Hey everyone! I'm a C++ developer currently building a chess engine and I've successfully set up a bot on lichess using a Python script. Right now, it's all running from my MacBook Air, but I'd love to shift this operation to a server so my laptop isn't always on. I'm looking for platforms that let you simply run a script in the cloud without diving into the complexities of web development. Are there any inexpensive or free hosting solutions available? Also, would it be useful to run this within a Docker container? Thanks for any tips you can share!
5 Answers
For around $5 a month, you can go for a VPS with companies like DigitalOcean or Linode. It's super straightforward: create a 'droplet' (that's what they call it), SSH into it, and you can clone your project and run your script either in Docker or just plain Python!
Have you checked out VPS hosting? There are lots of providers that offer cheap options where you can install whatever you need. Just set it up with Python and run your script!
I’m not sure why you’re focusing on web dev. If your script isn't too resource-intensive, a VPS or cloud server is what you need. Digital Ocean and Linode are great options for that. Plus, they’ve got good support!
Definitely get a cheap VPS! You can run your app either with Docker or using systemd, which is pretty simple to set up. You'll have more control and it should work smoothly for your needs.
You could also consider using a Python function app on Azure or AWS Lambda to run your script on a schedule. That said, if it's just about keeping the script running consistently, a VPS might be simpler and more effective. Function apps are typically for responding to specific calls, not for running ongoing processes.
I wouldn't recommend Lambda for a constantly running code anyway; it can have limitations that might not work for you.