Free hosting for student projects: permanent and free

September 5, 2026 · jsdeck team · 4 min read

A practical guide to free hosting for student projects with jsdeck: build, deploy, route, and add a custom domain — free static hosting, no credit card. We cover production build output, upload or CLI deploy, SPA routing on a static host, optional custom domains, and common fixes when something does not look right in the browser.

Who this is for

This guide is for developers, students, indie hackers, and small teams who need a dependable public link without a credit card, a DevOps hire, or a weekend lost to platform configuration. If you can run npm run build, you can follow along.

Why a permanent URL beats localhost

Judges, recruiters, clients, and teammates cannot open localhost:5173. A live HTTPS URL proves the project actually runs, looks professional in a README or portfolio, and keeps working after you close your laptop. It is the single highest-leverage thing you can do to make a project count.

Step-by-step

Build your project to static files: npm run build
Preview locally to catch issues: npm run preview or npx serve dist
Sign up for jsdeck and create an app — no Git required
Upload the output folder or run jsdeck deploy
Add the live URL everywhere it matters: README, portfolio, submission form, résumé

Make it stand out

Use a clear custom subdomain so the link reads well
Add a short project description and screenshot to your repo
If the project saves anything, back it with the jsdeck datastore so demos keep their state
Gate work-in-progress with visitor auth when you only want certain people to see it

Cost and longevity

jsdeck's free static hosting is designed for exactly these use cases, so your link does not vanish when a trial ends. That permanence matters when a recruiter opens your portfolio months after you built it.

Before you put the link in front of anyone who matters, run through this quick list:

Open the live URL in a private/incognito window to catch anything that only works because you are logged in locally
Click every primary action and navigate to at least two deep links, then refresh on one of them
Check the layout on a phone-sized viewport — most demos are opened on mobile first
Confirm any saved data persists by reloading; if it does not, move state into the datastore
Make sure no placeholder text, console errors, or broken images remain

Five minutes here is the difference between "looks finished" and "looks rushed".

Updating the live demo later

Need to ship a fix after you already sent the link? Upload a new build folder or run jsdeck deploy again — the same URL serves the updated files. Bookmarks, README links, and submission forms stay valid; you do not reconfigure DNS or ask reviewers to click a new address.

Who this is for, and when not to use jsdeck

Good fit: static frontends, single-page apps, demos, portfolios, MVPs, AI-generated exports, and apps that need a little JSON persistence or lightweight visitor login.

Not a fit: apps that require a long-running Node server, server-side rendering at request time, WebSocket backends, private server-side secrets, background jobs, or a full relational database. For those, a platform like the alternatives discussed across our comparisons hub will serve you better — and that is a feature of choosing deliberately, not a compromise.

Frequently asked questions

Is free hosting for student projects really free?

Yes. jsdeck offers free static hosting with HTTPS for projects like this, with no credit card required to start. Optional features such as the datastore and visitor auth are available when you need them.

Do I need to connect a Git repository?

No. You can upload your build folder directly in the dashboard, or deploy from the command line with jsdeck deploy. Git is optional.

Will client-side routes break on refresh?

No. jsdeck applies SPA fallback so deep links and refreshes resolve to your app instead of returning a 404.

Next steps

Explore more guides in the blog hub
Follow the getting started guide to deploy your first app
Read the developer docs for datastore, secure accounts (auth API), and CLI deploy details