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12 Comments

What's the easiest way to deploy a full stack web app?

Currently, I'm using repl.it to host my react site. It's very (very) easy. Just hit the run button.

But as time has gone on my little site has gotten more complicated and it now has a node.js backend that runs with express, and I'm not sure how to host them on the same repl instance.

Are there any services that make it easy to host a full stack web app with no downtime? Ideally under ~$10/month and easy to use so I can focus on development.

What are you all using?

  1. 5

    Render.com - it powers indiehackers.

    Static sites (SPAs) are free. Backend apps start at $7 per month.

    Easy as yet cheaper than Heroku

  2. 3

    Vercel if you are using NextJS.
    AWS Amplify or Google App Engine if you are using anything else.

  3. 3

    I'm using Next.js tech and hosting it on Vercel platform.

    next.js takes care of the frontend and backend in same codebase so I don't have to manage and deploy it separately.

    Also deploying with Vercel requires just a few clicks and you are done, and It is FREE for hobby or small projects unless you want to add extra team member to your vercel account.

    My Tech Stack:

    Frontend: next.js
    Backend: next.js
    Database: MySql
    ORM: Prisma (https://www.prisma.io)
    Hosting: Vercel (https://vercel.com)
    UI Framework: Geist-ui (https://react.geist-ui.dev)
    Auth: Firebase (using https://github.com/gladly-team/next-firebase-auth)
    Payments: Stripe

    And All of these are FREE to start with.

    Here's my site if you want to review: iconvey.io :)

    FYI, If you don't want to use next.js, you can still use Vercel to deploy react apps.

    1. 1

      What about the database? Where do you host it?

      1. 1

        I'm using AWS Aurora, it's very fast.

        But you can use any other Mysql Hosting service provider like AWS RDS, or host it yourself on EC2 instance for free on AWS free tier.

  4. 2

    You can use a Platform-As-A-Service (PAAS), such as

  5. 2

    This is a platform I have been meaning to check out, https://fly.io/ 3 for free, then under $2/mo

  6. 2

    What are you all using?

    I'm using Piku. It's a self-hosted option. Setting it up on a VPS only takes a minute the first time, and after that it's easy to add new sites by adding a new git remote. I just checked and I have 27 sites running on my $10 Digital Ocean box. Some of these are static sites, some have Python backends, and some have Node backends. For me it has been far cheaper than Heroku, Render, etc. and has allowed me to take many small bets on different ideas. Let me know if I can help you get set up.

  7. 2

    Actually, I figured it out! I used this template: https://github.com/crsandeep/simple-react-full-stack and got it to work with my site.

    Routing the requests through the Node.js server also fixed the CORS problems :)

    1. 2

      Niiiice! Well done! I was going to suggest flipping your back-end stuff over to Serverless. I recently started developing front-end Next.js + back-end Serverless (using the guide at https://serverless-stack.com) and so far it's a dream.

      Next up I'm going to use Supabase as my database and auth provider.

  8. 1

    If you want some real perfomance, you definitely need more than 10$ / months. Remember that backend apps need memory and CPUs. If I remember well, in Digital Ocean Apps, you could find something around the 15$ ~ 20$

  9. 1

    Sounds like repl.it is the way to go for you, and if you need more their paid plan might get you to the next step. After that, if you want to, Heroku is the easiest for just throwing something up online. It costs more than competitors, like render.com, but if simplicity is what you're looking for they're nice.

    If you don't want to give money to Salesforce (they own Heroku) I suggest render.com.

    There are a million other ways to host web apps. A few are in the comments here. Good luck!

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