From one server to free hosting

Distributed isn't always the answer. Docker + Caddy + one server can handle most side projects, while Replit and GitHub Pages cover the smaller end.

By the end:

• Understand Docker and docker-compose patterns
• Auto HTTPS + reverse proxy with Caddy
• Lock everything down with SSH tunnels + 127.0.0.1 binding
• Know AWS essentials (VPC, EC2, RDS, S3, IAM)
• One-line deploy with Fly.io
• Instant browser deploy with Replit — zero install steps
• Free, unlimited static hosting on GitHub Pages
• Upload files to object storage with RLS and signed-URL access control

Flow

[1] Docker ──▶ [2] compose ──▶ [3] Caddy ──▶ [4] SSH tunnel ──▶ [5] AWS essentials
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[10] Object storage ◀── [9] GitHub Pages ◀── [8] Replit ◀── [7] Single server ◀── [6] Fly.io

The first half (1–5) is the foundation of running your own infra. The second half (6–10) is a catalogue of PaaS · free hosting · file storage alternatives — pick where to put the same app.

Prerequisite — getting-started + a domain (DuckDNS works for free).