Heroku without the surprise bill

Every ask, newest first

Each line is an AI paraphrase of what the writer wanted. The link goes to their own words on Hacker News.

Reader’s note. Cluster after Heroku dropped its free tier; generic host recommendation asks excluded.

1. Sep 2024Wants cheap self-hosting whose cost does not climb with each small app; ten tiny PikaPods add up. Read it: a comment in “Gentle Guide to Self-Hosting”
2. Aug 2024Wants a fly.io-like host friendlier to bootstrapped startups, with spending caps instead of surprise charges. Read it: a comment in “Accident Forgiveness”
3. Jul 2024Would pay $2 per month prepaid for a worry-free small Postgres database for hobby projects. Read it: a comment in “The economics of a Postgres free tier”
4. Jun 2024Seeks a Heroku alternative under $10 a month supporting Python apps and a database. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: Small teams and solopreneurs, how are you hosting your apps?”
5. Aug 2022Seeks a Heroku-like host with a free tier for toy projects that earn nothing. Read it: a comment in “Heroku will phase out their free tier”
6. May 2022Wants a free-tier host with Heroku-style pull request deployments, each with its own database, for open-source work. Read it: a comment in “Plans to Re-enable the GitHub Integration”
7. May 2022Wants simple Node.js hosting without GitHub, Docker or server management, allowing upload of a tar file. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: What should I use instead of Heroku?”
8. Mar 2022Wants flat-fee, fire-and-forget Java hosting comparable to a $7 VPS instead of confusing per-unit pricing. Read it: a comment in “I don't need a VPS anymore”
9. Apr 2021Asks why no cheaper Heroku clone supporting Procfiles has gained traction. Read it: a comment in “The Decline of Heroku”
10. Dec 2019Wants a managed compute and Postgres stack under $100 a month with static IPs and multiple ports. Read it: a comment in “I moved my sites from Google Kubernetes Engine to Netlify and saved $1000 / year”
11. Dec 2018Wants a more versatile and cheaper host than Bluehost that can run real web apps like Django. Read it: a post: “Best hosting 2018?”
12. Nov 2016Wants a service that simplifies AWS into predictable pricing with room to grow. Read it: a comment in “Amazon LightSail: Simple Virtual Private Servers on AWS”
13. Oct 2016Would pay $1 or $2 monthly for a hosted database with backups, no failover, for side projects. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: Did you wish there were cheaper hosted databases?”
14. Oct 2015Seeks a Heroku-like host with an always-up free tier for simple Ruby web apps plus a database. Read it: a comment in “Heroku is no longer the hobbyist's friend”
15. Aug 2011Seeks Python hosting after App Engine's new pricing would raise their store's bill from $15 to $450 monthly. Read it: a comment in “Google App Engine leaves preview, new pricing”
16. Jun 2011Wishes SQL hosting were as cheap as MongoDB hosting. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: Why is MongoDB hosting cheaper than SQL”
17. Jul 2009Asks for a Ruby on Rails host among sites costing about $20 a month. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: justifying hosting costs for hobby sites”