Localhost to Live: host your college project free, in under 10 minutes
Your project runs perfectly on localhost:3000 — and dies the moment you close the laptop. Cheaploy puts it on a real server with a real HTTPS link you can put in your report, your resume, and your demo, for ₹0 / $0 a month.
Why "it works on my machine" costs you marks
Evaluators, recruiters and juniors who find your GitHub repo all do the same thing: they look for a link. A project that only runs after cloning the repo, installing dependencies and fixing a version mismatch usually never gets run at all. A live URL turns three months of work into something anyone can open on their phone in two seconds.
The blocker has always been cost and complexity. Student budgets don't stretch to a $7/month dyno, and free tiers either expire, sleep, or ask for a card and then bill you. Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier solves the money side; Cheaploy solves the DevOps side.
What you get, at zero cost
- 2 ARM CPU cores and 12GB RAM — more powerful than most student laptops.
- 200GB storage for your app, database and uploads.
- 10TB bandwidth per month — your demo will not run out.
- Free HTTPS so the browser shows a padlock, not a warning.
- No expiry, no sleeping — the app stays up between your submission and your viva.
Localhost to live, step by step
- Push your project to GitHub. One repository, with the code that actually runs.
- Create a free Oracle Cloud account. Follow the signup walkthrough; it covers the fields students get stuck on, and the card question is answered in full.
- Connect Oracle to Cheaploy once. Paste the access details from Oracle's console — they're encrypted and used only to build your server.
- Paste your repo URL and press deploy. Cheaploy detects your stack, generates an ARM-ready Dockerfile, provisions the machine and network, and starts the container.
- Copy your live link into the report, the README and the resume. Add a custom domain later if you want
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Total time on a first deployment is usually under ten minutes, most of which is the Oracle account creation. Every later deploy takes a couple of minutes.
Common student stacks, and how they deploy
| Project type | What Cheaploy does | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| React / Vite frontend | Static build served behind HTTPS | Deploy React free |
| Next.js full-stack | Node server container with SSR | Deploy Next.js free |
| MERN / Express API | Node container plus MongoDB on the same box | Self-host with Docker |
| Django / Flask / FastAPI | Python container with Gunicorn/Uvicorn | Dockerfile generator |
| Discord bot for your club | Always-on background worker | Host a Discord bot free |
| Minecraft server for the hostel | Java server on ARM with 12GB RAM | Minecraft on Oracle Cloud |
Free tiers students usually try first — and why they hurt
| Option | The catch for a student project |
|---|---|
| Heroku | No free dynos since 2022 — the tutorials in your syllabus are out of date. Free alternatives. |
| Render free | Sleeps after 15 minutes; your examiner waits 50 seconds for a cold start. Comparison. |
| Vercel Hobby | Great for frontends, but no persistent backend and non-commercial only. Comparison. |
| AWS free tier | Expires after 12 months and bills you afterwards. Oracle vs AWS. |
| Oracle Always Free + Cheaploy | Never expires, never sleeps, and the server is yours. Is it really free? |
If you built the project with AI
Half of student projects now start in an AI builder. That's fine — the code still has to run somewhere. The guide for AI-generated apps covers exporting from Lovable, Cursor, v0 or Bolt, and the Always Free migration prompts let your AI tool rewrite paid dependencies into free ones before you deploy. Not sure what your project would cost elsewhere? Run the cloud cost calculator.
Before you submit: a two-minute checklist
- Live HTTPS link opens on mobile data, not just campus Wi-Fi.
- Seed data loaded so the demo shows something on first load.
- Environment variables set in Cheaploy, not committed to GitHub.
- README links the live URL at the top.
- Check your Oracle region has ARM capacity before demo day.
Then close the laptop. Your project stays online.
Frequently asked
Is hosting my college project really free?+
Yes. Cheaploy deploys into your own Oracle Cloud Always Free account, which permanently includes 2 ARM CPU cores, 12GB RAM, 200GB storage and 10TB monthly bandwidth. There is no trial clock and no monthly bill as long as you stay inside those limits — which a student project always does.
Do I need a credit card to host my project?+
Oracle asks for a card during signup for identity verification and may place a small refundable authorisation, but Always Free resources are never charged. Many students also complete signup with a debit card. See our credit card FAQ page for the details.
What kind of student projects can I deploy?+
Anything that runs in a container: MERN and MEAN apps, React or Angular frontends, Spring Boot and Java projects, Django, Flask and FastAPI apps, Node/Express APIs, Streamlit or Gradio ML demos, PHP apps, Discord bots and Minecraft servers for your hostel group.
Can I show a live link in my project report and resume?+
That's the point. Every deployment gets a working HTTPS address immediately, and you can attach your own domain later. A live link plus a GitHub repo is worth far more in placement interviews than screenshots.
Will my project stay online after the semester ends?+
Yes — the server lives in your own Oracle account, so it keeps running as long as you keep the account. Nothing sleeps and there are no cold starts, unlike free tiers that idle your app after 15 minutes.
I don't know Docker or Linux. Is that a problem?+
No. Cheaploy reads your GitHub repo, detects the stack, writes the Dockerfile, creates the server and network, issues the SSL certificate and starts the app. You paste a repo URL and watch a log.
Can my whole team deploy the same project?+
Yes. Push the project to one GitHub repository and deploy from there; teammates can redeploy after every commit, so your demo is always the latest code.
What if my project needs a database?+
Oracle's Always Free tier includes two databases, and you can also run PostgreSQL, MySQL or MongoDB in a container on the same free machine — enough for a full final-year project with real data.
Is this allowed for academic submissions?+
Yes. You own the cloud account and the code; Cheaploy just automates the deployment steps. Many universities explicitly award marks for a deployed, publicly reachable application.
Deploy your project for $0
No credit card. No Oracle sales call. Ship to your own cloud in under 10 minutes.
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