How WebHotel.cloud works
WebHotel.cloud is a self-service cloud hosting platform. A customer signs up, receives trial credit where eligible, adds wallet credit or a Stripe billing method, then deploys compute, storage, databases, DNS, and other cloud services from one dashboard. Every service exposes setup details, credentials, billing mode, usage, and lifecycle actions in the customer panel.
1. Register
Users can register with Google or email/password. New signups land on the fixed welcome page so marketing conversion tracking can measure successful registrations.
2. Fund or trial
Trial credit can be used on eligible Proxmox compute and non-premium storage. Adding wallet funds or Stripe billing unlocks paid resources and provider-backed options.
3. Deploy
Each product page guides the user through naming, region or plan selection, credentials, billing mode, and provisioning-time acknowledgement.
The user dashboard
The dashboard is the customer's command center. It shows wallet credit, billing state, linked sign-in methods, desktop app status, active services, product navigation, and quick deployment links. The left sidebar keeps services grouped by product so users can find Compute, Object Storage, PostgreSQL, DNS, Pages, Backups, Blueprints, billing, transactions, and support.
Service Center
A single place to see all live services across products. Users can review assigned resources, service names, billing mode, status, and available actions.
Transaction Log
Wallet debits, credits, Stripe top-ups, monthly charges, hourly usage, overages, and admin adjustments are shown as financial history.
Support
Users can request help without guessing which provider is underneath. WebHotel owns the customer relationship and hides upstream complexity.
Desktop App
The Windows app mirrors the web dashboard and gives users a native route into services, billing, provisioning logs, and updates.
Live products and what they do
Compute Instances
Compute Instances are virtual servers used for websites, apps, APIs, development environments, game servers, automation, and OpenClaw application hosting.
- Users choose a plan, hostname, billing mode, root password, and optional secondary sudo user where supported.
- Provisioning shows clear milestones such as clone, boot, cloud-init, network assignment, gateway readiness, and final service availability.
- Each instance displays IP address, hostname, plan resources, status, node or region, and action buttons.
- Trial users are limited to eligible Proxmox-powered resources until billing is activated.
Ceph NVMe Object Storage
Object Storage is S3-compatible storage designed for applications, websites, backups, media pipelines, and tools that speak the S3 API. It is the faster storage product because it is backed by Ceph NVMe clusters on a 10Gbps network.
- Users receive endpoint, bucket name, access key, secret key, and setup examples.
- Apps that cannot use bucket-prefixed hostnames can use path-style endpoint examples.
- Object Storage is the best choice for app/API workloads that need faster response and S3 tooling.
- Credentials can be copied from the panel and rotated where supported.
HDD Storage Box
Storage Box is low-cost HDD-backed capacity for backups, media libraries, archives, and large files. It is cheaper than Object Storage, but slower than Ceph NVMe storage.
- Each user receives an isolated storage account and folder under OpenWeb Infrastructure.
- Plan limits are commercial soft limits. Usage is measured by WebHotel and shown in the control panel.
- Windows Explorer and client-side free-space reporting are not authoritative for billing usage.
- Overage is visible, and upgrading to a larger plan replaces overage charges when the new plan covers actual usage.
PostgreSQL Databases
Managed PostgreSQL gives users database hosting without having to administer the PostgreSQL server themselves. The dashboard shows all connection details needed by applications.
- Starter plans are for one database; Pro plans can hold multiple databases under the purchased service.
- Users see host, port, database name, username, password, SSL mode, and full connection URI.
- Passwords are hidden by default and can be revealed or changed from the control panel.
- Free 30-day PostgreSQL trials can require a Stripe billing method so the trial can convert cleanly.
DNS Management
DNS is free during beta and makes domain setup easier for non-technical users. The DNS page focuses on the fields required by WebHotel's DNS provider and hides confusing advanced fields unless needed.
- Users can create DNS zones and records with guided explanations.
- Nameservers are shown clearly so domain owners know what to set at their registrar.
- Presets help point root domains, www records, and common email providers.
- Manual refresh and propagation status reduce confusion while DNS changes spread globally.
Pages, Workers, Backups, Blueprints, Credentials, and API
WebHotel also includes support surfaces for static deployments, automation, reusable deployment templates, credential management, backup tooling, and developer API access.
- Blueprints let users save repeatable deployment profiles.
- Credentials centralize secret visibility and rotation options.
- Backups provide a customer-facing route to safer restore workflows.
- The developer API is published at /api-docs with raw OpenAPI at /openapi.json.
Wallet, Stripe, hourly, monthly, and 3-month billing
WebHotel uses wallet-first billing. Charges are deducted from wallet credit. If the wallet does not have enough funds and the user has a saved Stripe card, WebHotel can deduct the wallet balance first and charge the shortfall through Stripe. This keeps services online and creates a smoother conversion path from trial to paid usage.
| Billing mode | How it works | Best for users | Revenue behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Usage accrues while the service remains active. Some resources have a minimum initial hourly block. | Tests, demos, temporary projects, short experiments. | Higher effective margin because flexibility carries a premium. |
| Monthly | The first month is charged immediately in advance, then renews every 30 days. | Production services and anything kept online. | Predictable recurring revenue with lower churn risk than hourly-only usage. |
| 3-month | The user pays three months upfront with 10% off the normal monthly total. | Committed services where the customer knows they will keep the resource. | Higher upfront cash collection and better retention. |
| Overage | Storage overage is charged when measured usage exceeds the plan limit. | Customers who temporarily exceed plan size without upgrading immediately. | Usage-based expansion revenue and upgrade pressure to larger plans. |
Example: if a monthly plan is $3.95, the 3-month option is $3.95 x 3 x 0.90 = $10.665, normally rounded for billing display. The discount is calculated from the admin-set monthly product price.
Screenshots from a fresh account
These screenshots were captured from a newly created documentation account to show prospects what the service looks like after registration.
Welcome page
Fixed registration-complete page for conversion tracking and first-login guidance.
Dashboard
Wallet, billing state, navigation, desktop app, and service summary.
Compute
Plans, regions, resources, and deployment controls.
Storage
Object Storage, Storage Box, price per TB, usage, and upgrades.
Databases
PostgreSQL plans, trial messaging, and setup guidance.
DNS
Free beta DNS, zones, nameservers, records, and propagation controls.
How admins operate WebHotel
Admins use the admin panel to manage users, services, providers, billing, plans, infrastructure health, credentials, content, documentation, SEO, and support. The admin panel is designed to hide upstream provider complexity from customers while still giving staff visibility into the real operational state.
Users and support
- Search by user, email, service name, hostname, IP, VMID, provider ID, or billing variable.
- Open a user profile to inspect wallet, services, tickets, transactions, and timelines.
- Simulate a user to reproduce their exact dashboard experience, then return to admin.
Plans and pricing
- Create and activate plans for compute, storage, storage boxes, databases, and specialized products.
- Set hourly, monthly, and 3-month options.
- Use provider cost, plan price, margin, and price/TB calculations to protect profitability.
Provider operations
- Manage provider credentials from admin and store them into the environment.
- Use test connection buttons, health panels, audit logs, and restart controls.
- Watch Proxmox, Object Storage, Storage Box, PostgreSQL, DNS, Stripe, and email health.
Service recovery
- Recover failed provisioning, retry deploys, repair SMB mounts, refresh usage, run diagnostics, and inspect provider logs.
- Failed customer provisioning should be refunded automatically and explained clearly.
- Destructive actions use preflight checks and provider health checks before execution.
How WebHotel generates revenue
A simple cloud margin model with recurring expansion.
WebHotel buys or integrates infrastructure capacity from upstream providers and sells it as branded, easier-to-use cloud products. Customers pay WebHotel for convenience, support, unified billing, self-service provisioning, and bundled operational workflows.
- Recurring subscription revenue: monthly and 3-month compute, storage, database, and service plans.
- Hourly usage revenue: flexible compute and storage use priced above provider cost.
- Storage expansion revenue: overage charges and upgrades from 1TB to larger plans.
- Wallet breakage and prepaid cashflow: users load credit before usage, improving collection timing.
- Provider margin: admin pricing tools compare upstream cost against WebHotel sell price.
- Customer retention: DNS, databases, storage, blueprints, API, and Windows app make WebHotel sticky.
Future products explained as part of the platform
These services are presented in the product family so users and brokers can understand the complete platform direction.
Kubernetes
Kubernetes gives teams a managed container orchestration layer for deploying apps, APIs, workers, and scalable services with cluster-level controls from the WebHotel dashboard.
Bare Metal
Bare Metal provides dedicated physical server resources for customers who need predictable performance, compliance boundaries, or high-throughput workloads.
Load Balancers
Load Balancers distribute traffic across services so applications can scale horizontally and remain reachable when individual servers are busy or offline.
Pages and Workers
Pages and Workers provide a faster path for websites, static apps, edge-like functions, and modern deployment workflows.
Backup and restore center
Backups centralize restore points, snapshots, and safer recovery workflows for compute, databases, and storage services.
Common issues and how to explain them
Deploy button disabled
Check required fields, billing mode, deployment-time agreement checkbox, wallet balance, trial restrictions, saved card state, provider health, and password policy.
Provider temporarily unavailable
If an upstream provider returns an API error, WebHotel should remove the failed attempt, refund the charge, and show a modal explaining exactly when to try again.
S3 setup confusion
Confirm endpoint, bucket, access key, secret, path-style mode, and app-specific requirements. Use the exact values shown in the Object Storage setup panel.
Storage Box usage mismatch
The WebHotel control panel is the source of truth. SMB or Windows usage indicators may not match measured commercial usage.
PostgreSQL connection fails
Use the exact host, port 5432, database, username, password, and SSL mode shown in the database setup panel.
DNS not resolving yet
Confirm nameservers at the registrar, use propagation checks, wait for DNS caches, and use manual refresh inside the DNS page.
Quick answers
- What is the lowest advertised amount? Storage Box starts at $3.95 per 1TB per month.
- What is the fastest storage? Ceph NVMe Object Storage on the 10Gbps network.
- What is the cheapest storage? HDD Storage Box, intended for capacity over speed.
- What can trial credit deploy? Eligible Proxmox compute and non-premium storage.
- Can a customer pay by card? Yes. Stripe billing can save a card and cover wallet shortfalls where enabled.
- Where do developers go? API documentation is at /api-docs and the OpenAPI spec is at /openapi.json.
Ready to use WebHotel?
Create an account, claim trial credit, and deploy your first eligible cloud service.