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So it's my first time actually making a website and hosting it online--most of what I've done has been tutorials and class work. Now a friend and I want to make something professional and maybe evolve into a business.

1.) I want to be planning long-run but am kind of afraid of being committed to something I have rudimentary knowledge of. What do you think about starting with these technologies (CouchDB, Node.js)? The long-run goal is that it will be social networky and use search, hence noSQL. Will be using Linux + RoR. Node.js is still a bit elusive to me though I've read a lot about it.

2.) Do most web hosting services support these technologies or do I have to find specialized hosting services or host them myself?

3.) What about Cloudant and Nodejitsu/CloudOne--should I consider using these? Other suggestions much appreciated.

Mathew Cowdery
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  • Given how little information you have provided, this isn't a good fit for Stack Overflow. 1) Nearly any database could be used for a "social networky" database. :) 2) Depends on #1. 3) Again, depends on #1. Why had you picked CouchDB in the first place? If you have a specific programming problem, it will be much easier to help you. – WiredPrairie Feb 17 '13 at 20:04
  • @WiredPrairie Sorry, I tried to frame my question similar to related topics I found here. I figured brevity was appreciated--but maybe I need to be more specific. As far as noSQL goes, it is designed for Big Data and analytics (which is important in search and Social networks). I didn't mean to say that I "couldn't" use a relational database but that I think a noSQL database would be preferred in my situation--and if I was wrong someone would correct me (that's the point of this question--to get an understanding if I'm using these technologies correctly). – Mathew Cowdery Feb 17 '13 at 20:32
  • If you want to go down the Linux/RoR route why mention CouchDb and Node.js in the title? – booyaa Feb 19 '13 at 08:56
  • Just want to add an important comment to clarify one point: Couchbase and CouchDB are 2 different projects/products, see http://www.couchbase.com/couchbase-vs-couchdb and you can use Couchbase with Ruby/Rails, Node,... in fact many SDK http://www.couchbase.com/develop – Tug Grall Feb 21 '13 at 13:36

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I would most certainly recommend a well established PAAS provider. Like maybe Heroku or AppFog. They will make sure you only have to worry about developing your next cool app rather than being a sysadmin.

Heroku also supports deployment by git which is nice. Another big advantage is If your application actually kicks off and you need to scale, scaling with these PAAS providers is often as simple as playing with a few sliders!

1 . There are a lot of noSQL databases available MongoDB and CouchDB are pretty good. They have good documentation. But make sure they fit your exact need before choosing either. RoR is again a great framework. Notably used by twitter. And of course leave the actual server administration to PAAS providers!

2. Checkout Heroku or AppFog. Both of them support RoR and are well reputable with good documentation and community available.

3. I would recommend using Node.js if you plan to build an app which handles a lot of concurrent connections. Like a chat app for example this is basically where Node.js shines.

And finally, Don't think too much into what the hip technologies are. Choose what you are familiar and comfortable with. And most importantly choose what fits your exact need.

Ahmed Aeon Axan
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  • Thanks Ahmed! I'm just realizing how noobish and unorganized my question was but your answer was very helpful. – Mathew Cowdery Feb 17 '13 at 20:46
  • I actually do have some limited experience with Heroku and git--but all of these "-as-a-service" stuff gets me confused (their's a bunch), hence my question. Just wanted to make sure I'm using best/appropriate tools for a beginning website. Again, thanks! – Mathew Cowdery Feb 17 '13 at 20:54
  • Platform As A Service (PAAS) is just a fancy way of saying we will manage and provide the platform so you don't have to worry about it. We will give it on a subscription basis so you can use as much or as little as you like. It's as simple as that. And yes PAAS providers are pretty much the standard these days and of course where will we be without git :) – Ahmed Aeon Axan Feb 17 '13 at 20:56
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    On face value heroku looks great they support multiple languages/frameworks. As with all thing-asaService(tm) you'll only get the true measure of a provider when it goes wrong. heroku are tethered to the AWS. Nodejitsu have had the foresight to use Joyent (US) and Telefonica (Europe). Nodejitsu have some of the most amazing support via irc/email I've ever experienced, they total get node.js. Yes node.js, is hard to grok, but then again breaking it big as the next big social network is too. p.s. I'm not an employee just a big fan boy. – booyaa Feb 19 '13 at 09:04