Web Application Hosting "Free": What are they and how to choose the best?

In this article, you will find answers to these and other questions, as well as some of the best "free" web application hosting options available in the market.

What is web application hosting?

Web application hosting is a service that provides you with space on a server where you can host files and resources for your web application, website, or API, along with an address or domain for users to access it from a web browser.

A web application is a type of software that runs on the client-side (the browser) and communicates with the server-side (hosting) to retrieve or send data. Examples of web applications include blogs, social networks, online stores, games, text editors, etc.

Web application hosting differs from traditional hosting in that it is optimized to host these types of applications, which often have specific requirements for programming language, JavaScript frameworks, databases, security, performance, scalability, etc.

Additionally, these types of services usually offer tools and integrations that facilitate the development, testing, and maintenance of web applications. What it facilitates is the deployment of web pages, APIs, or databases, unlike hiring a VPS and having to manually configure everything.

What advantages does web application hosting have?

Web application hosting has several advantages over other types of hosting, such as shared hosting, dedicated hosting, or VPS hosting. Some of these advantages include:

• It allows you to host dynamic, interactive, and customized web applications that provide a better user experience and greater functionality.
• It saves you time and money by handling server management and configuration, installation and updating of necessary components, maintenance and security, data backup and restoration, etc.
• It offers greater flexibility and control by allowing you to choose the programming language, framework, database, and tools you prefer to develop your web application, as well as customize the runtime environment according to your needs.
• It guarantees better performance and higher availability by hosting your web application on high-quality servers with sufficient and dedicated resources, distributed geographically to reduce latency and improve loading speed.
• It facilitates the scaling and growth of your web application by automatically adapting to changes in traffic and demand, without worrying about space or transfer limits.

Best "Free" Web Application Hosting Services

There are many PaaS (Platform as a Service) services that facilitate the deployment of dynamic web applications, static websites, server-rendered apps, APIs, serverless functions, databases, etc.

Some of the best and personally recommended ones are:

• Netlify: It is a PaaS service that allows you to host static websites and dynamic web applications with a free domain, SSL certificate, integration with GitHub, and other tools. The free plan includes up to 100 GB of bandwidth per month, 300 build minutes per month, and 100 basic forms. Additionally, it offers features like serverless functions, analytics, and authentication.
• Vercel: Another PaaS service that lets you host static websites and server-rendered applications, offering an SSL certificate, integration with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. The free plan includes up to 100 GB of bandwidth per month, 100 build hours per month, and a generous free tier for running serverless functions at the edge.
• Cloudflare Pages: A web app hosting service that offers an SSL certificate, integration with GitHub, and a free plan with unlimited bandwidth, 500 builds per month, and 100,000 free daily requests for serverless functions (workers). It also provides additional features like Cloudflare workers integration and access to all Cloudflare services.
• GitHub Pages: A static website hosting service that offers an SSL certificate, integration with GitHub, and a free plan with up to 100 GB of bandwidth per month and a repository size limit of 1 GB.
• Azure Static Web Apps: A PaaS service that allows you to host static websites and dynamic web applications with a free domain, SSL certificate, integration with GitHub and Azure DevOps. The free plan includes up to 100 GB of bandwidth per month, 3 serverless functions, and 3 staging environments. It also offers additional features like global CDN, serverless functions (Azure Functions), and access to the entire suite of Azure Cloud services.
• Render: Offers a diverse range of services for hosting both static and server-rendered websites, supporting APIs developed in various programming languages, as well as hosting for databases and Docker containers. It has a generous free plan that is more than sufficient for personal projects.
• Railway: A general-purpose hosting service that offers a wide variety of services, from hosting static or server-rendered websites to supporting APIs written in different programming languages, and hosting for databases.
• Fly.io: Provides a wide variety of services, ranging from hosting static or server-rendered websites to supporting APIs written in various programming languages. It includes hosting services for databases, as well as specialized support for Docker and PostgreSQL.

What types of web application hosting exist?

There are different options for web application hosting that can be classified according to the service model they offer. Some of the most popular models include:

• PaaS (Platform as a Service): A model that provides a complete platform for developing, hosting, and running your web application without having to manage the underlying infrastructure. Examples of PaaS include Heroku, Google App Engine, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service, Netlify, Vercel, etc.
• SaaS (Software as a Service): A model that offers ready-to-use software running in the cloud, accessible from a web browser without the need to install or maintain anything. Examples of SaaS include WordPress.com, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, etc.
• FaaS (Function as a Service): A model that allows you to run functions or code snippets in the cloud, isolated and on-demand, without having to manage or scale servers. Examples of FaaS include AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, Azure Functions, or Cloudflare workers.
• JAMstack (JavaScript, APIs, and Markup): A model that allows you to create static web applications generated at build time and served from a content delivery network (CDN), while logic and data are obtained from external APIs. Examples of JAMstack include Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, etc.

What factors should you consider before choosing a hosting service?

You should consider various factors, such as:

1. The type and purpose of your web application:

Depending on whether your web application is a blog, an online store, a game, a social network, etc., you will have different needs and requirements for programming language, database, security, performance, scalability, etc.

For example, if your web application is a blog, you might consider using a SaaS like WordPress.com or a JAMstack like Netlify, while if your project is an API communicating with a database, a better option might be render.com or a FaaS like AWS Lambda.

2. The level of knowledge and control you have:

Depending on your level of knowledge and control over the development and deployment of your web application, you can opt for more or less complex and customizable options.

For example, if you have little experience and want to simplify the process, you might consider using a SaaS like Shopify or, alternatively, services like Cloudflare Pages or Netlify that allow high-performance server-side applications with frameworks like Remix.run, Next.js, or Qwik.

While if you have a lot of experience and want more control, you might consider using a PaaS like Google App Engine or Fly.io.

3. The budget and pricing plan you have:

Depending on your budget and the pricing plan offered by the hosting service, you can choose between more or less economical and flexible options. For example, if you have a limited budget and want to save money, you might consider using a service like Cloudflare Pages or Vercel, which offer free or very cheap plans.

While if you have a generous budget and want to pay for what you use, you might consider using a PaaS like Render, Railway, or directly deploying on services like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.

Tips for choosing the best hosting for your web app?

As you've seen, there are many options for hosting web applications that suit different types of applications, knowledge levels, budgets, and pricing plans. To choose the best hosting for your web app, we recommend following these steps:

• Define the type and purpose of your web application: Consider what type of web application you want to create, what features you want to offer, what audience you want to reach, what goals you want to achieve, etc.
• Evaluate the level of knowledge and control you have: Consider your level of knowledge and control over the development and deployment of your web application, the programming language, framework, database, and tools you want to use, the degree of customization and flexibility you want, etc.
• Estimate the budget and pricing plan you have: Consider how much money you want to invest in hosting your web application, which pricing plan suits you best, whether you want to pay a fixed or variable fee, whether you want to take advantage of free or trial plans, etc.
• Compare the options for hosting web applications: Look for information about the options for hosting web applications, compare their features, advantages, disadvantages, prices, reviews, etc.
• Choose the web application hosting option that suits you best: Once you have compared the options for hosting web applications, choose the one that best suits your needs, preferences, and expectations, and subscribe to the service.

How to hire the chosen web application hosting?

To hire the web application hosting you have chosen, just follow these steps:

• Access the website of the chosen web application hosting service and click on the register or start button.
• Create an account with your email, username, and password, or log in with your GitHub, Google, Facebook, or another platform account.
• Choose the pricing plan you want to hire, either free or paid, and fill in the billing details if necessary.
• Create a project or web application with the name you want and choose the programming language, framework, database, and tools you will use.
• Connect your project or web application to the source code repository you have on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or another platform, or upload the files and resources of your web application to the hosting service.
• Configure the domain and SSL certificate of your project or web application, either the free one offered by the hosting service or the custom one you have purchased or registered previously.
• Deploy your project or web application and check that it works correctly and is accessible from a web browser.

Final thoughts

In this article, I have explained what web application hosting is, its advantages, and the options available for hosting your web app easily and quickly.

I also showed you some of the best "free" hosting services for your next project that you can find in the market, according to the service model they offer. In addition, I provided some tips for choosing the best hosting for your web app.

I hope this article has been helpful and has helped you better understand the world of web application hosting. If you have any doubts, questions, or suggestions, feel free to contact me via Twitter. And if you liked the article, share it with your friends and contacts.

If you need help creating, improving, or optimizing your web application, you can contact me, and I will offer you a professional and personalized web development service. I am an expert in hosting for JavaScript frameworks and can help you choose the best option for your project. Don't hesitate to get in touch! 🙌