Overview
DreamHost was originally founded in 1997 as the New Dream Network, and its founders (Josh, Sage, Michael, and Dallas) were still undergraduates at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. Since then, the company name has changed to DreamHost, and currently hosts over a million websites worldwide.
DreamHost currently has a variety of services to host your website, including:
This article provides a quick overview of these services and includes additional links to help you understand DreamHost's offerings.
Website hosting
There are four types of web servers to host your website at DreamHost:
WordPress-managed hosting (DreamPress)
DreamHost offers an upgraded and managed WordPress hosting plan called DreamPress. This premium WordPress package includes the following features:
- Each DreamPress instance is set up on DreamHost's cloud computing service called DreamCompute
- Memory is automatically scaled
- Uses a built-in cache on the server
- Simple pricing options
Visit the DreamPress article for further details.
Email hosting
Email hosting is included for free with most hosting plans. It is also available as a low cost add-on to a domain registration-only or Shared Starter plan. The email add-on plan includes free Webmail service. You can also create an email-only account without a website hosting plan.
List services
There are two types of list services at DreamHost: Announcement Lists and Discussion Lists (these services do not require a hosting plan).
Domain registrations
DreamHost provides the ability to purchase a domain registration from within the panel. Purchasing a domain registration does not require you to also have a hosting plan with DreamHost – once the domain is registered, you can host it anywhere you like.
Additionally, if you purchase a Shared Hosting plan, you get a free registration for the first year of hosting. View the Free domain registrations article for a list of domains this applies to.
In order to qualify for one free domain registration credit for the first full year, you must sign up for a 1-year or 3-year annual plan on a Shared Starter, Shared Unlimited, or any annual DreamPress plan (monthly Shared or monthly DreamPress plans do not apply). This free credit is NOT available under any other hosting plan. Please visit the Domain Registration Terms and Sign up for Shared Hosting pages for more details.
Visit our Domains website page to view a list of new TLDs DreamHost recently began offering and a tool to check if the registration is available.
Most registrars force you to pay an extra fee to keep your personal information hidden, but DreamHost includes this WHOIS privacy service for free with your domain registration. However, please note that not all registrations support privacy. View the Domain registration privacy article for a list of domains that do not offer privacy at DreamHost.
Cloud services
DreamHost currently provides two cloud services:
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DreamObjects – a cloud storage service, which you can use to back up any data you like.
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DreamCompute – allows you to control your own personal cloud server with scalable resources.