Your Safelist Network Starting Your Own Safelist Network

Getting started in your own Safelist Hosting business

When it comes to hosting safelists, there are a lot of things you need to consider. First and foremost is having the hosting environment that can support the number of safelists and members and emails that will be generated from your network. This page provides you with some important information on what to choose when getting started.

What is a Safelist Hosting Network?

A Safelist Hosting Network generally refers to a site which installs and runs multiple safelists. These may be then leased out to other individuals or retained by the hosting company for their own use.

What are the Hosting Requirements?

Hosting and running safelists, even a single safelist, can have specific hosting needs. Even if you are just starting out with only one safelist, the majority of website hosts will not allow you to host safelists on their servers. For those that don't object to it, is pretty much guaranteed that their servers are not set up to deal with the amount of email generated by a safelist. Even a small safelist can grow quite rapidly and attract many more emails than at first anticipated.

The usual result in this case is that you have your account shut down by your web host. Not an ideal situation if you are trying to start a reputable business!  So, the advice here is do not attempt to install safelist scripts and safelist hosting networks on shared hosting providers such as HostGator, GoDaddy, Yahoo and many other web hosting companies. Look for one that specifically provides services for safelist users.

The best way to start with your safelist hosting network is to have your own dedicated server. These can be leased from a hosting provider starting at around $120 per month for a server that is capable of handling everything you need. If this amount is out of your budget, you may look at having your lists on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) where you are assigned a particular portion of a larger server, that acts in a similar way to a dedicated server. To obtain the minimum requirements for safelist hosting, you will probably spend around $60-$80 per month for a reliable VPS. The only problem with this is that inevitably, you will need to upgrade to your own dedicated server at some point as your lists and memberships grow. This then adds further costs to arrange transfers, with possible downtime during the server moves.

Wherever possible, please try and obtain your own dedicated server before beginning your safelist hosting network.

When researching dedicated servers, you will want to make sure you lease from a reliable host. One that you can contact for support issues 24/7. The amount of disk space you have on your server is not as important as having the largest amount of memory (RAM) you can afford, and the fastest processor (CPU) you can afford. The following are the recommended specifications to get started:

  Linux Server: 
  60Gb Hard Disk (more if available)
  2Gb memory/RAM (absolute minimum of 512Mb, but the more the better)
  2.6Ghz or faster CPU/processor (the best you can afford)
  CentOS Operating System if available
  MySQL Databases (as many as the number of lists you plan on, plus 2 or 3 extra)

  Must-Have Modules/Services for our Script
  IMAP Module
  Curl Module
  cPanel Hosting Platform
  Ability to execute "background" functions

Remember, for an additional cost (depends on the provider) you can upgrade your memory and even add hard disks, but you can not upgrade your CPU - you will be required to transfer to another server.

Below you will find some of the dedicated server companies and VPS Hosting providers I recommend.

In Summary:

  • Do not install safelist scripts and safelist hosting networks on shared hosting;
  • Start with a VPS ($60-$80 per month) if you must, but be prepared to upgrade later (see our Mini-Server Plan for details);
  • If possible, start with your own dedicated server with sufficient resources.

Recommended Providers

Beachcombers - Dedicated and VPS
Tektonic - VPS
The Planet - Dedicated

How much maintenance is Required?

Now that you have managed to obtain your hosting space, there are still a few more things that need to be done in preparation for your new network.

  1. Server Setup
    How much setting up is required on your new server depends a great deal on the hosting provider you purchase from. For example, when you purchase a dedicated server from Beachcombers, they complete all of the initial setup for you including setting up your nameservers, adding security measures to your server and installing some helpful plugins, including IMAP and Curl. The majority of other server providers do not do this setup for you and you will need to do it yourself, or hire someone to do it for you.
  2. Server Optimization
    Regardless of who you purchase your server or VPS through, the default configuration of your server is never ideal for running large numbers of safelists. It needs to be optimized to handle bulk email delivery and database accesses. This is a CRUCIAL part of your safelist hosting. Without appropriate configurations, your safelist network will suffer many, many problems. You need someone who is experienced in server administration and is particularly well-versed on configuring the MTA (mail transfer agent) on your server.

    Ezy Hosts is able to provide a Server Setup and Optimization package for a one-off fee of $80 when you order the Safelist Hosting script installation. Please make sure you have read this page in detail before requesting this service. If you require server optimization without purchasing an install, please use the Contact Us page to let us know.
  3. Script Installation and Configuration
    There are a few different safelist scripts available that you can install and use for your network. The most popular script is being used by dozens of different safelist hosting companies and we can provide you with the most up-to-date and error-free version of this script complete with full installation and configuration. We do not sell this script for "self-installation" as we prefer to get the configuration correct to avoid support issues in the future. That's why we include the installation for free. When you purchase the Script Install, it is valid for use on only one domain.

    Be careful when installing/configuring your own scripts. Safelist scripts (and in particular, safelist hosting scripts) can be very tricky to get perfect and it's easy to end up with a site full of errors and no support available to help you after you've purchased. Don't end up in this situation - make sure your script is installed and configured correctly by an expert.

You can purchase the installation and setup of the latest version of the Safelist Hosting Script here:

Purchase SAFELIST HOSTING script and Installation
 (this is for our Starter Pack)

Enter your Control Panel details for your domain when prompted for the "server options". If you will also be requesting the Server Optimization addon, please enter the full root access details to your server, or submit the details to us in a separate email.

Errors with your Network?

If you already have your safelist hosting network setup and running, but you are having problems, please visit our troubleshooting section.

 


NOTES:  If you are planning on moving an existing safelist hosting company or multiple safelists, or wish to expand your network, please contact us for a quote specific to your requirements.