Host website assets on Dropbox and Google Drive

Today, we're exploring how Dropbox and Google Drive can be game-changers for hosting low traffic website files. Perfect for those dabbling in web design and development, this approach offers a simple way to host external files in platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive you may already use.

The general approach for this is to upload the file to Dropbox or Google Drive, then adjust the share link URL to convert it to a URL that points directly to the file instead of to a view of the file within the corresponding platform.

Dropbox

1. Access your Dropbox and get the regular sharing link.
2. Modify the link for direct download: change www.dropbox.com to dl.dropboxusercontent.com.
3. Now, your Dropbox link is ready to embed in your web design projects.

Google Drive

1. Start with the standard sharing link from Google Drive.
2. Adjust the link for your web development needs. For and images and PDF files use https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=FILE_ID. You can also get a direct link for audio files with this alternate URL parameter: https://docs.google.com/uc?export=open&id=FILE_ID
3. ‍Replace FILE_ID with the specific ID of your file.

Deciding between Dropbox and Google Drive for no-code file hosting

Choosing the right platform between Dropbox and Google Drive can enhance your web development workflow. Dropbox, with its straightforward approach, is great for simple, no-code projects. Google Drive, offering more free storage, is ideal for larger web design endeavors. Consider your current ecosystem; familiarity can streamline your no-code web development process. Lastly, note that hosting files this way is not intended for high traffic websites and should instead be used mostly on low traffic, simple use cases.

With Dropbox or Google Drive, hosting your website files becomes an easy, cost-effective part of your web development toolkit.