Running automation continuously—without relying on a personal computer—requires the right infrastructure. After testing local machines and shared hosting, I settled on a simple VPS-based setup that runs 24×7 with minimal cost and maintenance.
Why Local Machines and Shared Hosting Failed
Local systems are unreliable for automation because they:
Shut down or sleep
Depend on unstable internet
Cannot scale
Shared hosting is designed for websites, not automation:
No long-running processes
Restricted cron jobs
No Docker or custom services
What Actually Works for Automation
For most automation workloads, you don’t need expensive servers. You need:
Root access
Background process support
Predictable performance
A small VPS with 1 vCPU and 2 GB RAM is sufficient.
The VPS Setup I Use
I currently run my automation workloads on a low-cost VPS that provides:
Full SSH access
Stable performance
Predictable monthly pricing
This setup allows me to run scripts, schedulers, and lightweight backend services reliably.
Full details are explained here (canonical article):
👉 https://medium.com/@businesswebsites100/how-i-run-automation-24-7-on-a-500-vps-exact-setup-90e878e4e746
Real Usage Example
I also run a live file utility platform (pdfio.in) that depends on background processing and scheduled server-side tasks—something shared hosting cannot handle reliably.
Final Thought
If you need automation that runs continuously without manual intervention, a VPS is the correct tool—not shared hosting or local machines.
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