Best hosting for e-commerce, web services, and database?

I’m looking to host a site that will sell products, so it needs e-commerce capabilities like product catalog, billing, email, and some decent ready-to-use templates. It also needs to host a database, preferably Postgres or MySQL, and support web services written in .NET or Java. Any suggestions? Thanks!

  1. What’s your budget? Initially under $100/month but should be able to scale.

  2. Where are your users located? Worldwide.

  3. What type of site are you hosting? E-commerce plus REST services with a database. Open to using a WordPress template or something similar for the e-commerce site.

  4. Estimated traffic? Low to start.

  5. Do you have experience with server administration? Some.

  6. Did you check the recommended hosts? Yes.

You’re not looking for regular web hosting, you’re looking for an e-commerce SaaS platform.

It sounds like you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that doesn’t exist, or you’re not entirely sure what you need. The best bet might be Shopify! Don’t try to build something from scratch unless you have a lot of money to spend and know what you’re doing.

Or, if you need something custom-made, find a good developer. I’m not trying to be rude, just being honest—it’ll save you a lot of headaches to use a good store template and focus on business-related tasks instead of tech.

Good luck!

@ginahearns I appreciate your input, and I understand what you’re saying. Shopify can’t handle everything I need, though. I might need to manage parts of the system outside the e-commerce platform. I’m hoping to find a flexible host that allows custom development and e-commerce integration. But I’m okay with starting with just the e-commerce site for now.

The business will eventually need to handle royalty payments, so I’m concerned about integrating billing and accounting. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I thought it was worth getting some advice.

@ginahearns If you’re even considering WordPress as a possible solution, then Shopify can definitely handle most of what you need, especially with the apps available. It’s much more than just a basic shopping cart.

It can handle external database support and middleware development too.

Alternatively, WebFlow might be a good option. I’ve used it for complex projects, and it’s fast to get going. But the problem still seems to be that you’re expecting a turnkey solution for something custom or niche. You’ll likely need a professional to help you figure out the best approach.

@ginahearns Yeah, I’m not a fan of being locked into Shopify as a vendor. I’ll probably start with hosting the e-commerce site and worry about scaling the rest later. Thanks again for your input!

You might want to look into a bare metal server that you can fully control.