Free instances
Understand free web hosting, static sites, MySQL Free, and the limits each includes.
Openstead offers static sites, Free web instances, and one MySQL Free database per workspace with no instance charge. These are separate products with different limits. They are available on the free Hobby workspace plan without a required paid workspace subscription. Paid instances and optional workspace collaboration are separate purchases.
Compare the free options
| Static site | Free web service | MySQL Free | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute price | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Runs a server process | No | Yes | Managed MySQL |
| Memory | Not an application instance | 512 MiB | 768 MiB |
| CPU | Not an application instance | 0.1 shared vCPU | 0.25 shared vCPU |
| Persistent database storage | None | None | 2 GiB total allocation |
| Idle sleep | No web-process sleep | After 15 minutes of inactivity | No idle sleep |
| Monthly runtime allowance | No free-web hours consumed | 750 hours shared by the workspace | No free-web hours consumed |
Free web services
Free web services are useful for experiments and applications that can tolerate a cold start. After 15 minutes without activity, the service sleeps. A visitor request starts it again; the browser may display a starting page while the process becomes ready.
The workspace shares 750 running hours per UTC calendar month across its Free web instances. Two continuously running services consume that allowance faster than one. When the allowance is exhausted, affected Free services wait for the next UTC month or an explicit paid upgrade. Openstead does not automatically buy an upgrade.
Free web instances have no persistent application disk, paid shell, pre-deploy command, or multi-replica scaling. Files written to the container filesystem should be treated as temporary. Store application data in a database and use durable storage for uploads.
Static sites
A static site serves built files and does not run your Node, PHP, or Python server. It does not consume the free web runtime-hour allowance. Builds still use the workspace's build-minute allowance.
Use a web service if your site needs server-side rendering, server routes, or a process that handles requests dynamically.
MySQL Free
MySQL Free includes MySQL 8.4, private connections, up to 25 simultaneous connections, daily backups enabled by default, and up to seven days of backup retention. Its 2 GiB allocation includes MySQL system files and logs as well as your data.
One free MySQL slot is available per workspace. Pending, suspended, and archived databases still occupy the slot. A completed deletion or a successfully running paid upgrade releases it. It has no automatic expiry and does not follow the Free web sleep policy.
See MySQL for its limits and phpMyAdmin for browser-based management.
Shared workspace limits
Hobby includes one member, 500 shared build minutes per UTC month and seven days of log retention. Pro includes up to ten members and 1,000 shared build minutes; Scale includes up to fifty members and 5,000 minutes. Both include thirty days of logs. Creating additional Free services does not multiply the workspace build allowance. Free deployments remain subject to available hosting capacity. Paid instance checkout can queue automatic capacity provisioning when needed; review any workspace restart notice before confirming.
Builds and pre-deploy execution consume shared workspace build minutes. Queueing, cloning and provisioning are excluded. Read Builds for allowance behaviour.
When to upgrade
Choose paid compute when the application needs predictable availability, more CPU or memory, persistent uploads, shell access, or production deployment controls. Upgrade MySQL before its disk or connection limit becomes a bottleneck.
Upgrades require your explicit selection and payment. Check the current plan table and the quote in the dashboard before confirming.