FirstHost.lv review

First impression

Core-VPS is a web hosting services provider that is part of Nano IT LLC. Founded in 2009 in Riga, Latvia, they cater to everyone from large businesses and developers seeking high-performance virtual servers with scalable resources, to beginners looking for entry-level hosting solutions. They offer services like Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Servers, VPS solutions, SSL certificates, domain registrations, and even custom software development.

Trial Period

This provider doesn’t offer a trial or money-back option at all. This forces users to commit to their planned setup without being able to try it out beforehand. No try-before-you-buy scenario is present, so if one intends to utilize Core-VPS for one's hosting requirements, make sure you review all features and functionality before subscribing.

Billing Cycle

Their VPS plans let you commit for as little as a day, or as long as a year, with options for 5 days, 10 days, a month, 3 months, or 6 months in between. So, whether you're just testing the waters or in for the long haul, there's a billing cycle that suits your needs. Their Shared Hosting plans are a bit more standard, offering monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual billing options. 

They currently accept all major Credit Cards, PayPal, Bank Transfers, and payments through Web Money.

Control Panel

For both Shared and VPS hosting, you get the ISPManager 5 control panel, which is a powerful tool for managing your website, email accounts as well as databases. With ISPManager, even novice users can easily manage domains and set up backups, offering domain management simpler control, yet in an intuitive manner. Advanced users on the other hand won’t feel overwhelmed with complexity and endless intricacies. Furthermore, VPS hosting customers also get access to VMmanager control panel, which is designed specifically for the virtual server management. You have complete control over your VPS which can be done simply such as monitoring resource consumption, rebooting the servers or installing various operating systems.

Limits

Their Shared Hosting plans offer five distinct options, each with its own perks and limitations, making them suitable for different types of users. The first plan, Economy, is designed for those starting out with smaller websites that don’t need a database. It provides 3GB of storage and supports up to 10 websites, though no databases are included. It's perfect for personal blogs or hobby projects, but space could become limited if you're uploading a lot of media. The next plan, Junior, comes with 1GB of storage but does include 2 MySQL databases and supports up to 2 domains. The Start plan features 10GB of storage, 5 MySQL databases, and allows up to 5 domains. Meanwhile, the Standard plan offers 20GB of storage, 10 MySQL databases, and supports up to 10 websites, making it a good fit for small businesses or side projects needing a bit more flexibility. Finally, the Pro plan, their top-tier Shared Hosting option, provides 40GB of storage, 10 MySQL databases, and supports up to 10 websites. If you're looking for hosting with a little room to grow, and you're not working with massive media files, these plans could be a great fit.

Their VPS plans, on the other hand, are fully customizable, allowing users to select the number of CPUs, RAM, and IPv4 addresses. However, it's important to note that both Shared Hosting and VPS plans run on standard HDD storage rather than the faster SSD drives.

Website Builder

Core-VPS doesn’t include a website builder in any of their plans, so if you're expecting a drag-and-drop tool to whip up a site without breaking a sweat, you are out of luck. Users can however still easily install a CMS like WordPress or Joomla, which is basically a website builder. These platforms let you create professional websites with no coding knowledge required, and they’re loaded with templates and plugins to help bring your site to life.

Security

They do have some notable security features to keep things safe. To begin with, they have protection from DDoS attacks, those nasty flooding attacks that can bring one's website to one's knees. There is also their rule-based firewall that can block unwanted traffic. Other than that, though, security is in the user's own hands. Free SSL is not even provided, but one can buy an SSL certificate such as Comodo PositiveSSL Wildcard or GeoTrust RapidSSL for an additional fee.

OS

On their shared hosting plans, Core-VPS uses the reliable CentOS operating system, one of the most stable high-performance operating systems available. If you opt for their VPS plans, you'll have a choice between CentOS or Debian, so there is some flexibility there depending on your requirement or preference. Dedicated servers go one step further and offer even more operating system choices. Users can choose between CentOS, Debian, FreeBSD, or Ubuntu. Dedicated Server plans also offer full root access, so you're even able to install an operating system of your own choice.

Support

Users who run into trouble can reach their support via Email or Support Tickets. They do also have a Phone number, but that is more for pre-sales support. Their support agents are friendly and willing to help, however, if you are in a hurry best would be not to hold your breath as they do take some time before responding.

Conclusion

Are they worth recommending? It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re a developer or business that needs flexibility with VPS configurations or dedicated servers, they’ve got you covered with customizable plans and various OS options like CentOS and Debian. They even offer the option of renting a VPS for just one day, which is pretty convenient! However, their storage still runs on standard HDDs instead of SSDs and their support can be slow, to say the least. I would suggest you shop around first if you are looking for a new provider.