Hostim.dev

About Hostim.dev

Hostim.dev is a specialized bare-metal Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) engineered to streamline the deployment and management of containerized applications. It is designed explicitly for developers, freelancers, agencies, and startups who seek the power and portability of containerized environments but wish to avoid the operational complexity and time investment typically associated with DevOps and infrastructure management. The platform's core value proposition lies in its developer-centric simplicity, offering a one-stop solution that abstracts away the underlying infrastructure while providing essential, pre-integrated services. Users can deploy applications directly from Docker images, Git repositories, or full Docker Compose files without modification, enabling launch in minutes rather than days. Every project is automatically provisioned with its own isolated Kubernetes namespace, ensuring security and clean separation. A significant differentiator is its transparent, predictable pricing model with per-project cost tracking, coupled with GDPR-compliant hosting on bare-metal servers in Germany. Hostim.dev effectively bridges the gap between the simplicity of traditional PaaS offerings and the flexibility of container orchestration, delivering a controlled, efficient, and cost-predictable environment for modern application development and deployment.

Features of Hostim.dev

Multi-Source Deployment Simplicity

Hostim.dev eliminates deployment friction by supporting multiple, familiar source types. Developers can launch applications directly from a public or private Docker image, connect a Git repository for continuous deployment, or paste an entire Docker Compose file without any rewrites. This flexibility means teams can migrate existing containerized projects seamlessly or start new ones using their preferred workflow. The platform handles the entire build and orchestration process automatically, translating these inputs into running services within an isolated Kubernetes namespace, all managed through a straightforward web interface.

Built-in Managed Services and Persistent Storage

The platform provides instant, zero-configuration provisioning of essential backing services. With one click, users can add fully managed MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Redis instances to their project. These services are automatically connected to the application containers with environment variables pre-wired, removing the manual configuration and connection overhead. Furthermore, persistent volumes for file storage are integrated, ensuring data durability for stateful applications. This built-in approach consolidates the application stack management into a single pane of glass, drastically simplifying architecture.

Transparent Resource Scaling and Cost Tracking

Hostim.dev offers granular, real-time control over application resources without requiring YAML file edits or command-line expertise. Users can adjust CPU cores, RAM allocation, and the number of container replicas directly from the management UI, with changes applying instantly and without downtime. Crucially, this scaling is paired with per-project cost tracking. Every project has its own isolated billing, providing a clear, predictable cost breakdown. This model is ideal for freelancers and agencies managing multiple client projects, ensuring there are no surprise bills and enabling clean financial handover.

Secure, Isolated EU Bare-Metal Hosting

Security and compliance are foundational. Each project runs in its own isolated Kubernetes namespace, providing a strong security boundary. The platform is hosted exclusively on bare-metal servers in Germany, ensuring GDPR compliance by default for data residency. Security features like automatic HTTPS provisioning for custom domains, secure SSH access via a Bastion container, and real-time application logs and metrics are included out of the box. This combination offers the performance benefits of bare-metal hardware with the robust privacy standards required for the European market.

Use Cases of Hostim.dev

Freelancer and Independent Developer Projects

For solo developers and freelancers, Hostim.dev dramatically reduces the time-to-market for personal projects, prototypes, or client work. The ability to deploy a full-stack application with a database and storage in minutes, without managing servers, allows them to focus purely on development. The per-project billing model is perfect for client work, as it creates a clean, auditable cost structure for each assignment, simplifying invoicing and handover once the project is delivered.

Digital Agency and Studio Client Work

Digital agencies managing multiple client websites and applications benefit immensely from the project isolation and cost-tracking features. Each client project can be housed in its own separate environment with dedicated resources and a precise cost breakdown. This eliminates the common headache of untangling shared infrastructure costs and enhances security between projects. The EU hosting is a key advantage for agencies serving European clients who require GDPR-compliant data handling.

Startup and SaaS Application Prototyping

Startups building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or a new SaaS application can leverage Hostim.dev to launch quickly and validate ideas without upfront infrastructure investment. The free trial and free tiers for core services lower the initial barrier to entry. The platform's ability to handle Docker Compose files means complex microservices architectures can be deployed as-is, providing a production-like environment from day one that can scale predictably as user growth demands.

Educational and Portfolio Development for Students

Students and learners gain access to a real, production-grade platform for deploying projects built with popular frameworks like Express.js, Django, or Spring Boot. They can practice deploying containerized applications with managed databases, gaining practical DevOps-adjacent experience without the steep learning curve of raw cloud infrastructure. The free trial and student credits enable them to build and showcase a live portfolio of work, which is invaluable for career development.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the free tier include?

The free offering includes a comprehensive 5-day trial project with no credit card required, allowing full exploration of the platform's capabilities. Beyond the trial, Hostim.dev provides permanently free tiers for its core managed services. This includes free usage allowances for MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis databases, and persistent volumes. This model enables developers to run small applications or specific services at no cost indefinitely, with clear pricing only applying when they scale their application's compute resources (CPU/RAM) beyond the baseline.

Can I deploy with just a Docker Compose file?

Yes, absolutely. A cornerstone feature of Hostim.dev is its native support for standard Docker Compose files. You can copy and paste your existing docker-compose.yml file directly into the platform's interface. There is no need to rewrite or adapt it for a proprietary format or learn Kubernetes YAML manifests. The platform parses the Compose file and deploys the defined services, networks, and volumes into the isolated project namespace, making migration from local development or other Docker-centric environments exceptionally straightforward.

Where is my application hosted?

All applications deployed on Hostim.dev are hosted exclusively on bare-metal servers located in a secure data center in Germany. This provides several advantages: high performance due to the lack of virtualization overhead, predictable resource allocation, and automatic compliance with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for data residency and privacy. This makes the platform a strategically sound choice for developers and businesses targeting European users or those with strict data sovereignty requirements.

Do I need to know Kubernetes to use Hostim.dev?

No, prior knowledge of Kubernetes is not required. Hostim.dev uses Kubernetes as its robust underlying orchestration engine, but it completely abstracts away its complexity. Users interact with a simplified web interface to deploy, manage, and scale their applications. The platform automatically handles all Kubernetes object creation, networking, and service discovery. This allows developers to benefit from the power and reliability of Kubernetes without needing to learn its concepts, command-line tools, or declarative YAML syntax.

Pricing of Hostim.dev

Hostim.dev employs a simple, flat, and predictable pricing model focused on compute resources. Application hosting starts from €2.5 per month, with costs scaling transparently based on the allocated CPU and RAM for your containers. A significant advantage is the inclusion of free tiers for managed services; usage of MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and persistent volumes is free up to generous limits, with paid tiers available for higher needs. Billing is hourly and tracked per individual project, providing ultimate clarity and preventing cost sprawl. This structure ensures developers only pay for the compute power their app uses, without surprise fees for database add-ons or network egress, contrasting sharply with the complex, usage-based pricing of major cloud providers.