Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers the most common questions about Hostim.dev.
What is Hostim.dev?
Hostim.dev is a platform for deploying containerized applications without managing servers or Kubernetes. You can deploy from Docker images, Docker Compose files, or Git repositories and add services like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and volumes.
Is there a free tier?
Yes. Managed services (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and volumes) each come with a free plan with limited resources. New users also get a free 5-day trial project. You can create as many trial projects as you want, but only one at a time. Paid app plans start at €2.5/month.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes. You can add a custom domain to any app and Hostim will provide a free SSL certificate automatically.
See: Domains and SSL
How is pricing calculated?
Pricing is based on selected plans, not on resource usage. You choose the CPU, RAM, and storage when creating an app or service.
See: Pricing Model
Is traffic billed?
No. Ingress (incoming) traffic is included at no additional cost.
Can services talk to each other?
Yes. Apps and services inside the same project can communicate over a private internal network.
See: Internal Routing
Do apps restart automatically after crashes?
Yes. Hostim monitors your app containers and will automatically restart them if they stop unexpectedly.
Why does my app crash with no logs?
No logs means the container never started. The problem is in how the container starts, not in your code. Check: a wrong Command Override, an image that is not built for linux/amd64, a volume mounted over the program binary, or a missing config file.
See: Troubleshooting
Does Hostim support arm64 images?
No. Hostim nodes run on linux/amd64. An arm64-only image fails with exec format error and shows no logs. If you build on Apple Silicon, build a multi-architecture image with docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 ....
See: Troubleshooting
How do I update my app to a new image version?
If you are using the latest tag, simply restarting the app will pull the new image.
If you are using a specific version tag (e.g. v1.0), restarting will not pull a new image if v1.0 is already present on the node. You should change the image tag in your app settings to the new version (e.g. v1.1) to trigger an update.
What happens when I delete a service?
Deleting a service (like a database or volume) will permanently remove the data associated with it. Be sure to back up any important data first.
Is there an API or CLI?
An API and CLI are planned for future releases. If you're interested in early access or beta testing, reach out using the support widget in the console.
How can I manage GitHub access for deployments?
If you've connected your GitHub account to deploy from private repositories, you can manage or revoke that access anytime via your GitHub settings:
- Visit GitHub Authorized OAuth Apps.
- Under Authorized OAuth Apps, find Hostim.dev.
- Click the app to:
- View which repositories you've granted access to.
- Grant access to additional repositories.
- Revoke access entirely (you'll need to reconnect later if you do this).
If you want to switch from limited repo access to full access (or vice versa), revoke and reconnect using the deployment interface in Hostim.dev.
Where are the servers located?
You can choose the region when creating a project. Pricing and performance may vary between regions.
Can I use Hostim.dev with a team?
Yes. You can invite collaborators to a project, and they can manage apps, databases, and volumes with you. Team projects are included in every plan at no extra cost — Hostim.dev is not a single-user-only platform.
Are databases backed up, and is there failover?
Yes to both, on every plan. Managed PostgreSQL and MySQL run as replicated clusters with automatic failover: a primary plus a standby kept in sync by replication, and the endpoint follows the new primary if the old one fails. Shared and dedicated plans both include it, at no extra cost and with nothing to configure.
Databases are also backed up off-site for disaster recovery, and every volume is snapshotted daily — both included in the plan price.
One honest limit: self-service restore is not available yet, so restores go through support. You can also take your own dumps any time — pg_dump, mysqldump and volume file copies all work from the Bastion.
Does Hostim offer object storage, a CDN, DNS, or transactional email?
No. Hostim covers apps, managed MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and persistent volumes. There is no S3-compatible object storage, CDN, managed DNS, or transactional email — use an external provider for those. If you want one platform that bundles all of them, Hostim is not that platform.
Is Hostim only for hobby projects?
No. Alongside shared plans from €2.5/month there are dedicated app plans with fully reserved CPU and RAM (up to 3 vCPU / 8 GB) and dedicated database plans up to 100 GB. Database replication and automatic failover are included on every plan, shared or dedicated.
Hostim is a small, founder-led platform, so the honest thing to weigh is track record and support scale rather than capability. Because apps are standard Docker images and your data exports any time, moving away later is cheap — which is what makes trying it low-risk.
Am I locked in? Can I leave anytime?
No lock-in. Your apps run as standard Docker images and your data exports any time, so your stack runs anywhere — you are never trapped on Hostim.dev. You can move to another host or self-host whenever you want, which means trying Hostim carries no long-term risk.
Need more help? Use the support widget in the console.