MCVHost: Introducing Our New Web Hosting Infrastructure

This week, I've completed the first major set of changes that will become the foundation of MCVHost's new web hosting infrastructure.

Since these changes are quite extensive, and some of them will affect most of our radio hosting customers, it's important to read this article carefully. As usual, there will be a section explaining exactly how these changes will affect you, whether you need to do anything, and when everything will take effect.

First, an important announcement: on Saturday, November 7, 2026, we will be performing major scheduled maintenance that will require temporarily interrupting some services. We're allocating a maintenance window of up to two hours for radio services and up to four hours for web hosting services. I'll explain why this is necessary and what you should expect later in this article.

A Little Background

First of all, this article is about something I've been trying to accomplish for months: separating the responsibilities of our radio control panel from everything it shouldn't be responsible for in the first place.

I'm currently working on AutoMCC 3.0, which will involve an almost complete rewrite of the platform using a different web framework. We're also making significant architectural changes to make it more efficient, easier to automate, more secure, and, most importantly, easier to maintain.

But there was something getting in my way.

I can't build an efficient system while continuing to maintain features that have nothing to do with radio hosting. When I first developed AutoMCC, I built it as an all-in-one application for the services we offered back in 2016: an internet radio station that could also have a TeamTalk server, a PHP website, and a database.

As I've complained about this design mistake repeatedly in several previous articles, I decided to take advantage of the ongoing AutoMCC redesign to finally do something about it.

First, I separated TeamTalk from AutoMCC. TeamTalk is now managed through its own set of API calls and components, which have already allowed us to implement several useful improvements in a relatively short time, such as encrypting server connections, generating .tt files directly from the server list, and even performing automatic migrations.

But the real monster was web hosting.

Web hosting has been, by far, the most complex and inconvenient part of AutoMCC. Managing a service that may involve PHP, SSL certificates, databases, shared FTP access with radio stations, and, while we're at it, preventing someone from attacking a WordPress installation at three in the morning has proven limiting for radio hosting and complicated for me.

So today, I can finally say that this situation is coming to an end next month: we've completed the first version of our new web hosting service, completely separated from AutoMCC.

And although much of this work happens behind the scenes, there will also be several improvements that our customers can use directly.

What Exactly Is Changing?

There are several important changes, so I recommend reading this entire section, especially if you use our radio hosting services.

If you only use TeamTalk, there will be practically no changes for you.

A New Section in Your Account

Under the "Services" section of the main MCVHost menu, you'll find a new option called "Web Hosting."

From there, you'll be able to view all your web hosting plans.

Customers with any radio hosting plan will automatically find a web hosting plan created for them, since we continue to include web hosting as part of our radio hosting packages.

It's also worth mentioning that web hosting will now be available as a standalone service, without requiring a radio station. This wasn't particularly practical with the way AutoMCC was originally built, but now we can offer it independently.

From this new section, you'll be able to:

• Check the status of your websites' SSL certificates.
• Create databases for your projects.
• Import and export databases directly from the control panel.
• Add domains to your web hosting account.
• Create additional SFTP accounts for uploading files.
• View your SFTP connection details and change account passwords directly from the panel.
• Check the status of your web hosting service.

The idea is to let you manage your hosting account from one place, without having to access a radio control panel to perform operations that have absolutely nothing to do with broadcasting.

One important detail is that the credentials used to upload website files will no longer be the same ones used to upload music to your radio stations. Let's talk about that next.

Uploading Music and Uploading a Website Are Two Different Things

This is one of the most important changes.

Until now, if you had a radio station with web hosting, you used essentially the same FTP space and credentials to upload both your radio station's files and your website.

That will no longer be the case.

After the migration, your website will have its own separate storage space, with its own SFTP service and connection credentials.

This means your radio station will continue to have its own space for music, playlists, and other files, while your web hosting account will have a completely separate space for your websites.

Websites will no longer be served from AutoMCC's file storage and will instead use the new web hosting infrastructure.

You'll also be able to create multiple SFTP accounts for your web hosting space. This will make it easier, for example, to give a website designer or administrator access to your website without having to share your radio station's credentials.

You'll also be able to change these accounts' passwords directly from the MCVHost interface.

And yes, this means we can finally treat a website like a website and a radio station like a radio station. Something I probably should have done quite a few years ago, but here we are.

Database Management from the Control Panel

Another important improvement involves databases.

Until now, database management was far too closely tied to the internal workings of AutoMCC. With the new system, this responsibility belongs entirely to the web hosting service.

From the new interface, you'll be able to create databases for your projects, as well as import and export their contents directly from the control panel.

For example, if you need to move a website from another hosting provider, you'll be able to import its database without relying on external tools. Similarly, you'll be able to export your databases whenever you need to keep a copy or move them to another server.

These operations will be available from the same section where you manage the rest of your hosting resources.

The goal is to give you more independence when managing your website, without requiring operations related to web hosting to go through your radio control panel or a support request.

Your existing databases will also be included in the November 7 migration. You won't need to recreate them, export them, or import their contents yourself.

We'll take care of transferring them along with the files associated with each hosting account.

Will Connection Addresses Change?

There's another important change worth explaining, especially for customers who use the free subdomains provided with our services.

Until now, many customers could use the same domain for practically everything: accessing their website, connecting through FTP, and configuring their broadcasting software.

The same applies to customers who use their own domains.

This was possible because all these services were hosted on the same server. However, this approach has an important limitation: it forces services that should be independent to remain tied to the same address.

With the new infrastructure, we want to gradually eliminate that dependency.

In the future, a website and a radio station will be able to run on completely different servers. This will allow us to distribute resources more efficiently, move services when necessary, and make changes without requiring everything to stay on the same machine.

But there's something I want to make absolutely clear:

You will not need to change your broadcasting software configuration on November 7.

Although web hosting will become independent from AutoMCC, we'll initially keep both services running on the same physical servers where your radio stations are currently hosted.

This will allow us to complete the transition without forcing everyone to change the connection settings already saved in BUTT, RadioBOSS, SAM Broadcaster, or any other broadcasting software.

You also won't need to change your website's public domain, whether it's your own domain or a free subdomain provided by MCVHost.

What will change is how you manage your website files.

After the migration, the SFTP connection details for uploading files to your website will be available in the new "Web Hosting" section. These credentials will be separate from those used for your radio station.

We'll also begin displaying the appropriate server addresses and connection details for each service more clearly, so customers can always find the correct information directly in the control panel.

In the future, we may introduce additional changes to the connection addresses used by certain services. Whenever that happens, we'll provide advance notice and the necessary instructions.

For now, our priority is to separate these services without making things unnecessarily complicated for people who already use them.

An Infrastructure Independent from AutoMCC

This change isn't simply about moving a few buttons from one page to another.

The new web hosting service has its own API and components for managing websites, databases, SFTP accounts, and the rest of its resources.

This allows us to develop and update web hosting without having to modify AutoMCC every time we want to introduce an improvement.

It also means that services can evolve independently. A PHP-related update, for example, won't necessarily have to be tied to an update of the radio automation system.

Internally, we'll also have a much clearer separation between the files, processes, and resources used by each service.

And there's another advantage that I consider particularly important: we'll be able to move web hosting services to other servers whenever necessary, without having to move the radio stations along with them.

This won't happen as part of the initial migration. For now, the services will continue to share the same physical servers, even though they'll operate as independent components internally.

The difference may seem small, but it isn't. Sharing a machine doesn't mean two services have to depend on the same software to function.

This isn't exactly the kind of improvement you can show off with a particularly impressive screenshot, but it's one of the things that matters most when maintaining a stable platform in the long run.

And for me, after spending years maintaining all these components, it removes a considerable amount of complexity from what's coming with AutoMCC 3.0.

Scheduled Maintenance on November 7

The migration to our new web hosting infrastructure will take place on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

This time, we'll need to perform major maintenance, since we're not simply moving website files. We'll also be replacing some central components of our servers, including the system responsible for serving websites, control panels, and radio listening links.

To carry out these changes in an orderly manner and leave enough time to verify that everything is working properly, we've decided to schedule a maintenance window.

The expected service interruptions are as follows:

• Radio services: up to 2 hours of downtime, including live broadcasts and listening links.
• Web hosting: up to 4 hours of downtime for websites and related services.
• TeamTalk: we do not expect this maintenance to affect TeamTalk services.

During the first part of the maintenance, we'll replace the components responsible for serving our services and prepare the configurations needed to restore radio stations and their listening links.

Afterward, we'll complete the web hosting migration, including website files, databases, and configurations.

Some services may become available before the maintenance window ends. However, we'd rather reserve enough time to perform the necessary checks than rush through an operation of this size.

The durations listed above are our planned maintenance windows. If we encounter an issue that requires additional time, we'll communicate it through our usual channels.

We understand that four hours may sound like a long time, especially for customers who operate their services continuously. However, we believe it's better to perform this migration in a planned and controlled manner, with enough time available, than risk creating problems later by trying to rush everything.

You will not need to take any action before or during the maintenance.

We'll handle the migration and restore the services ourselves. Your files and databases will be transferred automatically, and you won't need to change your broadcasting software configuration.

Once maintenance is complete, radio stations will continue using their existing connection settings. To manage your website files, you'll need to use the new SFTP credentials available under the "Web Hosting" section of MCVHost.

We'll publish the exact maintenance start time and any additional information before November 7.

What Do Existing Customers Need to Do?

This is the most important part for customers who already have active services.

You do not need to request the migration or transfer your files yourself.

We'll handle moving all the files and databases associated with each web hosting account, as well as preparing the necessary resources for your websites to operate on the new infrastructure.

This includes websites that are currently hosted within radio station storage spaces.

Our goal is for both radio stations and websites to become available again with their usual configurations once maintenance is complete, without requiring you to download files, export databases, upload your website again, or request a new hosting account.

The migration will also include the configurations necessary to preserve the functionality of your existing domains and subdomains.

There is, however, one change you should keep in mind:

After the migration, you'll need to use the new SFTP credentials found under the "Web Hosting" section of MCVHost whenever you want to upload or modify your website files.

The credentials used to manage your radio station's files will remain associated with your radio service.

If you use a file transfer application to update your website, you'll need to configure it with the new connection details the next time you want to upload content.

This doesn't mean you'll have to republish your website. We'll transfer your existing files ourselves.

And, to avoid any confusion, let me repeat something important: you won't need to change your broadcasting software's connection settings because of this migration.

Important Dates

• Until Friday, November 6, 2026: services will continue operating on the current infrastructure.
• Saturday, November 7, 2026: we'll perform the maintenance and migrate existing web hosting accounts. Radio services may be unavailable for up to two hours, while web hosting services may be unavailable for up to four hours.
• After maintenance is complete: you'll be able to manage your hosting account from the new MCVHost section, including SFTP connection details and tools for creating, importing, and exporting databases.

If you only use your radio station and don't have a published website, you won't need to change how you normally use AutoMCC after maintenance.

If you have a website, you won't need to request the migration either. It will be performed automatically for all existing hosting accounts.

And if you use both services, your radio station will continue working with its current configuration, while your website will be managed from the new web hosting section.

What's Next for AutoMCC?

Separating web hosting was one of the biggest obstacles I needed to overcome before continuing with the next version of AutoMCC.

With TeamTalk and web hosting operating independently, AutoMCC can finally focus on what should have been its main responsibility from the beginning: managing and automating radio stations.

There's still quite a bit of work ahead. AutoMCC 3.0 isn't finished, and I don't want to announce release dates that I'll end up having to change later.

But this step allows us to move forward without carrying along many of the technical decisions I made when I first started developing the platform.

The new web hosting infrastructure also gives us the opportunity to continue adding features and services that were previously quite inconvenient to implement, precisely because everything depended on the same system.

We can now develop improvements for web hosting, radio, and TeamTalk independently, without having to modify the entire platform whenever we want to change one of its components.

For now, our priority is to complete the migration of existing hosting accounts, verify that every service is working correctly, and continue preparing the way for AutoMCC 3.0.

Final Thoughts

These changes are part of a much larger effort we've been carrying out over the past several months to modernize MCVHost.

I know that changing something that has been working for so many years can be inconvenient, especially for customers who already know AutoMCC and are used to doing things a certain way.

That's why we've tried to keep most of the work on our side, rather than making customers responsible for moving files, transferring databases, or configuring new services.

We've also decided to initially keep web hosting services on the same physical servers as our radio stations, specifically to avoid forcing everyone to update their broadcasting software configurations during this first migration.

This time, however, we will need to temporarily interrupt some services. It's not something we enjoy doing, especially when we're talking about radio stations that may broadcast 24 hours a day, but we believe it's a necessary step toward continuing to improve the platform.

To summarize: on Saturday, November 7, we'll migrate all existing web hosting accounts to our new infrastructure. We're planning up to two hours of downtime for radio services and up to four hours for websites. We'll handle transferring all files, databases, and necessary configurations.

You won't need to do anything to have your service migrated, and you won't need to modify your broadcasting software configuration.

After maintenance, the connection details for managing your website files will be available in the new web hosting section.

And although there's still plenty of work ahead, this is one of the most significant changes we've made to our infrastructure in recent years.

Thank you for continuing to trust MCVHost. We're working to make the platform more stable, easier to use, and, even if it doesn't always look that way from the outside, considerably less complicated to maintain.

See you in the next update.