"Django Hosting Options"

Django websites can be deployed on any number of hosting providers. The first choice is deciding whether to use a Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) option or a virtual private server (VPS). A PaaS is an easier albeit more expensive option that can handle many deployment issues with minimal configuration. A VPS is less expensive and provides total control but requires more knowledge and effort to setup.

Platform-as-a-Service Options

Heroku

Heroku is the original PaaS. It has a free tier for small projects and progressive pricing as a site grows in size. There is also a robust add-on ecosystem for additional services like database hosting, caching, logging, and more. Check out the Heroku Django Getting Started Guide.

PythonAnywhere

PythonAnywhere is another PaaS option that specializes in online Python environments. It also features a free tier and upgraded plans that start at $5/month. Deploying an existing Django app is straightforward and also demonstrated as part of the excellent DjangoGirls Tutorial.

Divio

Divio is a Django-specific platform that comes with pre-configured projects including Django CMS and Wagtail.

Microsoft Azure

A managed PaaS option that includes a nice video tutorial series with my DjangoChat podcast co-host Carlton Gibson.

Render

Render is a new but quite popular cloud option that allows for deploys directly from Github or Gitlab, similar to Netlify. Has options for hosted databases, cron jobs, and more.

Google Cloud

Google provides multiple PaaS options starting with App Engine which is where to start but continuing with multiple more advanced options including Kubernetes and Compute Engine.

Dokku

A lightweight, open source Docker-powered PaaS that promises to be cheaper than alternatives. There are some good tutorials on using it.

Virtual Private Servers

Digital Ocean

If you're comfortable doing basic server configuration, for as little as $5/month you can host your entire Django project on Digital Ocean. They have fantastic documentation and one-click installs for common setups like Ubuntu.

Linode

Linode is another very popular VPS provider also starting at $5/month that has fantastic customer support.

AWS Lightsail

Amazon's AWS is famously complex and Lightsail bills itself as the "easiest way to get started" by offering virtual servers, storage, databases, and networking in a monthly plan. Appropriate for small applications.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Elastic Beanstalk is an orchestration tool that provides a layer of abstraction over AWS's 100+ services. It does all the work to create an EC2, install apps, provides a load balancer, and so on. Lightsail is designed for prototypes while Elastic Beanstalk is more suited to scaling an existing application. It is likely more expensive than raw EC2, which is just a remote Linux machine.