I can still remember learning about web design on Frontpage Express back in 2001. Things were still primitive back then, even after the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. Flash was the latest craze but simple websites (now called brutalist websites) still reigned supreme.
The good thing about non-Flash websites was their small size. Internet speeds were slow in today’s terms so larger websites took longer to load and used up more data. Now most people in Europe and the US use broadband and superfast speeds are literally that. That means bigger websites can get to users quicker. But not for everybody. Internet is still expensive in Africa and the Caribbean and bigger websites eat up data like no one’s business.
1MB might be a nifty solution for that. They’re a free web host “designed to make web development feel more approachable”. But there’s a catch: your site has to be 1MB or less in size to use the free service. Most web pages go over that.
With 1MB, you can host HTML, CSS, and JS. The service comes with a browser-based code editor with templates and live previews. It’s a quick service to get you onto the web.
Other features include:
- Free custom domains and SSL certificates
- SQL-less databases
- Command line and API deployment
But if you don’t see yourself squeezing your site into a 1MB box, there is a Pro version offering 5GB of storage, up to 50 sites, image hosting, and instant apps.
1MB is a lesson in web brevity – how much can you do with a small amount of data? It’s a great lesson in stripping away superfluous code and leaving the fundamentals.
If 1MB sounds like the right host for you, register today!
Update: Sadly, from 11th May 2021, all free 1MB sites will be shut down. In an email today, 1MB stated:
We are reaching out to inform you that all free 1MB sites will be permanently deleted on May 11th, 2021. The process will begin around 3PM EST. This is all in an effort to make our platform more financially stable and support a brighter future for us. We just introduced some new affordable pricing you can check out here: 1mb.co/pro
While their Pro packages are affordable, it’s a great shame that their free hosting is disappearing and 1MB is really just a name now.