Security & upkeep
What makes website hosting reliable?
Key takeaway
Reliable hosting needs more than a reassuring server name. Look for maintained systems, independent checks, useful backups, controlled changes and someone responsible for recovery. Lightning Web Hosting includes AWS hosting, operational monitoring and daily website backups, with the actual website and its important functions assessed before setup.
In this guide
Ask what the uptime number measures
Uptime describes availability over a period. For example, 99.9% across a 30-day month leaves about 43 minutes unavailable. The meaning depends on the measurement, exclusions and contract, so ask what the provider is actually committing to.
Also ask what is being checked. A server replying is useful, but it does not prove that a booking, payment or enquiry completes. Identify the functions your business depends on before agreeing the support arrangement.
Notice problems before customers have to report them
Our platform uses independent AWS availability checks and operational alerts. These help us notice service problems and investigate the relevant system. The public status page is another useful place to check what the service is reporting.
A particular website may have additional functions that need their own checks. Tell us about the shop, form, booking tool or outside service that matters to your business. We confirm the appropriate scope rather than assume every connection is covered by a basic availability test.
Have a recovery copy and a recovery process
Both hosting plans include daily AWS website backups of website files and published content. A backup provides a recovery copy; it is not a record of every action since it ran. New orders or bookings can need separate arrangements.
Recovery also needs decisions about the right copy, who approves the work and which functions must be checked afterwards. AWS’s reliability guidance treats recovery planning as part of operating the service, rather than assuming a saved file finishes the job.
Understand website backups and monitoringRecovery planning at Lightning Developments
Sources: AWS: planning backup and recovery (opens in a new tab)
Control changes to the live website
An accidental edit can cause a business problem even when the hosting works. On the Lightning plan, supported requests become private proofs. Approval is tied to the revision you reviewed, with records of who requested and approved the change.
You can review earlier changes and prepare a proof to restore an earlier version where supported. Larger or incompatible work is kept for help and assessment, rather than being presented as a successful automatic update.
Choose the setup around the business
Cloud infrastructure provides building blocks, but the way they are arranged and operated matters. A single server and a system designed to switch between several servers have different recovery characteristics. Discuss important requirements before assuming they are part of a standard package.
We assess the website and agree the hosting route before it moves. Explain peak periods and any special availability or data needs. That gives us a useful basis for the service and any separate scope.
Sources: AWS: planning for reliable systems (opens in a new tab)
Know what comes with both plans
Thunder is NZ$55 + GST per website a month. Lightning is NZ$99 + GST and adds everyday Arc updates, subject to fair use. Both include CloudFront CDN, SSL, platform security, daily AWS website backups, domain registration and DNS.
You can create a free account to save your details while we assess the website. Hosting billing starts when it is live with us. Any one-off rebuild or other separate work is agreed first.