I'm currently using some Docker containers on my local system for personal projects, and I'm looking to free up space by moving them to the cloud. I'm running applications like GitLab, Jenkins, and SonarQube, consuming about 7.3 GiB of RAM and around 9% CPU right now. Ideally, I need a solution that can handle approximately 8-9 GiB of RAM and 4-5 CPU cores. I'm exploring free tier options and any provider that allows running Docker containers. I have a couple of questions: 1) Are there any free cloud services that support deploying multiple containers with a total of around 8 GiB RAM? 2) Any tips for optimizing my containers to use fewer resources before migration? 3) Are there any cloud options that support Docker Compose or allow multiple linked containers for free?
5 Answers
I’m surprised you expect to find something for free that supports such a heavy load. You could consider Hetzner; it’s close to free, at least for starting out.
Self-hosting might be a more reliable option. A cheap mini PC can handle this kind of load quite effectively. You could also use something like noip for a static address if you go that route.
Honestly, I think free solutions for this setup are pretty rare. That said, some people have successfully run similar setups on Oracle without issues. You might get lucky!
You could check out Oracle's free tier, which gives you 24GB of RAM and 4 vCPUs. It's a decent option for running Docker.
But you need to use at least 80% of the CPU continuously; otherwise, they might cancel your account without warning. I’ve lost data that way before, so watch out!
Just a heads up, make sure your containers are compatible with ARM if you're planning to go that route!
Look, free and 8GB RAM is a tall order, but maybe there’s a way to make it work. Just make sure you manage your expectations! You might be dreaming a bit big on this one.
Is yours running 24/7? Just curious how it holds up!