Skip to main content
OVHcloud Web Hosting gives you shared hosting infrastructure to deploy websites and web applications without managing server administration. Each plan includes disk storage, databases, email accounts, and an SSL certificate — all managed from the OVHcloud Control Panel.

​
Plans overview

FeatureStarterBasicProPerformance
Storage100 GB250 GB500 GB1000 GB
Databases113Up to 43
Email accounts5101001000
SSH accessNoNoYesYes
Free SSL (Let’s Encrypt)YesYesYesYes
PHP versions8.0–8.58.0–8.58.0–8.58.0–8.5
SSH access is only available on the Pro plan and above. All plans include FTP and SFTP access.

​
Publishing your first website

1

Retrieve your FTP credentials

Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel, go to Web Cloud > Hosting plans, and select your plan. Click the FTP - SSH tab.Note the following values:
  • FTP and SFTP server: ftp.clusterXXX.hosting.ovh.net
  • Main login: your FTP username
  • FTP port: 21
  • SFTP port: 22
If you have forgotten your FTP password, use the Change password option on the same tab.
2

Connect with an FTP client

Open your FTP client and enter the credentials from the previous step. Use SFTP (port 22) when possible — it encrypts all data in transit.
  1. Download FileZilla and open it.
  2. In the Quickconnect bar at the top, enter:
    • Host: sftp://ftp.clusterXXX.hosting.ovh.net
    • Username: your FTP login
    • Password: your FTP password
    • Port: 22
  3. Click Quickconnect.
  4. Accept the server key fingerprint if prompted.
  5. The right panel shows your hosting’s remote directory tree. Navigate to the www/ folder.
3

Upload your website files

In your FTP client, navigate to the www/ folder on the remote side. Drag your website files from your local machine into this directory.Your website’s entry point (typically index.html or index.php) must be placed directly in www/ or in the subdirectory mapped to your domain.
If you upload files to a non-empty directory, existing files with the same name will be overwritten. Back up your current files before uploading new ones.
4

Point your domain to the hosting plan

Go to Web Cloud > Hosting plans > Multisites in the Control Panel. Confirm that your domain is listed and the root directory matches where you uploaded your files.If your domain is not yet associated, click Add a domain or subdomain and follow the wizard. DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours.
5

Verify your website is live

Open a browser and navigate to your domain. If you see your uploaded content, the deployment is complete.If you see an OVHcloud placeholder page, wait for DNS propagation to complete or clear your browser cache.

​
Managing databases

OVHcloud Web Hosting includes MySQL databases accessible via phpMyAdmin.

​
Create a database

  1. Go to Web Cloud > Hosting plans > Databases.
  2. Click Create a database.
  3. Enter a name, username, and password.
  4. Click Confirm.
The database server hostname is shown in the database list. It follows the format nameofdb.mysql.db for included databases, or OVHID-XXX.eu.clouddb.ovh.net for Web Cloud Databases instances.

​
Access phpMyAdmin

On the Databases tab, click the phpMyAdmin link next to your database. Log in with your database username and password.
Use phpMyAdmin to import/export SQL dumps, run queries, and inspect table structures. For automated backups, use the Control Panel’s one-click backup feature.
MySQL connection details for your application:
SettingValue
Hostnameofdb.mysql.db
Port3306
UsernameYour database username
PasswordYour database password
Database nameThe name you chose during creation

​
SSH access

SSH access lets you connect to your hosting plan’s file system from a terminal. It is available on Pro plans and above.

​
Enable SSH for a user

  1. Go to FTP - SSH tab on your hosting plan.
  2. In the user table, find the login you want to use and click Edit.
  3. Under Connection protocols, select FTP, SFTP and SSH, then click Next.

​
Connect via SSH

ssh [email protected] -p 22
Replace your-login with your FTP/SSH username and clusterXXX with the cluster shown in the Control Panel.
SSH on Web Hosting is restricted to your own file system. You cannot switch users or access system-level files.

​
Enabling SSL (Let’s Encrypt)

All OVHcloud Web Hosting plans include a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.

​
Activate the certificate

  1. Go to Web Cloud > Hosting plans > General information.
  2. In the Configuration section, click the … menu next to SSL certificate.
  3. Select Order an SSL certificate, choose Free certificate (Let’s Encrypt), and confirm.
The certificate is provisioned within a few minutes. Once active, force HTTPS by adding the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file: 
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule .* https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
After enabling HTTPS, check that all resources (images, scripts, stylesheets) on your site are loaded over HTTPS. Mixed content will trigger browser warnings and may block some resources.

​
Configuring .htaccess

The .htaccess file is placed in the www/ directory (or a subdirectory) and controls Apache behaviour for that directory and all its subdirectories. Redirect HTTP to HTTPS: 
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule .* https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
Redirect non-www to www: 
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^example.com$
RewriteRule ^(.*) https://www.example.com/$1 [QSA,L,R=301]
Password-protect a directory: 
AuthType Basic
AuthName "Restricted Area"
AuthUserFile /home/your-login/www/.htpasswd
Require valid-user
Block a specific IP address: 
<RequireAll>
    Require all granted
    Require not ip 198.51.100.0
</RequireAll>
Only one .htaccess file is permitted per directory. Settings cascade to subdirectories. Always test changes after uploading, since a syntax error in .htaccess causes a 500 error.

​
Deploying a CMS with the 1-click installer

OVHcloud provides a 1-click installer for WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, and PrestaShop.

​
Install a CMS

  1. Go to Web Cloud > Hosting plans > 1-click modules.
  2. Click Add a module.
  3. Select your CMS (WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, or PrestaShop).
  4. Choose the domain name to install on. The domain must already be set up as a multisite on your hosting plan.
  5. For a quick installation, leave Installation in advanced mode unchecked and click Install.
OVHcloud creates the database and installs the CMS automatically. You receive the admin credentials by email within 15 minutes.
Use Advanced installation to specify an existing database, choose the installation directory, set the admin username, and configure the language during setup.

​
Advanced installation options

SettingDescription
Database servernameofdb.mysql.db (port 3306) for included databases
Installation pathThe subdirectory within your FTP space (leave blank for root)
CMS languageSets the default language for the admin interface
Admin credentialsUsername and password for the CMS back office

​
PHP version and runtime environment

You can change the PHP version and runtime environment from the Control Panel or via the .ovhconfig file.

​
Change PHP version in the Control Panel

  1. Go to Web Cloud > Hosting plans > General information.
  2. In the Configuration section, click the Edit configuration button.
  3. Select a Runtime environment and PHP version, then confirm.
Available PHP versions: 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5 (requires stable64 environment).

​
Configure via .ovhconfig

Upload an .ovhconfig file to the FTP root of your hosting plan: 
app.engine=php
app.engine.version=8.3
http.firewall=none
environment=production
container.image=stable64
Changing the PHP version may break compatibility with older plugins or code. Test on a staging environment first, and verify your CMS’s minimum PHP version requirements.

​
Troubleshooting

A syntax error in .htaccess or an incompatible PHP version typically causes this. Check the error log at FTP - SSH > Logs, or connect via FTP and review /logs/. Try renaming .htaccess to .htaccess.bak temporarily to rule it out.
Confirm you are using the correct FTP server hostname from the FTP - SSH tab. Use SFTP (port 22) if FTP (port 21) is blocked by your firewall. Re-check your password — if forgotten, reset it from the Control Panel.
Files should be 644 and directories 755 for standard web use. Connect via SSH and run:
find /home/your-login/www -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find /home/your-login/www -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
Verify the hostname, port (3306), username, password, and database name in your application’s configuration file. The hostname must be the value shown in the Databases tab of the Control Panel, not localhost.
The domain must point to your hosting plan before Let’s Encrypt can issue a certificate. Confirm the DNS A record resolves to your hosting plan’s IP, then re-order the certificate. Propagation can take up to 24 hours.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us