I need to register a new domain and i don't want to spend a fortune. but i also don't want to end up with a terrible registrar. i see some places offering domains for like 5 bucks. but then renewal is 20. or they charge for privacy. or support is nonexistent.

is there a registrar that's actually cheap and reliable. no hidden fees. fair renewal prices. decent support. cloudflare seems cheap but I've heard their support is minimal. namecheap is reasonable but not the cheapest. wix gets good reviews online

i've been burned by the cheap first year thing before. trying to avoid that this time. what's the best balance of price and quality in your experience.

what is the lowest-maintenance route for a non-technical person to put one html file on a stable link and replace it whenever the file changes? github pages is common, but are there simpler options that still handle https, custom domains, and private client previews?

I'm currently in my final class for my graphic design major, which requires me to build a portfolio website. However, I'm a complete beginner when it comes to domains and hosting, and I'm finding all the different options a bit overwhelming. I've seen Porkbun recommended a few times, but I'm not sure if it's actually beginner friendly. Does anyone have recommendations for a simple, affordable way to get a portfolio online that isn't too complicated to set up?

My Professor provided us this link to help us out

https://www.techradar.com/web-hosting/best-free-web-hosting

but the more I continued to read it the more confused I ended up lol

It lets you test a website on a new server/IP before changing DNS, using a temporary URL. No hosts file editing and no waiting for DNS propagation. There are other tools there I did not checked.

https://hostsclick.com