Student projects
Deploy a Flask project online
Flask is the framework most college Python projects start in. DormHost installs from requirements.txt, runs it behind gunicorn, and gives it a database on the same machine if the project needs one.
What you get.
Deploy a Flask project online from ₹99 a month, database included.
How it fits
- Detected and built automatically from requirements.txt or pyproject.toml
- Runs behind gunicorn rather than Flask's own development server
- PostgreSQL, MongoDB or MySQL on the same machine, for SQLAlchemy or any other client
- An HTTPS address at yourapp-yourlogin.dormhost.app, or a custom domain through your own Cloudflare
Deploy it, step by step
The dashboard flow is the same for every project:
- Sign in with GitHub. Go to the dashboard and sign in. Your first sign-in puts 30 days of Nap credit in your balance, with no card and nothing to cancel.
- Create an application. Press New app and give it a name: three characters or more, letters, numbers and hyphens. The address is shown under the field as you type, and it is yourapp-yourlogin.dormhost.app.
- Pick the plan. Nap sleeps when nobody is using it. Awake never sleeps, which is what a bot, a worker or a scheduled job needs. Either way, you choose Mumbai, London or Ashburn.
- Point it at your repository. Paste the GitHub URL and the branch. Press Connect GitHub to pick from a list instead, which is also how a private repository is deployed. Then press Create and deploy.
- Watch the build log. The application opens on Overview, and Live logs streams the build. Listen on the port in the PORT variable we set, or EXPOSE one port in your Dockerfile, and the address answers as soon as the build finishes.
What is different about Flask
- Commit requirements.txt with Flask and gunicorn listed. The build installs exactly what is there.
- Bind to the port we set: gunicorn -b 0.0.0.0:$PORT app:app, naming your own module and Flask object.
- Add a database in the Database section and it arrives as DATABASE_URL, ready for SQLAlchemy's create_engine.
- Read secrets with os.environ and set them in the Environment section, never in a config file committed to the repository.
- Set FLASK_DEBUG off, or leave it unset: debug mode in production shows a stack trace, including your source, to anyone who can trigger one.
Hosting is ₹99 a month on Nap, all in: the build, the running app, the database and the storage. Nothing is metered separately, so the bill cannot surprise you. Start with 30 days of free credit, no card required. The docs cover databases, domains and what to do when a build fails.