How To: Get Help on Shared Webhosting

You might be posting on Hosting providers or using sharedhosting tag…
Note, this page is permanently available at https://help.nextcloud.com/pub/shared-webhosting

I need help, and my Nextcloud is on Shared hosting

0. The only person who can help you is your webhost
1. You are at the mercy of your webhost.
2. You value low cost over root access to the machine, which is not available.

What, why must I ask my webhost to help with my shared hosting?

• This is their job. You paid for shared hosting so someone else would manage it for you.
• You pay them to manage the system for you in cpanel or directadmin or plesk or litespeed or whatever shared hosted hosting platform. So, only they can manage your system, because they control everything.
  • Accessible version of PHP is whatever they offer.
  • PHP modules are whatever they offer. Some might be missing.
  • Database you can use is as-is, eg. sqlite version, mariadb version or mysql version. Don’t believe any host allows postgresql, so that is probably out of the picture.
  • Your host likely only supports installing particular PHP apps, eg. cpanel.
  • Your host can drop support for Nextcloud, or any app, at any time for any reason without telling you.
  • If your host does something you do not like you have zero recourse other than contacting them. If you think this is unlikely, your friendly admin saw this happen with largest domain registrar and hosting provider in the industry. Do not expect a warning, but it might also only cost less than $20 - $30 per year, so maybe a win-win.
  • Your host should always be willing to support you (their customer) in accessing and backing up your data to a device you control. No guarantees, but it is the right thing to do.

I don’t want to ask my host for support

• In this case we cannot help you, because only someone with root access to the machine can address underlying problems related to the modular stack powering your Nextcloud: a database, a webserver, storage, caching with a service like Reds and whatever else they have authorized you to use.
• Your host should always grant you the ability to download or archive or access your own data, including everything related to your hosted Nextcloud. It will hopefully be a click away from their panel, but no promises on what they choose to offer.

My host will not help me.

• Consider changing providers, or consider self-hosting on a machine you actually control. The terms of a service you have are not something you can change… you can demand assistance as a paying customer or demand assistance in moving your data elsewhere. Good luck, and we hope you succeed in this endeavor!
• Are you keeping local backups? If not, why not?

So, I am 100% dependant on my shared hosting provider?

• Yes. %
• Your resources are shared, so you are also dependent on however many people you are sharing with.
  • Hopefully, those shared users use their services less than you do since you are looking for help.
• Your best bet is to always keep local backups of all your data, which should be supported within your hosted service package as a cron or download or other service they offer.

Good luck with your shared webhosting experience!

We hope this clarifies why shared hosting is both extremely inexpensive and can be equally unreliable. Your hosting provider should do their due diligence to support paying customers! Since anyone can host Nextcloud, this also opens the doors to poor quality hosts selling access to Nextcloud out of their basement… Either way, always keep backups of your data outside of the provider and best of luck to you!

• Please be understanding if those on the forum here cannot help with your problem, which must be addressed by your provider.

What we can help on (on a surface level)

• My mobile client or web app or service is not working as I hoped.

What we cannot help on (on a deeper, fundamental level)

• Anything in regards to the underlying hosted platform running your Nextcloud. It is between you and the provider.