Web Hosting Innovation: Frac.dk and Hotserv.dk

Pioneering in Web Hosting from 2004 to 2008

In a period where web hosting and domain purchasing were relatively expensive, I developed two groundbreaking web hosting services, Frac.dk and Hotserv.dk. These services quickly gained significant popularity with over 100,000 active users and created a thriving community where members learned to develop websites in PHP.

Growth and Community Management

During the rapid growth of these services, it became necessary to recruit additional moderators to manage the growing user base. As the primary person responsible for both Frac.dk and Hotserv.dk, I led the daily operations and communication, ensuring the integrity of the community and promoting an environment of learning and innovation.

Challenges and Closure

Despite their success, both services faced challenges, primarily increasing misuse in the form of illegally uploaded material and a general decline in hosting prices in the market. These factors led to the closure of both Frac.dk and Hotserv.dk.

Frac.dk: From Start to Development

Frac.dk was launched by Søren Nielsen in 2003, and I joined the project in 2004. My contribution consisted of server operation and PHP development. We used Apache's mod_rewrite to rewrite subdomains into chrooted directories, which allowed adding new users dynamically without having to reload Apache. This innovative solution was necessary due to limited server capacity and because the site was run from a converted desktop machine.

Hotserv.dk: A New Chapter

Following disagreements about the future direction of Frac.dk, I established Hotserv.dk. This service offered more storage space and advanced features, supported by more powerful servers. Hotserv.dk made it possible to reload Apache configurations as needed, improving security and allowing users to attach their own domains.