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From VPS to PaaS: Why I Stopped Managing Servers

· 3 min read

Most side projects start the same way. You grab a VPS from Hetzner or DigitalOcean, install Docker, run docker compose up, and boom – you're live.

It feels cheap. It feels simple. Until it isn't.

The VPS Path: The Default Way​

Here's the typical journey I went through (and many devs still do):

  1. Rent a VPS for €5–€10/month
  2. Install Docker + Docker Compose
  3. Run the app
  4. Add Nginx and Let's Encrypt for HTTPS
  5. Hack together a systemd unit so it restarts after reboot
  6. Manually configure backups, logs, and monitoring

It works. But every new project means repeating the same steps. And every time, something goes wrong – ports left open, SSL renewal fails, or a config breaks after an update.

Well, unless you properly automate it with something like Ansible or Terraform. But let's be honest: do you really want to learn and maintain infra-as-code pipelines… just for side projects?

The Hidden Costs of "Cheap" VPS Hosting​

At first glance, VPS looks cheap. But the costs sneak up on you:

  • Backups: €2–€5/month
  • Monitoring/logs: another €5–€10/month or DIY time
  • Downtime: hours spent debugging instead of coding
  • Security: one misconfigured firewall can expose your database

The real cost isn't just money. It's time lost repeating setup, patching servers, and fixing mistakes. And if you're billing clients? That "cheap" VPS suddenly isn't cheap anymore.

The PaaS Alternative​

A PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) takes that whole messy checklist and bakes it in:

  • Deploy directly from Docker, Git, or Compose
  • Automatic HTTPS and domain management
  • Built-in databases like Postgres, MySQL, and Redis
  • Volumes that survive restarts and redeploys
  • Metrics and logs out of the box
  • Per-project isolation so one client doesn't mess up another

Instead of spending hours setting up a VPS, you paste your Compose file or point to a repo, click deploy, and it just works.

Why I Switched (and Why I Built Hostim.dev)​

After doing the VPS setup dozens of times – for my own apps, side projects, and client work – I finally hit a wall.

Every project felt like déjà vu. Spin up server, fight configs, add SSL, fix logging, repeat.

So I built something that skips all of that.

Hostim.dev is a developer-first PaaS. You paste your docker-compose.yml, or deploy from Git or Docker Hub, and you're live with HTTPS, metrics, databases, and volumes.

No YAML rewrites. No hidden cloud costs. Just deploy and move on.

Wrapping Up​

VPS hosting isn't bad. It's still a good choice if you want full control or you enjoy tweaking configs.

But if you'd rather spend time building apps instead of babysitting servers, a PaaS can save you both money and frustration.

And yes – I'll still be babysitting servers. But that's my job now, not yours. 😉

👉 Hostim.dev is opening soon with a free trial and always-free database tiers. If you're tired of fighting servers, join the waitlist – and let's bring hosting back to earth.