hobbyDB is the perfect online destination for your collectibles. You can use hobbyDB to host your personal (or public!) digital museum, your online store, and even a custom database for your brand or club, all using your own custom domain name and web address!
Several hobbyDB members are already taking advantage of this! Here are a few examples:
- Toad Hall Motorbooks, an online store selling rare automotive books at toadhallmotorbooks.com
- A custom database of Volvo models maintained by the VolvoModelCars club at volvomodelcars.com
- The personal collection of hobbyDB member "Canal Noises" at canalnoises.com (plus his Wish List at wishlist.canalnoises.com, items for sale at shop.canalnoises.com, and photo gallery at gallery.canalnoises.com!)
Here's how to do it!
Using hobbyDB to power your website is as simple as registering a domain (URL) and setting up URL forwarding with your registrar (a 3rd party service that handles the registration and makes sure your domain can be accessed across the Internet).
Here's a step-by-step guide to setting that up using our favorite domain name registrar, Porkbun.
- Go to porkbun.com and sign in or register a new account.
- Go to Products > Domains.
- Type in the domain name you'd like to use, for example, "mycollectibleswebsite" and click the search button:
- Porkbun will show you available options matching your search and how much it costs to register (the price can be different depending on what "top level domain" (TLD) you choose, such as .com, .org, or one of the many other options like .website, .me, .shop, etc.
When we took this screenshot, .com domains were $9.73/year and .website domains were $1.11 for the first year, then $15.94/year afterward. Prices may change on any of the domains offered, check Porkbun or another registrar for the current prices. - Find the domain you want to purchase and add it to your cart, then go through the checkout process to register your domain name.
- Once you've registered your domain, follow Porkbun's simple, 3-step instructions on how to set up URL forwarding. On Step 3, copy the URL to your hobbyDB Showcase, shop, or any other page on hobbyDB and paste it into the Forward Traffic To box.
That's it! You can now link to your content on hobbyDB using your custom URL anywhere on the web!