Truly free cloud hosting for developers

As a developer, I usually want to deploy applications with minimal or no upfront investment. The hosting free tiers options give a space for experimentation, learning, and the deployment of low-traffic personal projects or proofs-of-concept without immediate financial commitment.

Typical problem

However, the definition of “free” is highly nuanced, often including strict usage limits, time-bound offers, or an automatic transition to pay-as-you-go models once specific thresholds are exceeded.

Practical considerations such as inactivity policies, the availability of custom domains, and the ease of monitoring usage are quite important for long-term sustainability and to prevent unexpected costs.

This acticle provides a comparative analysis of truly free (sidenote: The term "free" in the context of cloud hosting is often subject to various interpretations. Cloud providers typically categorize their free offerings into three primary models: "Always Free", "12-Month Free Tier", "Trial Credits".) hosting solutions for both backend and frontend components, outlining their capabilities, limitations, and the specific conditions under which costs may be incurred.

Defining “Truly Free” in Cloud Hosting

1. Always Free

These represent the most genuinely “truly free” offerings. They provide a perpetual free tier with specific monthly usage limits that are available indefinitely to both new and existing customers.

This model is highly desirable for long-term, cost-free operation of small-scale or hobby projects.

For instance, AWS Lambda offers 1 million free requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time, alongside 25 GB of storage and 200 million requests per month for Amazon DynamoDB, all available indefinitely.

Similarly, Google Cloud provides an “Always Free” tier for services like Firestore (1 GiB storage, 50,000 document reads/day, 20,000 document writes/day, 20,000 document deletes/day, 10 GiB outbound data transfer/month), Cloud Run (2 million requests/month), and Cloud Functions (2 million invocations/month, 400K GB-seconds/month).

Azure also features “always-free” services, including Azure SQL Database (up to 10 databases with 100,000 vCore seconds and 32 GB storage) and 100 GB/month of internet egress. These options are ideal for projects that consistently stay within these defined, recurring limits.

2. 12-Month Free Tier

These are promotional offers primarily extended to new customers, typically valid for a period of 12 months from the account signup date. They often provide access to more substantial resources, such as virtual machines or larger storage allocations, and they will automatically transition to standard pay-as-you-go rates once the 12-month period concludes or if usage exceeds the specified limits within that timeframe.

For example, AWS offers 750 hours per month of EC2 t2.micro or t3.micro instances and 5 GB of S3 standard storage for 12 months.

Azure provides 750 hours each of B1s, B2pts v2, and B2ats v2 burstable VMs for Windows and Linux, and 5 GB of locally redundant storage for Blob Storage, all for 12 months.

This model serves as a valuable introductory period for exploration and development, allowing users to experiment with a broader range of services, but it does not constitute a long-term “truly free” solution. Users must plan for potential costs after the promotional period.

3. Trial Credits

This category involves a one-time monetary credit (e.g., $300 for Google Cloud, $200 for Azure) provided to new users, typically with a limited validity period (e.g., 30 or 90 days). Services consumed under these credits are free only until the credit is exhausted or the trial period expires. After this, users are required to transition to a paid plan or a pay-as-you-go model.

Common Characteristics and Hidden Costs of Free Tiers

1. Inactivity Policies

A prevalent characteristic of many free backend services is their tendency to “spin down” or “go to sleep” after a period of inactivity. This mechanism is employed by providers to conserve resources and is particularly common for services that run on dedicated compute instances rather than serverless functions.

2. Data Egress Charges

Data transfer out from a cloud provider’s network (egress) is a consistently significant and often overlooked cost trigger, even within free tiers. Cloud providers incur substantial operational costs for their global network infrastructure and the bandwidth required to transfer data, particularly when it leaves their data centers and travels across the public internet.

This mechanism effectively ensures that a project with growing user engagement or data consumption will eventually contribute financially to the platform.

3. Resource Suspension vs. Overage Charges

Providers employ different strategies when free tier limits are reached. Some, like Render for service hours, will suspend services, preventing further charges but also halting the application. This means the application becomes unavailable until the next billing cycle or until the user manually upgrades to a paid plan.

Others, such as Netlify for bandwidth, build minutes, and functions, will automatically transition to a pay-as-you-go model for overages, potentially incurring costs if not diligently monitored. This approach ensures service continuity but shifts the financial risk to the user.

4. Database Limitations

Free database offerings typically come with stringent limitations on storage capacity, the number of operations (reads, writes, deletes), and concurrent connections. These limitations are designed to support small-scale development and testing.

A critical limitation for some, like Render’s free PostgreSQL databases, is their potential deletion after a specified period (e.g., 90 days) if not upgraded to a paid plan.

This policy underscores the temporary nature of some “free” database services and the importance of understanding data persistence guarantees.

Cloud providers’ strategy

“Free tiers” across major cloud providers is not a philanthropic gesture but a strategic business imperative. These offerings are designed to lower the barrier to entry for developers, allowing them to build projects on the platform without initial financial commitment. As projects mature, gain traction, or exceed the often-generous but finite free limits, users are incentivized to convert to paid plans.

Rating of Truly Free Backend Hosting Plans

Backend hosting involves managing server-side logic, databases, and APIs. Several providers offer free tiers for these components, each with distinct advantages and limitations.

Back4app

Back4app is a free backend server hosting provider based on open-source technologies like Docker, Node.js, REST, GraphQL, Redis, and Parse Server. It offers a free tier plan for containers with key offerings such as 100GB data transfer and 0.25 shared CPU. This makes it suitable for projects requiring a flexible, open-source-based backend without immediate cost.

Firebase (Google-backed BaaS)

Firebase, a Google-backed Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform, simplifies backend deployment with a single command. It offers a generous free tier (Spark Plan) for various services, making it highly attractive for mobile and web application development.

1. Firebase Hosting: Provides 10 GB of storage, 360 MB data transfer per day, free SSL, multiple sites, and custom domains. This is ideal for serving static frontend assets and small dynamic applications.

2. Cloud Firestore (NoSQL Database): The free tier includes 1 GiB total stored data, 10 GiB/month network egress, 20K document writes/day, 50K document reads/day, and 20K document deletes/day. It allows exactly one free database per project.

3. Cloud Functions (Serverless): The Blaze Plan (which includes a no-cost tier) offers up to 2M invocations/month, 400K GB-seconds/month, 200K CPU-seconds/month, and 5 GB/month outbound networking.

4. Other Services: Firebase also includes free tiers for Authentication (50k monthly active users), Cloud Messaging (FCM), and Crashlytics.

Cloudflare Workers

Cloudflare Workers provide a serverless execution environment at the edge, ideal for highly performant and globally distributed backend logic. While the research material mentions Cloudflare Workers as a backend hosting platform, specific free tier limits for it are not detailed in the provided snippets. Generally, Cloudflare offers a generous free tier for its core CDN and DNS services, and Workers typically have a free usage allowance for a certain number of requests per day, making them suitable for lightweight API endpoints or edge logic.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

AWS offers a comprehensive suite of services with various free tier components, categorized into “12-Month Free,” “Always Free,” and “Trials”.

1. EC2 (Compute): 750 hours per month of t2.micro or t3.micro instances (Linux or Windows) for 12 months. This is sufficient to run one instance continuously for a year.

2. Lambda (Serverless Functions): Always Free, offering 1 million free requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time per month. This is highly suitable for event-driven backend logic without managing servers.

3. DynamoDB (NoSQL Database): Always Free, providing 25 GB of storage and enough capacity to handle up to 200 million requests per month (25 provisioned Write Capacity Units and 25 provisioned Read Capacity Units).

4. RDS (Relational Database Service): 750 hours per month of db.t2.micro or db.t3.micro instances (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQL Server Express) for 12 months, plus 20 GB of database storage.

5. S3 (Object Storage): 5 GB of standard storage, 20,000 Get Requests, and 2,000 Put Requests per month for 12 months. While primarily for storage, S3 can serve static assets for frontend.

6. Data Transfer: 15 GB of bandwidth out aggregated across all AWS services for 12 months. CloudFront, AWS’s CDN, offers 1 TB of data transfer out per month as part of its 12-month free tier.

Google Cloud (GCP)

Google Cloud offers a robust “Free Tier” with “Always Free” products and a $300 credit for new customers.

1. Compute Engine: 1 e2-micro instance per month (US regions only) as an “Always Free” component. This provides a basic virtual machine for backend operations.

2. Cloud Run: A fully managed environment for stateless containers, offering 2 million requests per month as “Always Free”. This is excellent for containerized backend services.

3. Cloud Functions: A serverless environment with 2 million invocations per month as “Always Free”.

4. Firestore (NoSQL Database): 1 GB storage, 50,000 document reads/day, 20,000 document writes/day, 20,000 document deletes/day, and 10 GiB outbound data transfer/month, all “Always Free”.

5. Cloud Build: 120 build-minutes per day “Always Free”.

6. Cloud Storage: 5 GB-months Standard Storage “Always Free”.

Azure (Microsoft Azure)

Azure provides a “Free Account” for new customers, including free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months and 65+ “always-free” services, along with a $200 credit for 30 days.

1. Virtual Machines: 750 hours each of B1s, B2pts v2 (Arm-based), and B2ats v2 (AMD-based) burstable VMs for Windows and Linux, free for 12 months.

2. Azure SQL Database: Up to 10 databases with 100,000 vCore seconds of serverless tier and 32 GB of storage each, “Always Free”.

3. Azure Functions: A serverless compute service, included in the “Always Free” services, though specific usage limits are not detailed in the provided snippets.

4. Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB: An “Always Free” dedicated MongoDB cluster with 32 GB storage.

5. Azure Blob Storage: 5 GB locally redundant storage (LRS) hot block with 20,000 read and 10,000 write operations, free for 12 months.

6. Data Transfer: The first 100 GB/month of egressed data is free to all customers in all Azure regions.

Railway

Railway offers a unique “free tier” model that provides a one-time $5 in usage credits to new users. This credit can be used for various resources like RAM, CPU, and network egress.

• Free Tier Model: Unlike “Always Free” tiers, Railway’s free offering is not perpetual. Once the initial $5 credit is exhausted, services stop running until the user upgrades to a paid plan. This applies even if the application was previously live.

• Hobby Plan: The Hobby plan costs $5/month and includes $5 of usage monthly. If usage exceeds $5, the user is charged the delta. This means the Hobby plan is effectively free if usage stays within $5, but it’s a paid subscription with a credit.

Features: Railway supports Git-based deploys, persistent storage, and built-in database support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB. It charges based on actual usage (RAM hours, CPU hours, storage, network egress).

Render

Render offers an “always-on” free tier for certain services, including static sites, web services with limits, and free PostgreSQL databases.

1. Service Hours: Free Tier Service instances have a collective total of 750 hours of free execution per month.

2. Bandwidth: 100GB outbound bandwidth per month (unlimited inbound).

3. Build Minutes: 500 Starter-tier minutes per member per month, shared among all members.

4. Databases: Free PostgreSQL databases are offered, but they are deleted after 90 days if not upgraded to a paid plan.

• Inactivity: Free web services may enter sleep mode after a period of inactivity (e.g., 15 minutes), leading to slower response times.

• Custom Domains: Not available on the free tier; users must use Render’s subdomain.

Rating of Truly Free Frontend Hosting Plans

Frontend hosting primarily involves serving static files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images) and often integrates with CDNs for faster content delivery.

Netlify

Netlify is highly popular for static site and JAMstack deployments, offering a “Free & Starter” plan that is genuinely free forever with no credit card required for basic usage.

• Bandwidth: 100GB per month.
• Build Minutes: 300 minutes per month.
• Serverless Functions: 125,000 invocations per site per month.
• Edge Functions: 1 million invocations per month.
• Storage: 10 GB storage.

Features: Continuous Deployment from Git (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket), free SSL support, custom domains, and deploy previews. It is excellent for developers working with frameworks like React or Vue.js.

Vercel

Vercel is a cloud platform primarily designed for web and full-stack developers, excelling in static site and frontend application hosting, particularly for Next.js. Its Hobby plan is free and aimed at personal, non-commercial projects.

• Projects: Up to 200 projects.
• Domains per Project: 50 custom domains per project.
• Data Transfer: 100 GB of Fast Data Transfer.
• Serverless Functions: 100,000 invocations and 100 GB-Hours of execution per month. Maximum duration is 60s.
• Edge Function Execution: 1,000,000 execution units.
• Build Minutes: 6,000 build minutes per month.

Features: Serverless architecture, static website and frontend application hosting, serverless functions, and continuous deployment builds.

GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages offers free hosting for static sites directly integrated with GitHub repositories.

Features: Free SSL support, direct integration with GitHub.

Limitations: Only suitable for static sites; does not support dynamic content or database-driven applications.

Other General Web Hosts

Several traditional web hosting services offer free plans, often with more basic features.

1. InfinityFree: Offers unlimited web space and bandwidth, PHP and MySQL support, and no ads. Ideal for beginner developers or simpler projects, but not designed for large or high-performance websites.

2. AwardSpace: Provides 1 GB of space and 5 GB of bandwidth per month, with custom domains supported on the free plan. Good for small projects and installing CMS like WordPress.

3. GoogieHost: Offers 1 GB of space and 100 GB of monthly bandwidth, with support for PHP and MySQL. Suitable for small projects or beginners, but lacks advanced features of major cloud providers.

AWS (Frontend Components)

Beyond backend, AWS services can host frontend applications.

1. Amazon S3: As mentioned, 5 GB of standard storage for 12 months, ideal for hosting static websites. Static websites hosted on S3 are low cost, highly reliable, and scalable.

2. Amazon CloudFront (CDN): 1 TB of data transfer out per month for 12 months. This is crucial for distributing frontend assets globally with low latency.

Google Cloud (Frontend Components)

Google Cloud also offers options for frontend hosting.

1. Cloud Storage: 5 GB-months Standard Storage “Always Free”. This can serve as a highly scalable and durable storage for static website assets.

2. Cloud Run: While capable of hosting dynamic backends, Cloud Run can also serve static sites and frontend applications, with 2 million requests per month “Always Free”.

Azure (Frontend Components)

Azure’s free tier also extends to frontend hosting.

1. Azure Blob Storage: 5 GB locally redundant storage (LRS) hot block with 20,000 read and 10,000 write operations, free for 12 months. This is suitable for storing and serving static website content.

Integrated Full-Stack Free Hosting Solutions

Some platforms are designed to simplify the deployment of both frontend and backend components of a full-stack application, often with integrated CI/CD and managed services.

1. Vercel

Vercel is primarily known for frontend deployment but also supports serverless functions for backend logic, making it a full-stack solution for certain architectures.

• Capabilities: Provides serverless architecture, static website and frontend application hosting, and serverless functions. It is particularly strong for modern applications built with frameworks like React or Vue.js, especially when combined with Next.js.

• Free Tier Limits: As detailed in the frontend section, the Hobby plan includes 100 GB of Fast Data Transfer, 100,000 function invocations, 100 GB-Hours of function duration, and 6,000 build minutes. It supports 50 custom domains per project.

• Limitations: Vercel is primarily designed for static sites and serverless functions; it is not an ideal choice for applications with high server-side requirements that necessitate persistent, long-running servers. Continuous deployment builds might take a long time. The Hobby plan is for non-commercial, personal use.

2. Railway

Railway aims to streamline the deployment and hosting of web applications, including both frontend and backend.

• Capabilities: Simplifies web application deployment, provides managed database services (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB), and supports continuous deployment workflows with Git integration.

• Free Tier Model: As discussed, Railway offers a one-time $5 usage credit. Once this credit is exhausted, services stop until a paid plan is activated. The Hobby plan, which costs $5/month, includes $5 of usage.

• Limitations: The “free” aspect is very limited due to the one-time credit model. There is no native background worker model, requiring manual setup for async processing or scheduled tasks. Cron support is functional but has limitations on dynamic parameters.

3. Render

Render is a cloud platform designed to simplify the deployment and scaling of web applications, supporting multiple stacks (Javascript, GoLang, PHP, Python, Ruby, Mongo).

• Capabilities: Supports various languages, offers Git-based deploys, includes CDN, custom domains (on paid plans), and automatic HTTPS. It also provides free PostgreSQL databases (with a 90-day deletion policy for free tier).

• Free Tier Limits: Includes 750 hours of free execution for services, 100GB outbound bandwidth per month, and 500 build minutes per month. Free web services may enter sleep mode after 15 minutes of inactivity. Custom domains are not available on the free tier.

• Limitations: Free tier has limitations on resources like memory and locations, affecting large-scaling applications. Free PostgreSQL databases are deleted after 90 days. Inactivity leads to sleep mode.

4. Fly.io

Fly.io focuses on deploying applications closer to end-users via a global edge network, optimizing performance and reducing latency.

• Capabilities: Allows developers to deploy containerized applications closer to end-users.

• Free Tier Limits: Offers 2340 shared CPU hours per month, 160GB outbound bandwidth per month (unlimited inbound), unlimited IPv6, and 1 IPv4 Anycast IP per active app.

• Limitations: The free tier has limitations on resources like memory and locations, affecting large-scaling applications. It is more focused on container-based deployment, which might require additional configuration. There is no uptime SLA, and access is primarily through CLI. A credit card is required to sign up.

5. PythonAnywhere

PythonAnywhere is a cloud-based platform specifically designed to simplify the hosting and management of applications crafted with Python.

• Capabilities: Provides a reliable environment for hosting Python applications, web application deployment, and server-side logic execution for full-stack applications where Python is the primary language.

• Limitations: While excellent for Python-based applications, it may not be the best choice for applications requiring specific technologies or extensive customization outside of Python. The free tier has limitations on resources, which may impact the scalability of larger projects.

How to implement a zero-cost strategy?

I prefer my service to be suspended instead of extra change when exceeding limits. I want to receive only the expected bills.

1. Choose Providers Wisely: Prioritize Netlify and Render for their more explicit suspension policies on free tiers for certain services. Vercel’s Hobby plan also tends towards limiting usage upon exceeding free limits.
2. Set Up Aggressive Monitoring and Alerts: Use the provider’s tools to get notifications well before you reach any limits (e.g., at 50%, 75%, 90%).
3. Manual Intervention: When you receive alerts, be prepared to manually scale down or stop your services to ensure you don’t exceed the free tier limits.
4. Design for Free Tier: Architect your application to be as resource-efficient as possible within the constraints of the free tier.
5. Test Limits: Conduct tests to understand at what point your usage approaches the free tier limits under realistic load.
6. Understand Inactivity Policies: For backend services, be aware of “sleep mode” policies and their impact on application responsiveness. For production-like environments, consider if the cold start latency is acceptable or if a paid plan for “always-on” services is necessary.
7. Consider Hybrid Approaches: For full-stack applications, a hybrid approach might be optimal: use a specialized frontend host (e.g., Netlify, Vercel) for static assets and serverless functions, and a separate backend provider (e.g., Firebase, AWS Lambda/DynamoDB) for database and core API logic. This can maximize free tier usage across different services.

By evaluating these factors and understanding the underlying economic models, users can effectively navigate the complex landscape of free hosting, maximizing cost savings while ensuring their applications remain performant and available.