How can a computer with dynamic IP work as a WebServer?
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6 Answers
I have done this before and the process is pretty straightforward.
I ran a webserver on a dial up account that needed to disconnect and cycle IPs every 12 hours to be in compliance with my ISP Terms Of Service at the time. I will assume in your case you do not need to worry about the logic to keep the thing dialed up, so I will skip right to the next part.
the first thing you need to do is create a resolvable Fuly Qualified Domain Name that is resolvable on the internet. You can do this if you run your own DNS server or you can use a free service like DynDNS to create a static, but resolvable name you will use to get to your webserver.
Once you have selected your domain name and have a valid DNS entry to resolve it then next step is to install the DynDNS update service on your webserver which will update your DNS entry dynamically when your IP changes.
The next step is to build your webserver. I have used both IIS and Apache succesfully in this scenario. Whichever server you use is a matter of personal preference.
After all that is complete, you will need to make sure that your router/firewall is configured to port forward to your webserver inside your network. I recommend forwarding port 80 which will make the site accessible to everyone who types the FQDN into their browser. If you want to keep this server private, you might consider putting the webserver on another port.
answered Aug 10, 2009 at 12:48
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I tried to use dyndns.com from my Linksys WRT54G router, and dyndns claimed I was updating too frequently and kicked me off. Linksys was not interested in fixing this bug. So you may have to run the update program from dyndns on your PC, not the one built in to your router.– bobmcnCommented Aug 10, 2009 at 13:41
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I would always recommend using the PC DynDNS update service for this very reason. Commented Aug 10, 2009 at 15:17
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You could do it without port 80, without requiring any extra work from the user, by making the your DynDns host on your account connect to your updated dynamic IP at the specific port, right?– mk12Commented Oct 15, 2009 at 21:15
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1So if the website uses 8080, the user will have to type example.tld:8080? Or do web browsers automatically try 8080 if 80 doesn't work?– mk12Commented Oct 25, 2009 at 19:52
I think you are looking for a dynamic DNS service. There are several ones, here is one example : No-IP
You will have to create an account, then have a software running on your computer which will update your IP on their server.
After, there will be an address like username.no-ip.org, username.myftp.org, etc. which will point to your computer.
Other possibility, if you want to host a small casual site and you want rather something simple to configure, you could use Opera Unite. Directly from Opera, it allows you to host a webserver (or directly a file/photo server), and takes care about the dynamic DNS itself.
Keep in mind though that this is a solution for a rather "volatile" and personal website, which you would like to show to friends, without especially having it online all the time.
The "Unite" service of Opera is still in beta at the moment (though already stable).
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I tried
Unite(follow the link in my answer to another answer beyond that). Its not very stable. I'd still suggest sticking toDynDNSif you intend to leave the web-server un-attended (for now).– nikCommented Aug 10, 2009 at 12:51 -
When I was using it, it was quite stable. Do you have some reviews or articles about it ? I'm curious.– GnoupiCommented Aug 10, 2009 at 12:59
Are you looking for DynDNS?
Check Getting my IP address?
It works by having a little helper program running on your computer that updates the DNS entry whenever the IP address changes.
As mentioned else where, DynDNS service will update a name server (where www.example.com gets translated to 127.123.234.10 or whatever) periodically.
I just wanted to add that some network routers have this feature built in, like most Linksys routers. That way you don't even need software running on the computer.
I use freedns.afraid.org for the same purpose as DynDNS and it doesn't cost me anything, and it has a updater scrip that I run on my linux server. I use StartSSL to generate a valid certificate also.
