Netrun, VPS or Heroku: what to choose for your project
Usually picking a place for your project turns into a job of its own. On a VPS you install Docker yourself, set up nginx and SSL, keep track of updates and pay for the server every month. Foreign platforms are more convenient, but you pay in foreign currency, a Russian card may be declined, and support answers only in English. Figuring out which of these actually suits you is sometimes harder than writing the code itself.
Netrun has no server to manage: you upload your code, the platform detects the language on its own, builds the project and gives you a public HTTPS link — no renting a VPS, no Docker or nginx by hand, with payment in rubles and support in Russian. Below is an honest comparison of the options and the criteria worth choosing by.
Decide whether you need full control over the server
A VPS gives you root access and complete freedom to configure things — the right choice when a project needs low-level control or non-standard infrastructure. But Docker, nginx, SSL, updates, monitoring and paying for the server are all on you. For a first bot, a pet project or a website this is usually needless hassle.
Think about how you prefer to pay and talk to support
Heroku, Railway and Render are convenient, but you pay in foreign currency, a Russian card may be declined, and support is English only. If that is a barrier for you, choose a service with payment in rubles and support in Russian. On Netrun you pay from a balance in rubles, and the conversation is in Russian too.
Understand what type of project you have
Vercel is great for frontend and serverless functions, but not for an arbitrary backend or a Telegram bot. If you have a bot, a background script or an ordinary server app, you need a service that runs any code. Netrun runs projects in Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Deno, Bun, Elixir, as well as static sites and bash scripts — or it takes your own Dockerfile and docker-compose with up to five services.
Weigh how much manual work you are ready to take on
On a VPS you get maximum control, but also maximum routine: building, exposing ports, certificates, restarting a crashed process — it is all yours. Netrun is a middle ground here: there is less low-level control than on a bare server, but the build, HTTPS and automatic restart on failure are handled for you, and the logs and deployment status are visible in your dashboard in real time.
Keep the Free plan specifics in mind
On the Netrun Free plan you get one project. Web apps on it sleep when idle and wake on the first request, so the first response will be a bit slower. Bots and background scripts, on the other hand, run continuously: there is no way to wake them over HTTP, so the platform keeps them on. If a web project has to respond instantly and without downtime, the paid plan is a fit, and extra projects are bought as slots.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. A VPS is worth taking when you truly need full control over the system and are ready to maintain it yourself. Foreign platforms will do if you are fine with paying in foreign currency and support in English. Vercel is good for frontend and serverless functions. And if you just want to upload your code — a bot, a website or any backend — and get a working link without fussing over infrastructure, with payment in rubles and support in Russian, then Netrun covers exactly this case, in exchange for part of the low-level control. Try Netrun.