# How to turn my computer into a web server?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 15, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632 "2004-01-15T19:17:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Penumbra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penumbra)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/1 "2004-01-15T19:17:41Z")
Is it possible to turn a regular PC into a web server that can host files on the internet? If it is possible, how would I set something like this up?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/2 "2004-01-15T19:36:51Z")
[Running a Personal Web Server.](http://www.chami.com/tips/windows/120296W.html)
Be advised, however, that it is against the Terms of Use with most ISPs to run a web server on a personal account, and you’ll risk having your account closed if you do so.
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### Author:  [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/3 "2004-01-15T20:18:05Z")
Microsoft has a [Windows Server Community](http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/community/default.mspx) where you can ask more specific questions and compare real experiences.
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### Author:  [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/4 "2004-01-15T20:24:36Z")
Check with your ISP whether it’s ok to run a web server. Depending on your current package, you might have to upgrade or get an external IP address.
Here’s an extremely simple to setup webserver:
[http://www.aprelium.com/](http://www.aprelium.com/)
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### Author:  [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/5 "2004-01-16T00:31:43Z")
Most Linux distributions (with standard installation) turn your PC into a web and FTP server. [Even MicroSoft uses Linux for the web.](http://enterprise-security-today.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Microsoft_Using_Linux_Based_Network&story_id=22171&category=linuxsecurity)
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### Author:  [@Zaphod7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zaphod7)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/6 "2004-01-16T00:38:21Z")
There are a few tools that can help you with this and I have done it a number of times. You really need to decide what you want to run first.
IIS is versy useful and you can use php and asp with this.
personally i like Ibserver as a free package and phpdev as these are pre bundled installs and it works well.
The hardest part is getting your DNS right so that people can actually see your site.
but there are a few sites that will help you do this, i think the software is called dynamic dns and it sets up your page with a free URL also you can get free co.nr domains that also will help you set up dns, this helps if you have adial up conenction that way when you dns changes people can still reach your site.
Basically there is a fair bit of configuring to do and the mjor thing is security so I would really read into it first. After weighing all the option I bought my hosting package from [p4host.com](http://p4host.com) as it was inexpensive and good qualitly, my site loads fast on their site [http://www.mytipper.com](http://www.mytipper.com)
i think in the end it is just cheaper, easier and less hassle to buy hosting.
Zaphod
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/7 "2004-01-16T00:52:53Z")
1. Open your Preference Panels. Click on “Sharing.”
2. Under “Web sharing,” click “Start.”
That’s all. Just stick your site’s files in your “Sites” directory, and you’re good to go.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/8 "2004-01-16T01:16:03Z")
You can use SimpleServer ( [http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/sswww.htm](http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/sswww.htm) ) if you just need to do basic stuff.
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### Author:  [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/9 "2004-01-16T05:13:19Z")
[Serv-U](http://www.serv-u.com/customer/record.asp?prod=su) is a free, easy to use FTP server program. Once you go through the simple set-up, you can specifiy anonymous accounts or password/ registered accounts. Then all you have to do is type ftp://\ and you’re ready to go. I use it all the time to pull stuff off my home computer from remote locations.
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### Author:  [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/10 "2004-01-16T05:48:01Z")
[Apache](http://www.apache.org) is the biggest out there.
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### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/11 "2004-01-16T07:15:24Z")
A note for people using IIS (even those running Win2k who don’t _know_ they’re running IIS) - **make sure you keep the patches up to date!!!**
IIS was (and still kind of is) a running joke when it comes to getting hacked. My apache logs for today show a dozen attacks in three different formats, all perpetuated by hacked IIS machines, looking to spread their evil payload. Put a plain vanilla IIS server up on a broadband connection and I guarantee it’ll join them in mere hours.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you’re going to open your machine up to the 'net, whatever the service, make sure you know what you’re doing first.
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### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/12 "2004-01-16T14:05:29Z")
I’ll back up the Apache recommendation. I see thousands of IIS attacks against me every week; all of the attacks fail.
FTR IME ISP ToS (wow, 4 acronyms in a row) language (which I’ve seen a few dozen sets of lately) typically either prohibits running a “server” (which is so loosely defined that it could be applied to almost any program, including vanilla IE because it uses HTTP POST to send data; thus they are legally unenforceable) or else prohibits running a server as a business. And I’ll look it up to see if I can cite it definitively, but IIRC Oklahoma had a judge rule that a DSL provider could not control whether people ran personal non-profit servers due to the static bandwidth leasing nature of the line.
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### Author:  [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/13 "2004-01-16T19:30:26Z")
Go for apache, it is easy to install and configure. If you don’t pull it off, google for php-triad. It is a “one click install” for apache, php, mysql and some other nice things. Gets you up and running with the basic settings right off.
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### Author:  [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/14 "2004-01-17T00:14:06Z")
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- I was for a time using the smaller file servers for FTP over a cable connection–all worked for smaller files (\<1 meg) and were easy to use, but conked out on larger uploads and the upload would hang. That was more than likely my OS at the time: Win98+ZoneAlarm. Win2K and Linux seem to be the big two OS’s for this sort of thing. If you run most general-use Linux install versions there’s one included in there somewhere.
- One free, small-download open-source one for Windows that’s easy to use is Filezilla Server. Note that Filezilla is an FTP client, FileZilla Server is the file _server_.
- And most ISP home accounts do prohibit operating servers, but most I hear of now are upload-limited anyway. Mine for instance provides a maximum 280 (?something like that?) Kb/download, but consistently provides an obviously-limited 20 Kb/upload.
~
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### Author:  [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/15 "2004-01-17T01:02:06Z")
If you’re gonna stay with windows, I highly recommend [FoxServ](http://www.foxserv.net/), which is an excellent implementation of a apache, php, and mysql complete with installer.
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-turn-my-computer-into-a-web-server/224632/16 "2004-01-17T02:58:29Z")
> [@rjung](#):
>
> 1. Open your Preference Panels. Click on “Sharing.”
> 2. Under “Web sharing,” click “Start.”
>
> That’s all. Just stick your site’s files in your “Sites” directory, and you’re good to go.
This, by the way, is powered by Apache.