From idea to live URL, in plain English.
You don't need to understand servers to use one. Here's the whole journey, with nothing skipped and nothing assumed.
- 01
Tell us what you're building
Pick WordPress, Laravel, Drupal or React/Next.js. If you're not sure, answer two friendly questions and we'll suggest one. No account gymnastics.
About 60 seconds
- 02
Connect your stuff
Log in with GitHub for code projects, or let us install WordPress for you. Own a domain? Type it in — we'll handle the DNS records and explain each one as we go.
About 3 minutes
- 03
Press the big orange button
We build, set up SSL, run the first deploy and give you a link. This is the part where people usually say “wait, that's it?”. Yes. That's it.
About 2 minutes
What actually happens, step by step.
A little more detail for the curious — and for anyone who likes to know what the button does before pressing it.
- 1
Make an account (that's it, that's the step)
About 40 secondsYou do
Pick a name, an email and a password. No card, no sales call, no “book a demo”.
Sling does
We set up a private space for your projects and start the 14-day clock.
- 2
Tell us what you're building
About 2 minutesYou do
Choose WordPress, Laravel, Drupal or React/Next.js. Add a repo or upload files if you have them.
Sling does
We match your project to a tested server recipe — the right PHP or Node version, extensions, queue worker, cron, database.
- 3
Name it and connect a domain
2–30 minutes, mostly waitingYou do
Type your domain, or grab a free yourname.sling.site address to start with.
Sling does
We show the exact DNS records to copy, check them for you, and issue the SSL certificate once they resolve.
- 4
Press the big orange button
About 2 minutesYou do
Nothing. Genuinely. Watch the progress list if you like.
Sling does
Install, build, deploy, health-check, then switch traffic over. The log is written in sentences.
- 5
Get on with the fun part
Ongoing, and invisibleYou do
Write, design, code, share the link with your group chat.
Sling does
Patch, back up, scan, watch uptime and answer your questions. Quietly, in the background.
Domains are the part people worry about most.
Fair enough — DNS is genuinely the strangest bit of the whole internet. So we turn it into a checklist with copy buttons. Add two records, wait for the tea to brew, and the padlock appears on its own.
- Copy-paste records, with a plain-English note for each one
- We check every few minutes and tell you when it has taken effect
- SSL appears automatically once DNS resolves
- If it's still not working, support will look at your registrar with you
Connect your domain
example.com → your new site
No domain yet? Use a free address like yourname.sling.site while you decide. You can move it across later without rebuilding anything.
Words people use without explaining.
Save this bit. It makes every tutorial on the internet about 30% less confusing.
Server
A computer that stays on all day and serves your website to visitors. Think of it as a very reliable housemate who never sleeps.
SSL certificate
The little padlock in the address bar. It proves your site is really your site and encrypts what visitors type. Browsers get grumpy without one.
DNS
The internet's phone book. It translates your domain name into the address of your server. You add a couple of records once, then forget about it.
Staging site
A private carbon copy of your website where you can try changes without anyone seeing them. If it goes wrong, you throw the copy away.
Deploy
The moment your code or content files are published to the live server. On Sling it's usually a button press or a push to GitHub.
Backup snapshot
A saved copy of your whole site from a particular moment. Restoring one is like rewinding a film to before the explosion scene.
Prefer a slower read? The beginner guides explain each of these properly, over a cup of tea.
Things you will never have to do here.
None of these are difficult for the right person. The point is that the right person doesn’t have to be you.
- Install or configure Nginx
- Edit php.ini by hand
- SSH into a server at midnight
- Remember the cron syntax
- Renew a certificate before it expires
- Work out why MySQL won't start
- Read a 400-line stack trace alone
We’ll move it for you.
Send us a login or a backup file. We copy the files and database, test everything on a temporary URL, then schedule the switch when your visitors are asleep. Free on annual plans, $49 once on monthly.
Usually booked within two working days
Common questions, quick answers.
Do I need to know Linux or the command line?
Nope. That's rather the point. Everything on Sling has a button, a form or a checklist. If you ever get stuck, paste what you're seeing into a support message and a person will reply in plain English — screenshots and all.
What counts as a “website”?
One project with its own domain or subdomain. Your blog on example.com is one site. A staging copy of it doesn't count. Neither does a parked domain that just redirects somewhere else.
Can I use a domain I already own?
Yes. Type it in during setup and we'll show you exactly which DNS records to add, with a copy button next to each one. If your registrar is being mysterious, we'll look at it with you.
What happens after the 14-day trial?
You pick a plan, or you don't. Nothing gets charged automatically, no card is needed to start, and we keep your site running for 7 days after the trial so you don't lose anything while deciding.
That idea deserves a real URL.
Start on the free trial, break something on purpose, restore it in one click. Ten minutes from now you could be sending someone a link.
- 14-day trial
- 30-day money back
- Cancel in two clicks