Introduction
Once you’ve built a web application, the next step is to publish it so others can access it.
There are many deployment services out there—some are completely free, while others use pay-as-you-go pricing and offer more flexibility.
This article introduces several popular services that are easy for beginners to use, with a special focus on LightNode, a VPS provider known for its flexibility and global coverage.
GitHub Pages
- Pros: Perfect for static sites, one-click deployment directly from a GitHub repository
- Cons: Only supports static content, no server-side processing
- Best for: Portfolio websites, blogs, personal landing pages
Vercel
- Pros: Great compatibility with frameworks like Next.js / React, automated builds and deployments
- Cons: API requests have time and size limits
- Best for: Small to mid-sized web apps or frontend apps with lightweight APIs
Render
- Pros: Supports full deployment for frontend, backend, and databases
- Cons: Idle services may sleep, occasional slower response time
- Best for: API servers and web services that need DB integration
AWS S3 + CloudFront
- Pros: Optimized delivery with CDN, supports custom domains and SSL
- Cons: Setup is relatively complex, requires CI/CD pipeline configuration
- Best for: High-traffic static websites or commercial projects
LightNode VPS —— Flexibility & Global Reach
Features
- 40+ global data centers to choose from
- Pay-as-you-go pricing (hourly billing, starting from ~$0.08/hour), ideal for short-term use
- Wide range of OS images (Ubuntu, Debian, Windows, etc.)
- Multiple payment methods (credit card, PayPal, Alipay, WeChat, etc.)
Pros
- NVMe SSD & high-performance CPU for fast processing
- Quick server startup—deploy within minutes
- Global BGP network ensures low latency
- Easy management via dashboard: reboot, reinstall OS, reset IP, monitor usage
Cons
- Some regions have bandwidth limits (50–100 Mbps)
- Support response can be a bit slow
Best use cases
- Building test environments
- Multi-region app deployment
- Projects requiring flexible customization
Comparison Table
| Use Case | Service |
|---|---|
| Static websites | GitHub Pages |
| Frontend apps | Vercel |
| API + DB support | Render |
| High-traffic static | AWS S3 + CF |
| Flexible short-term | LightNode |
Conclusion
- For simple static sites → GitHub Pages is the easiest choice
- For modern frontend apps → Vercel is a solid option
- For apps requiring backend + DB → Render is a good fit
- For large-scale static delivery → AWS S3 + CloudFront is the way to go
- And for flexible environments with global reach → LightNode VPS is highly recommended
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