DEPLOY 101A field guide for vibe coders

Where to host your vibe-coded apps

The AI wrote it — now it has to live somewhere. WordPress runs its own track; for everything else, match the app's shape to the host that fits. Click any row for the why.

Color = host Cloudflare Render Bunny Sevalla Cloudways
WP
⎇ Its own track — start here if it's WordPress
WordPress / PHP / WooCommerce
The classic PHP + MySQL stack — its own ecosystem, not an app host.
LikeWordPress · WooCommerce stores · custom PHP
Cloudways Managed PHP / WP on DigitalOcean · Vultr · AWS·from $11/mo
Why Cloudways for WordPress?
  • WordPress needs a persistent PHP runtime, MySQL and server-side caching — app-platform hosts aren't built for it.
  • Cloudways runs that whole stack for you on top of DigitalOcean, Vultr or AWS — you pick the cloud, it handles the WordPress plumbing.
  • From $11/mo. It's PHP-only by design, so keep Node and Python off it.
Not WordPress? Match the shape — simplest → most complex
1
Pure static
Plain files the browser runs, or a build that outputs static files. No server, no database.
Likelanding pages · portfolios · calculators
Cloudflare PagesFREE Unlimited bandwidth·500 builds / month
Why Cloudflare Pages?
  • There's no server to run, so you only pay to deliver files — and a global CDN does that best.
  • Pages serves from Cloudflare's edge with unlimited bandwidth free; 500 builds/mo covers any normal project.
  • Nothing is cheaper, faster or simpler for pure static. Zero config.
2
Frontend-only SPA
React / Vue / Vite that runs in the browser and talks to a third-party API (Supabase, Firebase).
Likea Supabase to-do app · a client-side dashboard · an AI chat UI on an API
It builds down to static files, so it hosts like a static site — even though it feels like a real app.
Cloudflare PagesFREE Same as #1·or Cloudflare Workers, also free for static
Why Cloudflare Pages?
  • It feels like an app, but the build is just static files calling a third-party API (Supabase, Firebase).
  • So it deploys exactly like #1 — same free edge CDN, same speed. There's no server of yours to pay for.
  • Add your own backend later and you've moved up to tier #3.
3
Full-stack + database
Your own backend code plus a database you control.
LikeNext.js API routes · Express · Flask / FastAPI + Postgres
Render Web service + managed Postgres·free tier, paid from $7/mo AltSevalla · app + managed DB
Why Render?
  • A live server process plus a database that holds state can't run on a CDN — you need real compute.
  • Render runs your web service and a managed Postgres side by side; free to start, paid from $7/mo.
  • Free tier sleeps after 15 min idle (~1 min cold start) and its Postgres is 1 GB / 30 days — great for demos, upgrade for traffic.
4
Dockerized / custom runtime
Needs its own long-running container — a non-standard runtime, websockets, or always-on background jobs. (A Dockerfile is a clue, not the rule.)
Likea websocket server · a Discord / Telegram bot · a scheduled scraper
Bunny Magic Containers Plain Docker, no Kubernetes·41 regions·pay-as-you-go AltRender · easierSevalla
Why Bunny Magic Containers?
  • A Dockerfile is just packaging. You can containerize a static HTML file too — that alone doesn't land you here. Static? → tier 1. Standard web app + DB? → tier 3.
  • You come here when the app needs a real, always-on container: a custom runtime, websockets, or background jobs a CDN and a sleep-on-idle web service can't run.
  • Bunny runs your plain Docker image across 41 regions, no Kubernetes, pay-as-you-go by CPU / RAM / traffic. Want easier? Render also runs Docker; Sevalla too.
Not sure which one you have? Read the files the AI generated — the strongest signal wins.
only .html .css .js
or a dist/ build → Static
server.js · app.py
requirements.txt + start → Needs a server
its own Postgres
or MySQL database → Needs a database
a Dockerfile for a
real long-running app → Containerized
wp-content/
or *.php → WordPress