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Cloud platform for web services, cron jobs, and managed PostgreSQL. More flexible than Vercel for persistent backends.
Strengths
- Docker web services, workers, cron jobs, managed PostgreSQL, all in one
- Auto-deploy from GitHub/GitLab, DX similar to Heroku without legacy debt
- Zero-downtime deploys, health checks, automatic rollbacks
- Private network between services, secure communication without public exposure
Limitations
- Free web services sleep after 15 min, 30-60s cold start on first call
- Free PostgreSQL expires after 90 days, surprise bill if forgotten
- No built-in edge CDN, less suited than Vercel for frontends
Best for
- Node/Python/Go APIs with persistent workers needing managed DB
- Backends needing persistent processes (WebSockets, queues, cron jobs)