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How to put your website online

This guide shows you, step by step, how to upload your website files so your site goes live. It takes about 5 minutes, and you do not need to be technical.

The quickest way: in your client area, open your Static Site Hosting and click Download connection file, then double-click it. Cyberduck opens already set up - you can skip straight to Step 4. The steps below show the manual way if you prefer to do it yourself.

What you will need

  • Your website files - a folder that contains a page named index.html (plus any images, styles, and other pages).
  • Your connection details - we will get these from your client area in Step 1.
  • About 5 minutes.

  1. Find your connection details

    Log in to your client area, open your Static Site Hosting service, and click "Show connection details". Keep this tab open - you will copy four things from it: your Server / Endpoint, Bucket name, Access key, and Secret key.

  2. Get the free upload app

    Download Cyberduck - it is free, safe, and works by simple drag-and-drop.

    Download Cyberduck (Windows & Mac)

    Install it like any other app, then open it.

  3. Connect it to your site

    In Cyberduck, click Open Connection (top-left). At the top of the box that appears, choose Amazon S3 from the dropdown. Then fill in:

    • Server: your Server / Endpoint from Step 1 (for example s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com).
    • Access Key ID: your Access key.
    • Secret Access Key: your Secret key.

    Click Connect. You will see a folder with your Bucket name - double-click to open it.

    Tip: This is your storage. Anything you put in here is what your website serves.

  4. Upload your website files

    Drag your website files from your computer straight into the Cyberduck window. Wait for the upload to finish.

    Important: Your main page must be named index.html and sit at the top level (not inside another folder). That is the page visitors see first.

  5. Visit your live site

    That is it! Your site is live at your web address, shown in your client area (and in your welcome email). Open it in a new tab to see it. Changes can take up to a minute to appear worldwide.

Done! Your website is online over secure HTTPS, served from a fast global network. To update it later, just repeat Step 4 with your changed files.

Your web address

When you signed up you chose a free address like your-site.hostwrx.com. Your site is live there with HTTPS included, usually within 10 to 15 minutes of ordering - that first wait is our global network setting itself up.

Changing your free address

In your client area, open your site and find Your web address. Type a new name and click Change free address. It takes a few minutes to update.

Using your own domain

Already own a domain like yourbusiness.com? In the same Your web address section, enter it and click Connect my domain. We will show you two things to add at your domain provider:

  1. A record that proves the domain is yours.
  2. A record that points the domain at your site (www plus your root domain).

Add both, click I added the record - check now, and your site moves to your own domain with HTTPS. Verification usually finishes in 10 to 30 minutes.

Note: a site can use one address at a time, so once your own domain is live, the free hostwrx.com address is released.
Will this affect my email? No. These records only point your website to us - your email keeps working exactly as it does today, wherever it is hosted. (Static Site Hosting does not include mailboxes; our Web Hosting plans do.)

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