Your Own Website: Testing Free Website Hosts

Netlify Drop

pixelshannontest.netlify.app and netlify.pixelshannon.com hosted by Netlify, using Netlify Drop

Netlify Drop is a super easy way to upload your files and get your website on the internet fast. You can upload before making an account. Netlify lets you add your own custom domain names at no cost, and gives free .netlify.app subdomains. It's a especially good for those looking to use their own custom domain name.

Uploading your website

• I visited Netlify Drop, and was greeted by a by a big box to drag and drop into. You can upload a folder, html file, or zip file.
• I grabbed my test site folder, and dragged it in. The files upload.
• My project is live! A randomly generated subdomain leads to the website. I have 60 minutes to claim the website I uploaded.
• I click the Claim this site button.
• I need to log into Netlify to continue. You can sign up for a new account, or log in if you already have one.
• Logging in leads me to my Projects page on Netlify, with my newly uploaded project at the top. I click on the project's row.
• I'm at the Project overview page.
• I click on the Quick setup button.
• From here, I can change the project name, giving me a subdomain of my choosing instead of the random one.
• I type in my name, pixelshannontest, which gives me a pixelshannontest.netlify.app subdomain, and click Update project name.
• My website now works at pixelshannontest.netlify.app

Add a custom domain or subdomain

• The next page has an option to set a custom domain. I click the Add a domain you own button.
• On the Set custom domain page, I type in a subdomain I want to use, using a domain name I already have registered. I type netlify.pixelshannon.com and click the Verify button.
• I get a message instructing me to To verify ownership, add the following TXT record to your DNS provider at the root level. with settings to use for the DNS record.
• I go to my DNS management, which I have at my registrar, and go to the DNS settings for the domain name I'm using. I add a TXT record with the Host and Value(Answer) given to me by Netlify.
• Back at Netlify, I click the Add subdomain button.
• At the Project overview page again, I have my uploaded website listed with the project name of my choosing, and the netlify subdomain to match, and my custom subdomain.
• My custom subdomain doesn't work yet, though. There's another DNS record to add.
• From the Netlify Project overview page for my project, I click on Domain Management from the sidebar.
• Under the Production domains header, my project's subdomains are listed. I have pixelshannontest.netlify.app and netlify.pixelshannon.com.
• netlify.pixelshannon.com has a Pending DNS verification link next to it, which I click on. It tells me to Add a CNAME record for netlify that points to pixelshannontest.netlify.app
• I go back to my domain's DNS management to add a CNAME record with
• Host: netlify.pixelshannon.com
• Target: pixelshannontest.netlify.app
• I go back to Netlify and refresh the Domain management page and refresh. The Pending message is gone.
• My custom domain appears to be working, but the SSL certificate doesn't match. It may take some time for the DNS settings to propagate, but once they do, go to the SSL/TLS certificate section of Netlify's Domain management page.
• Click on Verify DNS configuration
• If your DNS has propogated, you should get a Verification was successful button, and your SSL certificate should be there. This allows visitors to connect to your site with https.
• I can now visit my test site hosted with Netlify at https://netlify.pixelshannon.com