This article is primarily written for a Japanese audience and covers hosting services popular in Japan (such as Sakura Internet and XSERVER). Some services mentioned may not be available or well-known outside Japan. However, the Cloudflare section and general comparisons are applicable worldwide.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
With the utilization of Genspark, anyone can now easily create a website. Even beginners who have never built a website before can complete a decent site in just about 2 hours, showing how much the barrier to entry has lowered.
While creating a site has become extremely easy, there's a hurdle many people encounter: the question of "which server should I use to publish (upload) the website I've created?"
The optimal server choice varies depending on factors such as the scale (e.g., a company website/corporate site or a personal blog), cost, and the extent to which SEO measures are prioritized.
Therefore, in this article, we will thoroughly compare three options from a professional perspective: the cost-effective, cutting-edge technology of "Cloudflare", and the classic choices for Japanese site operators, "Sakura Server" and "Xserver". We will also explain their compatibility with Genspark, so please use this as a reference.
For the basics of site creation using Genspark, please also refer to Summary of Genspark's Basic Features.
[Conclusion: The Best Server for You]
- For completely free and blazing-fast hosting: Cloudflare Pages
- For affordable, easy PHP/WordPress hosting: Sakura Server
- For business use requiring absolute stability: Xserver
2. Cloudflare: Free, High-Functionality, but a Bit Special
For those who absolutely want to "publish a site for free!", it's no exaggeration to say that Cloudflare Pages is the only choice.
However, Cloudflare is not a typical shared hosting server; it uses a technology called "Edge Computing," which can be a bit challenging for beginners. Many parts of the administration panel menus are direct translations of English into Japanese, so you might initially be confused by the technical terms.
It would be difficult to set up everything from scratch yourself, but Genspark supports most of the backend processes, so it's manageable. The specific publishing procedure involves linking the website data created with Genspark to a service called GitHub. Once you've completed the one-time setup to connect GitHub and Cloudflare, you can then create a system where updates made on the Genspark side are automatically sent (deployed) to Cloudflare.
※ GitHub account registration and linking takes about 5 minutes just by following the on-screen instructions. For more on using Git/GitHub in development, see this article.
What is "Deployment"? Differences from Traditional Servers
To clarify some terminology, Cloudflare operates differently from the traditional concept of "uploading HTML files to a single web server." It functions more like distributing original files simultaneously to servers around the world. This process is called deployment, and once the deployment is complete, the site is published worldwide via the "Cloudflare Pages" feature.
A crucial difference from traditional servers is that "files once deployed cannot be directly modified later." You cannot simply edit an HTML file using FTP software. If you want to change the content, you need to redeploy and republish it.
Additionally, since it's not a regular web server, familiar features like PHP and MySQL cannot be used. Instead, it offers unique functionalities such as Functions and Workers.
3. Sakura Server and Xserver: Reliable Traditional Web Servers
On the other hand, here are typical examples of "traditional web servers" that have been used in Japan for a long time.
- Sakura Server: The standard plan starts from around 500 yen per month, offering excellent cost-performance. While it once had a reputation for being "slow," with updated equipment, it now provides sufficient speed.
- Xserver: Costs around 1,000 yen per month, but boasts industry-leading page loading speed and stability during traffic spikes. Since page loading speed also benefits SEO (search rankings), it offers overwhelming peace of mind for serious business use or blogs aiming for monetization.
These traditional servers make it easy to directly edit files after placing them on the server or incorporate dynamic processing using PHP.
For business sites and blogs that prioritize SEO measures, page loading speed directly impacts search rankings. Considering stability during traffic spikes, it's worth considering a high-speed server like Xserver if you aim for monetization.
4. [Pro Tip] Issues When Creating an "Admin Screen" After Launch
If you simply want to "publish a website created with Genspark for free, as is," deploying it to Cloudflare is sufficient. For beginners, there's absolutely no problem with that.
However, from here on, it's a bit of an "insider's tip for professionals." I'll explain how agencies design sites when clients ask to "change only announcements or text themselves later" after the website has been delivered.
When Creating an Admin Screen with Cloudflare
Cloudflare is excellent because it's free and extremely fast, but it becomes a bit troublesome when clients want to "edit a published website later using a dedicated admin screen." This is because HTML files once published cannot be directly edited.
What is often utilized here is Cloudflare's "KV" data storage feature (similar to a database). The HTML files to be published are designed to be just "design frameworks," with the text and images stored in Cloudflare KV and pulled in each time the page is accessed. Since the KV data itself can be edited later, a separate HTML file for the admin screen is created, from which the KV data can be rewritten.
This Genspark Dev Blog itself runs on Cloudflare's Edge Computing. Article content is stored in D1 (database), and it operates with an SSR (Server-Side Rendering) configuration, fetching data from the DB each time a page is displayed.
When Creating an Admin Screen with Traditional Servers
With traditional shared hosting servers like Sakura Server and Xserver, PHP and databases (MySQL) are freely available, making it easy to install WordPress. It's a classic tool for blog management and SEO measures, and the ease of design with traditional servers is overwhelmingly simpler.
However, WordPress is so feature-rich that teaching clients how to use it can be challenging, and there's a risk of the entire site's design breaking if they accidentally modify the wrong areas. Therefore, when using traditional servers, it's often the case to custom-build a "simple admin screen in PHP that limits editable parts (text and photos) to avoid client confusion," and directly rewrite the HTML for publication. The ability to easily implement such flexible and hands-on customizations is also a strength of traditional servers.
It's crucial to decide which server to choose by considering "how it will be managed and updated after publication." Since changes made later can incur costs, solidify your operational vision before selecting a server.
5. Server Comparison Table and Summary of Recommended Choices
Based on the features discussed so far, we have created a comparison table for each server.
| Comparison Item | Cloudflare | Sakura Server | Xserver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost (Monthly) | ◎ Free (Basic Plan) | 〇 Inexpensive (approx. 500 yen~) | △ Slightly higher (approx. 1,000 yen~) |
| Stability / Display Speed | ◎ Blazing fast from anywhere in the world | △ Average (now sufficiently fast) | 〇 Top-class speed in Japan |
| Ease of Use (for Japanese users) | △ Difficult terminology, direct translation Japanese | ◎ Japanese support, familiar | ◎ Japanese support, extensive manuals |
| Ease of Admin Screen Creation | △ Requires custom development (advanced like KV integration) | ◎ Very easy with full PHP/MySQL | ◎ Very easy with full PHP/MySQL |
| Strength against Traffic Spikes | ◎ Unfailable level (strongest) | △ Can slow down depending on the plan | 〇 Relatively strong, but has limits |
| File Update / Ease of Use | △ Requires effort (redeployment is mandatory) | ◎ Easy (direct overwrite/editing possible) | ◎ Easy (direct overwrite/editing possible) |
| Security | ◎ World's highest defense capability | 〇 General defense (WAF, etc.) | 〇 General defense (WAF, etc.) |
Which one should you choose? Here's the server that suits you!
It has good compatibility with Genspark, and once configured, it can be automated for convenience. This is recommended for those who want to start for free.
▶ Cloudflare Pages Official Website
For about a coin a month, you can freely use PHP and more, offering exceptional customization freedom. It's perfect for those who want to use a traditional server while keeping costs down.
▶ Sakura Internet Official Website
If you absolutely want to avoid failure for business purposes, its overwhelming display speed and abundant Japanese information (many manuals and blog articles) are outstanding.
▶ Xserver Official Website
Each has distinct strengths, so please choose the one that best suits your site's purpose and future operational style. Furthermore, for those who want to expand their use of Genspark, please also refer to How to Use Genspark Advanced Features and Reasons for Switching from ChatGPT to Genspark. For reference when choosing AI tools, the AI Development Tool Comparison Article is also recommended.
