Is there a free vps or container that can run Discourse?

Product Support Self-hosting

AI-generated summary

The discussion revolves around finding a free VPS or container to host Discourse. 14569 mentions lacking payment methods and notes that vp sfree.es is out of stock, expressing doubt about solving the issue. NateDhaliwal clarifies there’s no truly free option, suggesting providers like DigitalOcean that offer signup credits, and links to related topics. ondrej adds that while Discourse is open source, computing resources aren’t free, making payment methods almost unavoidable. NateDhaliwal later recommends Google Cloud Platform’s (GCP) free tier, noting he previously used it but stopped after his trial ended. Ethsim2 shares that Ionos (formerly 1&1) is the cheapest VPS they’ve used, though it’s not free beyond the trial. They also mention using Ionos’s Data Center Designer for Office 365 migrations via rclone. In post 9, Ethsim2 critiques DigitalOcean’s credit model as potentially masking higher prices than Ionos, noting Ionos’s small-business tier rarely hits monetary limits before the time limit. In post 10, they clarify that Plesk isn’t needed for Discourse (though they activated it anyway) and warn that Ionos restricts outbound port 25 — irrelevant for Discourse’s mail-receiving needs. Overall, while no truly free VPS exists, trial credits or low-cost providers like Ionos or GCP may suffice temporarily.

1

I don’t have a credit card or a TG account.There is not even a payment method.
I know vpsfree.es, but this vps is out of stock.
I believe it is difficult to solve this problem.

2

There isn’t a “free” option. Your best bet is one of those plans that offer credits when you signup, like DigitalOcean.
You can look at similar topics here.

3

I think you’re going to struggle to find a VPS that doesn’t want a way to pay… Discourse is ‘free’ as in open source but computer time isn’t free :wink: .

6

You may want to look at GCP’s free tier. It wasn’t too bad.
‘wasn’t’ → past tense. I used to run a forum there, but shut it down when my trial ended and didn’t want to use the >$300 credits I had left.

8

the cheapest VPS provider i’ve ever used is Ionos, or

the data center designer, but that gets expensive rather than free after the initial trial period

initally with the data center designer you can do a onedrive migrate from one organisation to another in Office 365, using rclone, with data-center level bandwidth

9

I believe this is an excuse to have higher price than Ionos

Ionos data center designer, domestically/small business scale, it’s unlikely you’ll reach the monetry limit before the time limit

10

two things to note

  • you don’t need Plesk for Discourse, though it didn’t matter that i irreversibly activated it
  • they are strict about port 25 for outbound connections, which mail-receiver will never need as it receives email