Web Services

Available

A Web Service is a long-running container: your API, a full-stack app, a worker behind HTTP, anything that needs a process and CPU/RAM. Optionally attach a persistent disk that survives restarts.

Each service gets a free *.runsite.app subdomain and can serve any custom domain you attach.

Looking for plans or pricing?

Plans, CPU/RAM tiers, free-tier limits and pricing are not documented here. They live on the web app hosting page. This section covers how a service is built, deployed and run.

How it works

Runsite always runs your app as an isolated Docker container. You ship one in two ways:

• From a Git repo: push your code and we build the image, using your Dockerfile if there is one and auto-detecting the stack (Node, Python, Go, Java today) if there isn’t.
• From a registry image: point at any public or private Docker image.

Supported Git providers: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket.

For the full platform model, covering the deployment lifecycle, deploy states, the ephemeral filesystem and health checks, see Runtime.

Dockerfile examples

Most stacks need only a few lines. Pick your runtime: Minimal gets you to a first deploy, Production is a multi-stage build with smaller images and faster cold starts.

Node

Minimal

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --omit=dev
COPY . .
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Production

FROM node:20-alpine AS deps
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

FROM node:20-alpine AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=deps /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY . .
RUN npm run build && npm prune --omit=dev

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
ENV NODE_ENV=production
COPY --from=build /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --from=build /app/dist ./dist
COPY --from=build /app/package*.json ./
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["node", "dist/server.js"]

Python

Minimal

FROM python:3.12-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["gunicorn", "-b", "0.0.0.0:8080", "app:app"]

Production

FROM python:3.12-slim AS build
WORKDIR /app
ENV PIP_NO_CACHE_DIR=1 PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK=1
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --user -r requirements.txt

FROM python:3.12-slim
WORKDIR /app
ENV PATH=/root/.local/bin:$PATH \
    PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
    PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
COPY --from=build /root/.local /root/.local
COPY . .
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["gunicorn", "-b", "0.0.0.0:8080", "-w", "2", "app:app"]

Go

Minimal

FROM golang:1.23-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY go.mod go.sum ./
RUN go mod download
COPY . .
RUN go build -o server ./...
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["./server"]

Production

FROM golang:1.23-alpine AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY go.mod go.sum ./
RUN go mod download
COPY . .
RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o /server ./...

FROM gcr.io/distroless/static-debian12
COPY --from=build /server /server
EXPOSE 8080
USER nonroot:nonroot
CMD ["/server"]

The default port is 8080. If your app listens elsewhere, change it in Settings → Build & Deploy.

Don’t have a Dockerfile and your stack is one of Node, Python, Go or Java? Push without one and Runsite will detect the project and build it for you.

FAQ

Do I need a Dockerfile to deploy a web service?

Not for Node, Python, Go or Java. Runsite auto-detects those and builds the image for you. For any other stack, or when you want a reproducible production build, add a Dockerfile and Runsite builds it as-is.

What port should my app listen on?

Port 8080, bound to 0.0.0.0 (not localhost). If your app uses a different port, change it in Settings → Build & Deploy.

Why does my service fail with “did not start in time”?

Usually the app isn’t listening on 0.0.0.0:8080, or a required environment variable is missing and the app crashes on boot. Check the container logs for the real error. See Troubleshooting for the full checklist.

Are files my app writes to disk kept between deploys?

No. The container filesystem is ephemeral, so anything on local disk is lost on restart, redeploy or scale. Store data in managed PostgreSQL, Redis or Object Storage, or attach a persistent disk.

Can I deploy from a Docker image instead of Git?

Yes. Point a web service at any public or private registry image instead of connecting a Git repository.

Where to next

• Runtime covers the container model, lifecycle, states, storage and health checks.
• Deploying covers auto-deploy from Git and the manual actions.
• Dashboard walks through what every tab does.
• Domains covers the default subdomain and custom domains.
• Scaling & resources covers CPU, RAM, disk, autoscaling and sleep.

Front-end only?

If your project is a static site (React SPA, Astro, Hugo, plain HTML), use Static Sites instead. They are simpler, served from the edge and always on.