Where to host your modern applications in 2024?

hostingserverlessedge computingcloud hostingweb app hosting

Deployment of application is constantly evolving and changing a lot. Sticking with the single one is quite difficult. In this post, I will share with you the best place to host your modern applications in 2024.

We have bunch of options, like serverless, long lived servers, cloud hosting, edge computing, container hosting, Paas, VPS, dedicated hosting, etc.

Recommendations

We have a lot of options to choose from. In this post, I won't sway you to use the specific hosting platform, but instead we are going through each and every one brief and what better and not better to choose.

Remember, it's highly advisable to keep your server and database as close as possible. This might be the single most important performance factor. Hosting your app on Vercel and having each loader and action call an API server hosted somewhere else is going to throttle your app's performance punitively.

Serverless
Long lived servers
Cloud hosting
Edge computing
Container hosting
VPS
Dedicated hosting
Services
Other hosts
Freetier hosting

Serverless functions

Serverless functions are a form of managed hosting where application code is started and stopped on demand at request-time. Sometimes entire applications fit in a single function, or an app can be distributed across many, with each endpoint being its own function.

often billed by the number of requests, the amount of time the function is running, and the amount of memory the function uses
can scale up to handle large amounts of traffic, and scale back down when traffic resumes to normal levels
often run in normal datacenters, but others run on an edge network, which means they run in datacenters all over the world, close to the end user
often run Node.js, but "edge" functions run on the very fast, but less supported, V8 runtime

Because of the ephemeral nature of these functions, the first request to a function may cause a cold-start and take several seconds to respond. We will go through each serverless platform one by one.

1. Cloudflare

Cloudflare Pages is a hosting service, like Netlify or Vercel, but built on Cloudflare's network. You get a git based deploy workflow and preview deployments for different branches.

Static content is hosted from Cloudflare's CDN and the rest of the Remix app is compiled into a single cloudflare worker on the edge. Vercel's edge functions are built on top of Cloudflare workers. which uses the V8 runtime, so they aren't compatible with many node modules.

Cloudflare supports the additional CDN-Cache-Control header for making CDN specific cache settings.

Cloudflare supports a request body size of 100MB for most apps, but if you need more, you can request a limit increase. This is higher than any other serverless platform. Websockets also work on Cloudflare, which is not common for serverless platforms.

Supports:

Git based deploys
Static assets
Deploy previews
Websockets
Bundle size (25 MB)
Request body size (100 MB)
Image CDN
Colocated databases - SQL, KV, Blob

2. Vercel

Vercel is a serverless hosting platform for web apps.

They support git-based deployments, and deploy previews for every branch and pull request, as well as some fancy collaboration tools built on top.

Vercel allows you to specify whether to use a Node runtime or a V8 Edge runtime on a per-page basis, so you can use Node functions for some pages and V8 functions for others.

As Vercel splits each endpoint into its own function, the 50MB limit for each function bundle becomes very hard to hit.

Vercel does not support websockets, and while it does support streaming, connections can only be open for 30s so Server-Sent Events aren't practical.
Full cache-control support, including stale-while-revalidate and stale-if-error, as well as the s-maxage property.
The maximum request body size with Vercel is 4.5MB, which can be problematic for direct file uploads.

Vercel supports several colocated databases, including Vercel Postgres, Vercel KV, and Vercel Blob.

3. Netfliy

Netlify is the original JAMStack hosting platform that has grown from a simple static site host to a full-featured serverless platform.

With built-in git-based deployments, every time you push to your git repo, Netlify will build and deploy your app. You can also use deploy previews to test your app before merging a pull request.

Netlify supports both Node (Netlify functions) and V8 (Netlify Edge Functions) runtimes as separate targets, so your entire app will run on one or the other.

On node, you can choose which region your functions are deployed to, but you can’t deploy to multiple regions at once. Edge functions are always multi-region.

Edge functions also allow server-sent events on Netlify

Netlify supports powerful fine-grained cache control in a few ways

Cache-Tag headers which can be used to invalidate specific pages or assets
Netlify-Vary header, which can vary cache policies on specific headers, like device type, or specific cookie values, like user sessions or A/B tests.

They also support Blob Storage for colocated file storage

4. Fastly

Fastly is a powerful CDN and hosting platform and the hosting provider of choice for the Remix + React Router docs.

Fastly supports Remix with their Compute@Edge platform. This is a serverless platform that runs on the edge, compiling Typescript down to WebAssembly. Rather than V8, like most edge functions, or Node, like everything else.

Fastly has full cache-control header support, including stale-while-revalidate and stale-if-error. For more control, they also offer the Surrogate-Control header for making CDN specific settings.

They also offer APIs to programmatically purge the cache, which is not common.

Fastly has support for websockets, which is not common for serverless platforms.

Because it doesn't run node, many node modules are not compatible with Remix on Fastly. In exchange, you get the current fastest possible runtime.
Fastly supports a 100MB compiled bundle size limit, measured after compilation to WASM and after all compiler optimizations have been applied.
No git based deployments, but easy to deploy in GitHub Actions

Fastly supports colocated KV storage deployed alongside your app.

5. SST

SST is an infrastructure-as-code framework for building serverless applications on AWS.

SST converts your infrastructure code into a series of API calls to your cloud providers. Behind the scenes it uses Pulumi and Terraform, more on this below. Your SST config is a description of the infrastructure that you are trying to create as a part of your project. In our case we’ll be defining Lambda functions, API Gateway endpoints, DynamoDB tables, S3 buckets, etc.

Git based deploys are not included, but you can easily set up your own with a Github Action or by using Seed, the deployment infrastucture tool.
Preview and staging environments are created via the SST CLI, which you can do in a Github Action.

6. Deno deploy

Deno Deploy is a solid solution for developers seeking a fast, secure, and easy-to-use platform for deploying serverless JavaScript applications. It serves as a worldwide platform for serverless JavaScript applications, ensuring that your JavaScript, TypeScript, and WebAssembly code operates on managed servers located near your users. This setup enables quick response times and low latency. Instead of virtual machines, applications are powered by the Deno runtime and run on efficient V8 engines, making the deployment process fast and lightweight.

Build Logs
Build Cancellation
Analytics
Data Storage ( BuiltIn KV for simple data persistance )
Edge Functions integrations
Native Build Plugins
Background Functions
Serverless Functions (API)
Bandwidth 100GB/month

Long lived servers

A more traditonal approach to application hosting is to run your application on a long-lived server. The server (or servers) remain running and handle requests as they come in.

no cold start time, so the first request is as fast as any other
can be more expensive than serverless during low traffic
you can run a database on the same server, so you don't need to worry about network latency
most of these platforms also support deploying managed Redis and Postgres databases
can have full access to the file system, to spawning child processes, to streaming responses, deferred data, server-sent events, running websocket servers in parallel with your app, and more

Git based deploys, preview environments, staging environments, Static assets CDN, Multi region deployments, etc. Here are major best platforms listed with it's description.

Coolify

Coolify is an all-in one PaaS that helps you to self-host your own applications, databases or services (like Wordpress, Plausible Analytics, Ghost) without managing your servers, also known as an open-source & self-hostable Heroku / Netlify / Vercel alternative.

Any Language: Launch websites, APIs, backends, and more.
Any Server: Deploy to any server with SSH, including VPS and cloud.
Any Use Case: Single or multi-server, Docker Swarm deployments.
Push to Deploy: Git integration with popular platforms.
Free SSL: Automatic Let’s Encrypt setup and renewal.
Auto DB Backups: Backup to any S3-compatible solution.
Webhooks: CI/CD pipeline integration with custom tools.
PR Deployments: Auto-deploy commits and pull requests.
Server Automations: Automate server tasks.
Monitoring: Track deployments, servers, and get alerts.
Notifications: Receive alerts via Discord, Telegram, and email.

Fly.io

Fly.io is a managed container platform that runs on the edge. Not serverless functions, but serverless virtual machines.

One of Fly's biggest advantages is its multi-region support. You can deploy your app to any of Fly's 20+ regions, and Fly will automatically replicate your app to every region you deploy to. This means that your app will be closer to your users, and will be more resilient to outages.

There is no built in git based deployments, but easy to set up in GitHub Actions
No preview environments. You can use FlyCD for automatic preview environments on Fly.io
Fly has an 8GB uncompressed docker image limit
Fly has a 10MB request body buffer, but can handle larger bodies by streaming them

Heroku

Heroku, arguably the most popular of them all is a container-based cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). It is an elegant, flexible, and easy-to-use service that enables developers to deploy, manage, and scale modern apps.

Heroku Key Features:

Build and deploy.
Private space – offers an isolated network, and dedicated runtime environments for enhanced privacy, power, and performance.
Seamless and detailed access controls that give managers control, and ensure users have the access they need.
SSO – it supports several identity providers such as Salesforce Identity, Okta, PingOne, Microsoft Active Directory, or PingFederate to manage - developer access and authorization.
Offers a single dashboard for managing your teams, resources, and performance, in different stages of development.
Provides enterprise-grade support with highly responsive SLAs, plus expert help with scaling, application architecture design, white-glove onboarding, and so much more.

Render

Render is a managed hosting platform that supports Remix without needing Docker, though you still have the ability to package your app as a Docker image if you have special dependencies you want to install.

Render supports git based deployments, so you just need to push code to your git repo and Render will deploy it. They also support preview environments for their Team plans.

There is no multi-region support like Fly
Render has no request body size limit
They don't seem to have published their bundle/image limits

Railway

Railway is a managed container hosting platform. If you don't supply your own Dockerfile, Railway will let you deploy without it.

Railway supports git based deployments, so you just need to push code to your git repo and Railway will deploy it. They also support preview environments for their Team plans.

For databases, Railway has built-in support for Postgres, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB, and they have a web UI for managing them as well.

Railway supports deploying to different continental regions, but no multi-region support like Fly
No automatic preview environments, but it's easy to set up staging environments

DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean App Platform is a managed container hosting platform. If you don't supply your own Dockerfile, DigitalOcean will let you deploy without it.

DigitalOcean supports git-based deployments and also offers a Github action for more advanced deployment workflows.

Postgres, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB databases can be deployed from the DigitalOcean web console alongside your application.
No automatic preview environments or built-in staging environments

Layer0

Layer0 is designed for developers aiming to build and deploy high-performance websites and apps with ease. It focuses on optimizing both static and dynamic content delivery through edge computing, providing fast load times and seamless integration with modern frameworks like Next.js, Nuxt.js, and more.

Cloud hosting

Cloud hosting provides flexibility and scalability by allowing you to deploy your application on a network of virtual servers hosted in the cloud. This is the go-to solution for most modern applications.

Scalability: Easily scale up or down based on traffic demands, with load balancers distributing traffic efficiently across multiple instances.
Cost-effective: Pay only for the resources you use, making it cost-effective for startups and growing businesses.
Reliability: High uptime guarantees with built-in redundancy and failover mechanisms.
Managed services: Many cloud providers offer managed databases, caching services, and other infrastructure components, reducing the need for manual management.

Popular platforms: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure etcs.

Feature	AWS	Google Cloud	Azure
`Compute Services`	EC2, Lambda, ECS, EKS	Compute Engine, Cloud Functions, GKE	Virtual Machines, Azure Functions, AKS
`Storage`	S3, EBS, Glacier	Cloud Storage, Persistent Disks	Blob Storage, Disk Storage
`Database`	RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora	Cloud SQL, Firestore, Bigtable	SQL Database, Cosmos DB
`AI/ML Services`	SageMaker, Rekognition	Vertex AI, AutoML	Azure AI, Machine Learning
`Networking`	VPC, CloudFront, Route 53	VPC, Cloud CDN, Cloud DNS	Virtual Network, Front Door, DNS
`Security`	IAM, KMS, Shield, GuardDuty	IAM, Cloud KMS, Security Command Center	IAM, Key Vault, Security Center
`DevOps Tools`	CodeBuild, CodePipeline, CloudFormation	Cloud Build, Cloud Deployment Manager	Azure DevOps, ARM Templates
`Container Services`	EKS, ECS, Fargate	GKE, Cloud Run	AKS, ACI
`Serverless`	Lambda	Cloud Functions	Azure Functions
`Data Analytics`	Redshift, Athena, EMR	BigQuery, Dataflow	Synapse Analytics, HDInsight
`Content Delivery`	CloudFront	Cloud CDN	Azure CDN
`Global Reach`	Extensive global presence	Extensive global presence	Extensive global presence
`Hybrid Cloud Support`	Outposts, Wavelength	Anthos	Azure Arc
`IoT Services`	IoT Core, Greengrass	IoT Core	IoT Hub
`Compliance`	Extensive compliance portfolio	Extensive compliance portfolio	Extensive compliance portfolio
`Pricing Model`	Pay-as-you-go, Reserved Instances	Pay-as-you-go, Sustained Use Discounts	Pay-as-you-go, Reserved Instances
`Support`	Basic, Developer, Business, Enterprise	Basic, Developer, Production	Basic, Developer, Standard, Professional Direct, Premier

Edge computing

Edge computing is a form of cloud hosting that allows you to deploy your application on a network of virtual servers hosted in the cloud. This is the go-to solution for most modern applications, also brings the computing power closer to the user by running applications on servers located near the end-user, rather than in a centralized data center.

Low latency: By processing data closer to where it’s generated, edge computing significantly reduces latency, making it ideal for real-time applications.
Distributed architecture: Edge computing uses a network of micro data centers, which enhances reliability and fault tolerance.
Better data security: Sensitive data can be processed locally, minimizing exposure to centralized servers and reducing risks.

Popular platforms: Cloudflare Workers, Vercel Edge Functions, AWS Lambda@Edge.

Feature	Cloudflare Workers	Vercel Edge Functions	AWS Lambda@Edge
Runtime	V8 (WASM)	V8	Node.js
Deployment	Instant global deployment	Global deployment with Git	Integrated with CloudFront
Cold Start	Extremely low	Low	Can be higher
Use Case	Lightweight edge functions	Serverless at the edge	Compute at the edge
Pricing	Free tier available	Free tier with limits	Pay-per-use
Scaling	Auto-scaling	Auto-scaling	Auto-scaling
Integrations	Durable Objects, KV Store	Vercel Platform, Next.js	AWS Services, S3
Ideal For	High-performance APIs, static sites	Dynamic content, SSR	Content delivery, caching
Edge Locations	300+ cities worldwide	Global	200+ locations

Container hosting

Container hosting leverages containerization to deploy applications in isolated environments. Containers bundle an application with all its dependencies, ensuring consistent performance across different environments. Container hosting is a form of cloud hosting that allows you to deploy your application on a network of virtual servers hosted in the cloud.

Portability: Containers can run consistently on any environment that supports containerization, from local development to production.
Resource efficiency: Containers share the host system's resources, making them lightweight and faster to start compared to virtual machines.
Microservices-friendly: Containers are perfect for deploying microservices, where each service runs in its own isolated environment.
Orchestration: Tools like Kubernetes manage the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, automating much of the operational workload.

Popular platforms: Docker, Kubernetes, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS).

VPS (Virtual Private Server)

A VPS provides a dedicated portion of a physical server, offering more control and customization than shared hosting while being more cost-effective than a dedicated server.

Dedicated resources: You have guaranteed CPU, RAM, and storage, improving performance consistency.
Full control: You get root access to the server, allowing you to install custom software, configure the environment, and manage security settings.
Scalability: Easily upgrade your VPS plan as your application's resource needs grow.
Cost: VPS is often cheaper than cloud hosting for consistent, predictable workloads.

Popular platforms: DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS Lightsail.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting provides a physical server dedicated solely to your application. This option offers the highest level of performance, control, and security, making it suitable for large-scale, resource-intensive applications.

Maximum performance: With no shared resources, you get the full power of the server, which is ideal for high-traffic websites or applications.
Full control: You have complete control over the server environment, including the OS, hardware, and software stack.
Security: Dedicated servers provide the highest level of security since no other tenants are on the same machine.

Popular platforms: Bluehost Dedicated, HostGator Dedicated, OVHcloud.

Services

`Platform as a Service (PaaS)`

PaaS provides a complete platform for developing, running, and managing applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. This allows developers to focus solely on writing code.

Simplified deployment: Deploy applications with minimal configuration, often with just a git push.
Integrated services: PaaS platforms typically offer built-in services like databases, caching, and CI/CD pipelines, streamlining the development process.
Auto-scaling: Automatically adjusts resources based on the application's traffic, ensuring high availability and performance.
Development speed: Rapid development and deployment cycles, ideal for startups and agile teams.

Popular platforms: Heroku, Vercel, Render, Netlify, Firebase.

`FaaS (Function as a Service)`

FaaS provides a function-based platform for developing, running, and managing applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. This allows developers to focus solely on writing code.

Best For: Event-driven applications and microservices that require minimal overhead.

Example: AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions.

`IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)`

Best For: Full control over virtualized computing resources, ideal for custom environments and high scalability. Example: AWS EC2, Google Compute Engine, Azure Virtual Machines.

`BaaS (Backend as a Service)`

Best For: Mobile and web apps needing backend services like authentication, databases, and storage. Example: Firebase, Supabase, AWS Amplify, Back4App.

Supabase

Supabase is another powerful mobile app hosting solution with open-source capabilities. It is basically considered an alternative to Firebase, but it doesn’t come with cons like vendor lock-in and closed-source nature.

This hosting service is getting more popular among users because of its smooth interface and affordable pricing.

The free tier authorizes you to get 5GB bandwidth, 1GB file storage, and unmetered API requests. The Pro plan bills you $25/month for 250GB bandwidth and 100GB file storage.

Key Features

Open-Source Auth – A fully integrated and open-source user management system is a primary advantage of using Supabase. Hereof, this BaaS platform has enterprise logins and social registration for businesses and individuals, respectively.
Database – It has portable and in-built PostgreSQL database support. Therefore, you can store and extend data in the meantime.
Storage – You can backlog all kinds of content under its storage feature. The best thing is that you can preview all types of stored data, including videos or files while using Supabase.
Realtime – The development of real-time applications is easy with Supabase. This platform supports multiplayer gaming, location, shared whiteboard, and in-app chat mobile and web applications.

`CaaS (Container as a Service)`

Best For: Deploying and managing containers with orchestration features for scalability. Example: AWS Fargate, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

Other Hosting

PartyKit is a framework for building collaborative apps on Cloudflare infrastructure. PartyKit's Remix starter uses a custom server that allows your Remix app and your websocket server to be deployed to Cloudflare together.
AWS Fargate is a managed container platform that allows you to run your app in a container on AWS. This is the equivalent to Fly/Render/Railway but running directly in AWS.
Arc is a serverless framework that allows you to deploy your app to AWS Lambda.
Github Pages is a platform for hosting static websites.
Azure Static Web Apps

Free hosting tiers

AWS Free tier
GoogieHost
Vultr
InfinityFree
Freehostia
000WebHost
AwardSpace
serv00.com

Where can you host your AI and ML applications?

Google Cloud AI Platform
Amazon SageMaker
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning
Azure Machine Learning
IBM Watson AI
Kaggle Kernels
Paperspace Gradient
Hugging Face
Run.ai

BackendLess

Backendless is a reliable mobile app backend hosting provider that you can use with zero or minimal coding.

This low-code/no-code BaaS vendor serves SQL and NoSQL data in real-time. Its developer-friendly interface lets you customize data and build functions with great ease.

Similarly, if you need a highly scalable platform to create a high-performing mobile backend, you should choose Backendless.

Its drag-and-drop features allow you to add more instances swiftly when your app gains more users.

Its free plan provides 1GB file storage, 50 API requests per minute, 1MB cloud code deployment, and 10 DB tables.

Withal, the monthly billing of the Pro program outsets from $15 for 100 DB tables, 20MB cloud code deployment, unmetered API requests, and 10GB file storage.

Backendless Database – Whether you want to adopt NoSQL or are willing to choose SQL data structure to support your backend, Backendless is the answer. It has a visual DB dashboard where you don’t have to script the code for configuration or API connection.
Pub/Sub Messaging – Backendless uses Publishing API and Subscription API to deliver backend messages to app users. However, it is essential for app users to be subscribers to get notifications in real-time.
Codeless – This platform confers a complete graphic environment to programming teams to construct and add cloud code logic. Hereof, developers can benefit from timers, API services and event handlers.
User Management – This feature is helpful in backlog user data and authorizing the app users. Backendless adopts APIs to administer passwords, verify emails, and modify user roles.

Links for each platform

References

Conclusion

In conclusion, hosting your modern application can be a daunting task but with tools like Supabase, AWS Amplify, and Backendless, you now have more options to choose from. Each of these platforms has its pros and cons, and the best choice depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Whether you’re looking for a no-code solution, a fully managed platform, or a highly scalable platform, there’s a solution out there for you.

Remember, the most important thing is to choose a platform that aligns with your business goals and that you will be able to maintain and scale over time.