Question: In last one or two years, I switched several free hosting providers. At first, all are good. But after a few months, some were gone; some lost all data; some gave long downtime; a few required me to upgrade. I need php and mysql, so do not recommend the providers that do not provide these. How to find a reliable free hosting?

The general rules to choose a reliable free hosting provider are:

Rule #1: If it is “too good to be true”, it always is.
If a free hosting provider provides your mysql, ftp, php, email, cgi….. without putting any advertisements, you should think twice before using their services: how can the guy cover the cost? Maybe in the next morning, the provider disappears because they cannot pay the datacenter for the server.
It is quite simple: you must know whether your new provider has the ability to provider the services in long term. A reasonable server in a reasonable datacenter with reasonable bandwidth may cost your provider only $100-$200; but you must bear in mind that server management may cost more. A lot of new “providers” do not have a feasible business plan and do not have enough cash reserve to support their “services”: this is one of the reasons why a lot of “providers” disappear.

Rule #2: Avoid new players.
Everyday many new free hosting “providers” appear (at the same time, many disappear.). You can easily find them in different bbs/forums. It is not wise to trust these providers because most of them do not have a workable plan. This is one of the main reasons why many providers run away within 3-12 months.

Usually, these new providers give more generous offers, e.g., more disk space, more features. But the risk of losing your site is also high. One or two years ago, I once chatted with an ambitious free hosting provider who planned to beat Yahoo/Geocities and Lycos. He gave free hosting account with everything you can find in paid hosting: emails, mysql dbs, ftp ……. His plan was to get 100,000 signups in 2-3 months and then added advertisements to cover costs. He did get more than 10,000 signups in about 10 days; but his server was shut down by the datacenter because of several abuse cases (spammers). He moved to another datacenter, the server was shut down again in less than one week. He and his site, as well as all hosted sites, disappeared. Nowadays, in some free hosting forums, you can still find such new players.

There is nothing wrong with “new” providers. The problem lies in the offers, which are beyond their ability to manage. However, if they do not provider such enticing offers, who will give attention to them?

Usually, old providers know better of the cost, the potential problem and the measures to tackle any emerging problems.

Rule #3: Reputation matters.
If a provider “lost” all data some months ago and said (maybe even did not say) bye-bye to his users, you should not trust this provider again even he now told you “ I am back with more powerful servers and the best free hosting offers…..”. Maybe, he really brings better things, but be not the white mouse. Check this provider again after 3-6 months.

Rule #4: Get what you really need.
If you only need html, you should choose a provider who does not provider fancy php, cgi, mysql things. The general rule in free hosting industry is that, when a provider provides more features, he is more likely hit by abuses, which may affect his services. If you only need a forum/bbs, just find a free forum hosting provider: generally it is safer and it is more reliable. If you only need a blog, just find a free blog provider. Do not overload with anything that you do not need.

Rule #5: Never trust your free hosting provider.
Yes, you should never trust your free hosting provider, no matter how big the name is. It may:
1. Disappear. After last dotcom foam, a lot of free hosting providers disappeared.
2. Lose your data. You should backup your data: it is yours.
3. Stop providing free services immediately and want your money.
4. Say “I am sorry I will leave this industry” or similar lies.
5. Complain you are using too many resources.
Anyway, these also apply to paid hosting.
So, you should be prepared when using any hosting services.

And this is the reason why I do not recommend any providers.