While there are several options to host FastAPI applications, Render.com offers a practical free tier that’s well-suited for small projects and testing.
Render’s free tier includes:
- 512 MB RAM
- 0.1 CPU
- Free SSL/TLS
- Automatic deployments from Git
- Custom domains
To deploy your FastAPI app on Render:
FROM python:3.11-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
CMD ["uvicorn", "main:app", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000"]
Important limitations to consider:
- Free instances spin down after 15 minutes of inactivity
- Spin-up time can take 30-60 seconds
- Monthly time limit of around 750 hours
Alternative free options
According to recent discussions on Reddit (r/FastAPI), other options include:
- Fly.io (generous free tier)
- Deta Space (fully free)
- PythonAnywhere (limited free tier)
For learning and small projects, these platforms provide adequate resources. However, for production applications with consistent traffic, consider upgrading to a paid tier or exploring other hosting solutions. In my production stack, I am mostly using OVH and AWS.
Remember that free tiers often come with limitations and may not be suitable for production applications that require high availability.
References: