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Looking for Free Hosting Options for a Full MERN Stack App #175658
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Hi Developers, I'm working on a personal project using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js), and I'm looking for free hosting platforms that can support the full stack — both the frontend (React) and the backend (Node.js/Express), along with a connection to a MongoDB database. I know GitHub Pages is great for static frontend apps, but since my project has a dynamic backend and a database, I need a more complete solution. I’ve looked into platforms like: Render Vercel Railway Replit Glitch Some of them seem promising, but I’m not sure which ones: Offer a free tier with sufficient resources for a small personal app Allow both backend and frontend deployment Support connecting to MongoDB (hosted or remote like Atlas) Does anyone have experience hosting a full MERN app for free? Thanks in advance! |
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Replies: 5 comments
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You can host the frontend (React app) for free on Vercel – Excellent for React; auto-deploys from GitHub. Great developer experience. Both platforms are static site hosts but perfect for React SPAs built with create-react-app, Vite, etc. Backend (Express + Node.js) Render Free tier available (Web Services). You need to manage usage carefully to stay within the free limit. Replit Good for small apps and experiments. In-browser IDE with built-in hosting. Not ideal for production-level apps (resource limits). Glitch Quick setup for Express apps. Has usage caps and will put apps to sleep, so use for prototyping only. Database (MongoDB) MongoDB Atlas is the go-to free-tier option: Free cluster (M0 tier) with 512MB storage. Can be hosted in various cloud regions. Secure, allows IP whitelisting and connection strings. Use it with Render, Railway, or any of the above platforms. Recommended Setup for a Free MERN App Frontend: Vercel or Netlify (React app) Backend: Render (Node.js/Express) Database: MongoDB Atlas (free tier) You can deploy them separately and make the frontend call the backend via API |
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When it comes to free hosting for a full MERN stack app, there are some solid options like Render, Vercel, Netlify (for the frontend), and MongoDB Atlas (for the database). These platforms offer generous free tiers that are great for testing and small projects. However, if you’re planning something more scalable, you may eventually need to shift to paid plans for better performance and reliability. Tools like Delta can also play a role in streamlining deployment and integrations, making the overall hosting and management process much smoother. |
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Hey , i wrote this article for how to deploy mern app for free : https://dev.to/idurar/easy-way-to-deploy-nodejs-mongodb-backend-app-for-free-1o0g |
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I Recommend setup for a Free MERN Application |
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Vercel is good |
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You can host the frontend (React app) for free on
Vercel – Excellent for React; auto-deploys from GitHub. Great developer experience.
Netlify – Also React-friendly with continuous deployment and free custom domains.
Both platforms are static site hosts but perfect for React SPAs built with create-react-app, Vite, etc.
Backend (Express + Node.js)
To host your backend server for free:
Render
Free tier available (Web Services).
Can deploy Express apps.
Includes a free tier with auto-sleep (cold starts after inactivity).
Can connect to external services like MongoDB Atlas.
Railway
Super simple to deploy Node.js/Express apps.
You need to manage usage carefully to stay within the free limit.
Re…