How much space/bandwidth do I need for a forum

[manvbf]

Hi, Since I am new to web hosting stuff, I need all your help. Right now, I'm think to develop a forum that using PHP and MySQL. All the posts will be store in the database (open to suggestion) and when the website load, it will read from the database. I understand that, because it is a forum, so the space will depend on how many people participate in it(number of posts/size). Same with bandwidth.

So, can anyone recommend how much space/bandwidth do I need to start with so that i'm not in trouble of over space/bandwidth later. And if I store all the posts in database, does that mean I do not need much of space (since the normal website does not take much).

Thanks in advance.

[electra]

To determine the amount of space and bandwidth you will need for your forum, you can consider the following factors:

1. Number of posts and their size: Estimate the average size of each post and multiply it by the number of active participants you expect to have. This will give you an estimate of the total storage space required for posts.

2. Number of concurrent users: Estimate the maximum number of users you anticipate will be accessing your forum at the same time. This will help you determine the required bandwidth to handle the traffic.

3. File attachments: If your forum allows users to upload files as attachments to their posts, you will need to allocate additional storage space for these files.

4. Database size: Consider the potential growth of your database over time as more posts are added. Additionally, factor in any other data you may need to store, such as user information and settings.

It's also beneficial to leave some room for future growth and unexpected spikes in traffic. It's recommended to choose a hosting plan that provides scalable resources, allowing you to easily upgrade as your needs evolve.

Here are a few more points to consider when determining the space and bandwidth requirements for your forum:

1. Page views: Estimate the number of page views you expect per day, as each page load consumes bandwidth. Multiply this number by the average size of your web pages to get an estimate of your daily bandwidth usage.

2. Caching and optimization: Implement caching mechanisms and optimize your code and database queries to reduce the amount of bandwidth and server resources required for each page load.

3. Traffic patterns: Consider the traffic patterns of your forum. Are there specific times when traffic is expected to be higher? If so, ensure that your hosting plan can handle these peak loads without downtime or performance issues.

4. Content delivery network (CDN): Using a CDN can help distribute your forum's content across multiple servers and locations, reducing the load on your hosting server and improving the overall user experience.

5. Regular backups: Allocate additional storage space for regular backups of your forum's data to ensure that you have sufficient space to store these backups securely.

6. Other website components: Remember to account for other website components such as the forum software itself, plugins, themes, and any additional functionality you plan to include.

few additional considerations to help you determine the space and bandwidth requirements for your forum:

1. Traffic growth rate: Consider the projected growth rate of your forum in terms of user registrations, active participants, and overall website usage. This will help you anticipate future space and bandwidth needs.

2. Media-rich content: If your forum allows users to post images, videos, or other media-rich content, factor in the additional storage space required to accommodate these files.

3. User-generated content: Determine if your forum will have any features that encourage heavy user-generated content, such as polls, surveys, or user-submitted articles. These may require additional storage space and bandwidth.

4. File compression: Explore mechanisms to compress and optimize the storage of data in your database to reduce space requirements without compromising performance.

5. Forum software and plugins: Different forum software and plugins have varying resource requirements. Research the specific software you plan to use and consider any additional plugins or extensions you may need. Check their documentation or seek recommendations from experienced users to understand their resource demands.

6. Optimize queries and indexing: Ensure that your database queries and indexing are properly optimized to minimize the load on the database server and improve overall performance.

7. Website optimization: Implement techniques such as caching, content minification, and image optimization to reduce the amount of data transferred and improve page load times, thus reducing bandwidth consumption.


It's better to have your domain + hosting with separate companies.
It will save you some hassle if you ever decide to move hosting companies.

Just pay $8 or $9 per year and get a domain from godaddy.com or namecheap.com