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Web hosting and domain questions, answered
Short, straight answers to the questions our clients in South Africa ask most: what things cost, how domains and transfers work, and how to set up hosting, email and servers.
Domains
- How do I register a .co.za domain in South Africa?Search for the name on our domain page, add the .co.za to your cart and pay by card or bank transfer. No documents are needed, and the domain is usually…
- How much does a .co.za domain cost in South Africa?At Hostnali a .co.za domain costs R 150 for the first year and R 225 a year after that. The price includes DNS management, and you can get a domain free…
- Should I choose a .co.za or a .africa domain?.co.za is the address South Africans know and trust for local businesses. .africa suits brands that work across the continent or want to show their African…
- How do I transfer my domain to Hostnali?Unlock the domain at your current registrar, get its EPP (authorisation) code, then order the transfer on our domain transfer page and enter the code.…
- What is an EPP code and where do I find it?An EPP code (also called an authorisation or auth code) is a password for your domain. The new registrar needs it to prove the domain owner agreed to the…
- How long does a domain transfer take?International domains such as .com, .net and .org take 5 to 7 days, because the old registrar has that long to release them. South African domains such…
- How do I point my domain to my hosting?Change the domain's nameservers to the ones in your Hostnali hosting welcome email. If you'd rather keep your DNS where it is, add an A record pointing…
Web hosting
- What is web hosting?Web hosting is renting space on a server, a computer that is always online, to store your website's files, database and email. When someone types your…
- How much does web hosting cost in South Africa?At Hostnali, web hosting starts at R 327 a year for the Starter plan. Plans with more websites and a free domain cost more. Budget for a domain too (a…
- What is cPanel?cPanel is the control panel that comes with your web hosting. From one dashboard you create email accounts, install WordPress, upload files, manage databases…
- What is WordPress hosting?WordPress hosting is web hosting set up to run WordPress well: one-click installation, caching that makes pages load faster, staging copies for safe updates,…
- How do I install WordPress in cPanel?Log in to cPanel, open Softaculous (or the WordPress Manager), click Install, choose your domain, set the site name and an admin username and password,…
- How do I move my website to Hostnali?Order a hosting plan, then open a ticket asking for a free migration and share access to your current host (cPanel login or a full backup). Our team copies…
- What does 99.99% uptime mean?99.99% uptime means your website is online 99.99% of the time: at most about 4 minutes and 23 seconds of downtime a month, or about 53 minutes a year.…
- Does web hosting come with a free domain?Yes, on every Hostnali web hosting plan except Starter. Standard, Executive and Platinum include a free domain for the first year; you choose it at checkout…
- How many websites can I host on one hosting plan?It depends on the plan: Starter hosts 1 website, Standard up to 5, and Executive and Platinum unlimited websites. Each extra website is an add-on domain…
- Does Hostnali back up my website?Yes, on web hosting, reseller hosting and corporate hosting: automated daily backups are included at no extra cost. VPS and dedicated servers are not backed…
- Do you offer SSH access on shared hosting?Yes, on every shared hosting plan except Starter. Turn it on in cPanel, add your SSH key, and connect with any SSH client to use Git, Composer, WP-CLI,…
- Can I host a Node.js or Python app on shared hosting?Yes. Hostnali web hosting runs Node.js and Python apps (Express, Next.js, Flask, Django and similar) from cPanel: pick a version, set the start file, install…
- What is Softaculous?Softaculous is an app installer built into cPanel on every Hostnali hosting plan. It installs WordPress, Joomla, Moodle, PrestaShop, forums and 400+ other…
- What is cloud hosting?Cloud hosting runs your website on cloud servers where each account is isolated with its own share of CPU and memory, so a busy neighbour can't slow your…
VPS and servers
- What is a VPS?A VPS (virtual private server) is a server of your own inside a larger physical server. It has guaranteed CPU, RAM and storage, its own IP address and…
- Shared hosting or VPS: which do I need?Choose shared hosting for business websites, blogs and small shops: it is cheaper and we manage everything. Choose a VPS when you need your own guaranteed…
- What is a virtual dedicated server (VDS)?A virtual dedicated server (VDS) is a virtual server whose CPU cores and RAM are dedicated to you alone, not shared with other customers. You get the steady…
- Do I need a managed or a self-managed VPS?Choose self-managed if you or your developer are comfortable with Linux or Windows server administration: you get full control and the lowest price. Choose…
- Can I run Windows on a VPS?Yes. Order a Hostnali Windows VPS and Windows Server comes installed, with the licence included in the plan price. You connect with Remote Desktop (RDP)…
Email and SSL
- How do I create a business email with my own domain?Register a domain (for example yourbusiness.co.za), get email hosting or any web hosting plan, then create the address (such as [email protected])…
- How do I set up my business email on my phone?Add the account in the Gmail app, Outlook or iPhone Mail as an IMAP account. Use your full email address and its password; incoming server mail.yourdomain…
- What is an SSL certificate?An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your website and its visitors, so passwords, forms and payments can't be read in transit. It turns http…
- Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?Most websites don't. Every Hostnali hosting plan includes a free SSL certificate that installs and renews automatically, which is enough for business websites,…
- What is the difference between DV, OV and EV SSL?All three encrypt your website in the same way. The difference is what the certificate authority checks: DV (domain validation) checks only that you control…
Payments and account
- How can I pay for hosting in South Africa?You can pay by card or bank transfer, with prices in rand. Card payments are confirmed instantly, so your hosting or domain is activated straight away;…
- Can I get a refund on my hosting?Yes, within 30 days on yearly plans. Yearly web hosting (including WordPress, cloud, corporate and email hosting) and reseller and master reseller hosting…
- Can I get a refund on a VPS or dedicated server?No. VPS and dedicated servers (VDS) are not covered by the money-back guarantee and are not refundable once set up, because the server resources are reserved…
Reselling
- What is reseller hosting?Reseller hosting is a hosting plan you can split into separate cPanel accounts and sell to your own clients under your brand. You set the prices and bill…
- How do I start a web hosting business in South Africa?Start with a reseller hosting plan, a domain reseller account and a billing system such as WHMCS. Set up your brand and website, create hosting packages…
- How do I become a domain reseller in South Africa?Sign up for a free Hostnali client account, open a ticket asking for the account to be activated as a domain reseller, and top up a prepaid balance. Your…
Start your website with Hostnali
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