from the panel
TLS Free certificates, issued and renewed automatically
Domains 1 domain included (bring your own); extra domains £0.99 one-off
Storage 3GB NVMe SSD
Bandwidth 100GB per month
Other runtimes Node.js and Python, several versions of each; no Ruby

Five patterns that work here

  1. Treat it as a deployment target, not a build server

    Shared hosting is not the place to run a build pipeline. Build locally or in CI, deploy the artefact. Composer dependencies, compiled assets and minified bundles all belong in the thing you upload rather than in a step you run on the server.

  2. Use subdomains as environments

    Subdomains are included, so staging.yourdomain and dev.yourdomain cost nothing extra. Give each its own database and its own PHP version if they differ. Creating a subdomain.

  3. Pin the PHP version deliberately

    Per-domain switching means a legacy project can sit on 7.4 while a new one runs 8.3 on the same account. Decide the version rather than inheriting it. How to switch.

  4. Automate with cron, not with a visitor

    Anything periodic — imports, cleanup, cache warming, queue draining — belongs in cron rather than hooked onto a page load. One-minute intervals are available.

  5. Script your own backups

    Traxio takes daily offsite backups as a courtesy, but keeping your own is your responsibility: generate one from the panel whenever you like. A scheduled local pull is a five-line job and gives you a copy you control. Backing up.

What this is and is not the right tool for

Good developer uses

  • Client sites and small PHP applications
  • Laravel, Symfony or plain PHP projects deployed as built artefacts
  • A cheap staging or demo environment on a subdomain
  • Somewhere permanent for side projects that must not cost real money
  • Learning server administration on a real panel rather than a toy one
  • WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and the rest of the PHP CMS world

Wrong tool for

  • Anything on Ruby, or needing root access
  • Build pipelines and CI running on the server
  • Container-based deployment
  • Applications needing persistent processes or websockets
  • High-traffic production services — 100GB a month is a real ceiling
  • Projects needing persistent background workers rather than cron

The left column is genuinely good value at 99p. The right column is not a matter of configuration — it is the wrong product, and a VPS costs about five pounds a month.

Simple web hosting for £0.99 a month

One plan with everything included. Your first 30 days are free with no card required, then it’s £0.99 a month if you choose to continue — with no setup fee and no price rise at renewal.

The hosting is self-managed through DirectAdmin, with a large knowledge base and an AI help desk that escalates to a person when needed. That’s how the price stays this low.

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See every feature Why it costs £0.99

Traxio web hosting

  • 3GB NVMe disk spaceIncluded
  • 100GB bandwidth a monthIncluded
  • DirectAdmin control panelIncluded
  • Free SSL, issued and renewed automaticallyIncluded
  • An email account on your own domainIncluded
  • One-click WordPress and 400+ appsIncluded
  • FTP, SFTP and a browser file managerIncluded
  • A MySQL database with phpMyAdminIncluded
  • PHP 7.4 to 8.3, switchable per domainIncluded
  • Cron jobs and daily offsite backupsIncluded

First 30 days£0.00

Then, per month£0.99

No setup fee. No VAT or card fees added.

Developer questions

Node.js and Python, yes: you can run apps on several versions of each, alongside PHP 7.4 through 8.3, switchable per domain. Ruby isn’t supported and there’s no root access, so if your project needs either, a VPS or an application platform is the right tool. Stating it plainly saves everyone a wasted signup.
Composer-managed projects run, and the usual approach is to install dependencies locally and deploy the vendor directory with your code. Shared hosting is not a build environment, so treating deployment as “upload the built artefact” rather than “build on the server” is the pattern that works.
Yes, alongside FTP and the browser file manager. SSH uses port 26628, the same port as SFTP. It’s a user-level shell with Git and WP-CLI available, but no root access or sudo. How to connect with SSH.
Yes, from one-minute intervals, configured in DirectAdmin. That covers scheduled imports, cleanup tasks, queue processing and anything else that needs to run without a visitor triggering it.
One domain is included, with subdomains, so several projects can live as subdomains — api.yourdomain, staging.yourdomain, and so on. Extra top-level domains and extra databases are £0.99 one-off add-ons each.
Yes, per domain, between 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3. That matters when one project needs a current version and a legacy one is stuck on an older release.

PHP Hosting

The product page, with the full PHP and database specification.

Hosting for Side Projects

Keeping a weekend build alive without a monthly bill that matters.

Testing and Staging

Running a safe copy of a live site on a subdomain.

DirectAdmin vs cPanel

The panel comparison, if you have only used one of them.

Try Traxio free for 30 days

Then £0.99 a month if you decide to stay. No card required to start.

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