Docker · Caddy · Cloud — 10 deploy options
Compare 10 deploy options, from a single Docker + Caddy server to Replit, GitHub Pages, and object storage.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Lessons
- 10
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
│
▼
[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).