KES
NGN - Nigeria
ZAR - South Africa
USD - International
Web hosting and domain questions, answered
Short, straight answers to the questions our clients in Kenya ask most: what things cost, how domains and transfers work, and how to set up hosting, email and servers.
Domains
- How do I register a .co.ke domain in Kenya?Search for the name on our domain page, add the .co.ke to your cart and pay by M-Pesa, card or bank transfer. No documents are needed, and the domain is…
- How much does a .co.ke domain cost in Kenya?At Hostnali a .co.ke domain costs Ksh 1,300 for the first year and Ksh 1,300 a year after that. The price includes DNS management, and you can get a domain…
- What is the difference between .ke and .co.ke?Both are Kenyan domains run by KeNIC. .co.ke is the long-established address for companies and businesses, while .ke is the shorter national domain (yourbrand.ke)…
- How do I transfer my domain to Hostnali?Unlock the domain at your current registrar, get its EPP (authorisation) code, then order the transfer on our domain transfer page and enter the code.…
- What is an EPP code and where do I find it?An EPP code (also called an authorisation or auth code) is a password for your domain. The new registrar needs it to prove the domain owner agreed to the…
- How long does a domain transfer take?At Hostnali, Kenyan domains (.co.ke, .ke, .or.ke and the rest) transfer instantly once you enter the EPP code. International domains such as .com, .net…
- How do I point my domain to my hosting?Change the domain's nameservers to the ones in your Hostnali hosting welcome email. If you'd rather keep your DNS where it is, add an A record pointing…
- How does a school get a .sc.ke domain?Order the .sc.ke domain, then send us the school's Ministry of Education registration certificate. Once KeNIC approves the documents, the domain is activated.…
Web hosting
- What is web hosting?Web hosting is renting space on a server, a computer that is always online, to store your website's files, database and email. When someone types your…
- How much does web hosting cost in Kenya?At Hostnali, web hosting starts at Ksh 2,180 a year for the Starter plan. Plans with more websites and a free domain cost more. Budget for a domain too…
- What is cPanel?cPanel is the control panel that comes with your web hosting. From one dashboard you create email accounts, install WordPress, upload files, manage databases…
- What is WordPress hosting?WordPress hosting is web hosting set up to run WordPress well: one-click installation, caching that makes pages load faster, staging copies for safe updates,…
- How do I install WordPress in cPanel?Log in to cPanel, open Softaculous (or the WordPress Manager), click Install, choose your domain, set the site name and an admin username and password,…
- How do I move my website to Hostnali?Order a hosting plan, then open a ticket asking for a free migration and share access to your current host (cPanel login or a full backup). Our team copies…
- What does 99.99% uptime mean?99.99% uptime means your website is online 99.99% of the time: at most about 4 minutes and 23 seconds of downtime a month, or about 53 minutes a year.…
VPS and servers
- What is a VPS?A VPS (virtual private server) is a server of your own inside a larger physical server. It has guaranteed CPU, RAM and storage, its own IP address and…
- Shared hosting or VPS: which do I need?Choose shared hosting for business websites, blogs and small shops: it is cheaper and we manage everything. Choose a VPS when you need your own guaranteed…
- Do I need a Kenyan IP address for my server?Most websites don't need one. You need a Kenyan IP address when a service you connect to only accepts Kenyan IPs (some payment, banking or government systems),…
- What is a virtual dedicated server (VDS)?A virtual dedicated server (VDS) is a virtual server whose CPU cores and RAM are dedicated to you alone, not shared with other customers. You get the steady…
Email and SSL
- How do I create a business email with my own domain?Register a domain (for example yourbusiness.co.ke), get email hosting or any web hosting plan, then create the address (such as [email protected])…
- How do I set up my business email on my phone?Add the account in the Gmail app, Outlook or iPhone Mail as an IMAP account. Use your full email address and its password; incoming server mail.yourdomain…
- What is an SSL certificate?An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your website and its visitors, so passwords, forms and payments can't be read in transit. It turns http…
- Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?Most websites don't. Every Hostnali hosting plan includes a free SSL certificate that installs and renews automatically, which is enough for business websites,…
Payments and account
- Can I pay for hosting with M-Pesa?Yes. At checkout, enter the Safaricom number you want to pay with, approve the M-Pesa prompt on your phone with your PIN, and the payment is confirmed…
- Can I get a refund on my hosting?Yes, within 30 days on yearly plans. Yearly web hosting (including WordPress, cloud, corporate and email hosting) and reseller and master reseller hosting…
Reselling
- What is reseller hosting?Reseller hosting is a hosting plan you can split into separate cPanel accounts and sell to your own clients under your brand. You set the prices and bill…
- How do I start a web hosting business in Kenya?Start with a reseller hosting plan, a domain reseller account and a billing system such as WHMCS. Set up your brand and website, create hosting packages…
Start your website with Hostnali
Hosting, domains and 24/7 support from one team.