What Is FrontPage and How Do You Check If Your Web Host Supports It?
FrontPage is Microsoft's discontinued website-building and publishing tool, and "FrontPage support" on a hosting plan usually means the server runs FrontPage Server Extensions so the software can publish and manage a site directly. You only need to care about this if you still maintain a site built in FrontPage or depend on those extensions. RUNHOSTING lists FrontPage among the features in its hosting stack, so it is one host where you can ask about it directly rather than assume it is gone.
What FrontPage actually is
Microsoft FrontPage was a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor for building web pages without hand-coding HTML. It combined:
- A visual page editor for text, images, tables, and links
- A site management view for organizing pages and folders
- A publishing function that uploaded the site to a web server
- Built-in components such as forms, hit counters, and navigation bars
Its key dependency was FrontPage Server Extensions — a set of server-side programs that handled the features the editor could not do on its own, like working form handlers and certain navigation elements. Without those extensions on the host, some FrontPage components would not function after publishing.
Why hosting support matters
A host "supporting FrontPage" is not just about allowing you to upload HTML. It means the server side is configured to work with the tool. Practical consequences:
| If the host supports FrontPage | If it does not |
|---|---|
| Server Extensions are installed and active | Pages publish, but extension-based features break |
| Forms and built-in components can work | Forms need a separate script or service |
| Publishing via FrontPage's own upload works | You must use FTP or another upload method |
Because FrontPage was discontinued by Microsoft and the Server Extensions are legacy technology, support is far from universal today. That is the main reason to verify before signing up rather than assume.
How to check whether a host supports it
- Search the host's feature list. Look for "FrontPage" or "FrontPage Server Extensions" on the hosting plan or features page. RUNHOSTING, for example, names FrontPage in its list of supported technologies alongside PHP, ASP.NET, Perl, CGI, and Ruby.
- Check the plan level. Legacy features are often limited to certain tiers. Confirm the specific plan you intend to buy includes it, not just the brand overall.
- Ask support directly. Send a pre-sales question such as: "Do your shared hosting servers have FrontPage Server Extensions enabled, and on which plans?" A clear yes/no with a plan name is the answer you want.
- Confirm the publishing method. Ask whether you can publish with FrontPage's built-in publish function or whether you would need FTP.
- Test before committing. If a trial or free tier exists, publish a small test page with a form and see whether the extension-based features work.
What to do if support is missing
FrontPage is discontinued, so a host without it is not necessarily a bad choice — it may simply have moved on. Options:
- Keep the site as static HTML. If your pages do not rely on Server Extensions, you can publish them with FTP or a file manager on almost any host.
- Replace extension features. Forms can be handled by a third-party form service or a simple server-side script.
- Rebuild in a current tool. Modern site builders and CMS platforms (the kind hosts often offer through a one-click installer) cover the same ground FrontPage did, without the legacy dependency.
Bottom line
FrontPage is a retired Microsoft editor whose full feature set depends on FrontPage Server Extensions on the server. If you still use it, check the host's feature list for an explicit mention, confirm the plan level, and ask support whether the extensions are enabled and how publishing works. RUNHOSTING lists FrontPage in its supported feature set, making it a reasonable starting point for that question — but always confirm the details for the exact plan before you sign up.