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How to put a website online for free: a step-by-step guide for beginners
In short
To put a website online for free, gather its files into one folder, pack them into a ZIP archive and upload it to hosting that runs sites for you — for example, Netrun. A minute later the site opens on an HTTPS link. On the Netrun free plan one website lives with no time limit, no ads and no card: it sleeps when nobody visits and wakes up by itself in a couple of seconds when someone opens the link.
- You do not need your own server to publish a website: the hosting runs the code and gives you a link.
- On the Netrun free plan one website runs with no time limit — it is not a trial.
- A free website on Netrun opens over HTTPS right away; the certificate is issued and renewed automatically.
- Netrun shows no ads on user websites and does not require a bank card.
- A website on the free plan sleeps when nobody visits and wakes up by itself on the first visit.
Your website is done — by hand, from a tutorial or with an AI — and it opens on your computer. But you cannot send anyone a link to a file on your computer: for other people to see the site, it has to live on a server that runs around the clock. That is usually where the unpleasant part starts: renting a server, setting it up, certificates, a bank card.
You can skip all of that. Below is the path from a folder of files to a working link you can share. It is free and needs no setup.
Check that the site opens on your machine#
Open the site on your computer and click through the pages. If it is plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript files, opening index.html in a browser is enough. If the site has a back end on Python, Node.js or PHP, start it the way you usually do. An error you have locally will not go away online, so it is easier to catch it now.
Gather the files into one folder#
Everything the site needs should sit in one folder: the main page, styles, scripts, images, and for a site with a back end — the sources and the dependency list such as requirements.txt or package.json. Folders with already installed libraries, such as node_modules or venv, are not needed: the hosting installs everything itself.
Pack the folder into a ZIP archive#
Right-click the folder and choose "Compress" or "Send to compressed (zipped) folder". If the code is on GitHub, you can skip the archive: Netrun can take the project straight from a repository, including a private one.
Sign up for Netrun#
Signing up takes half a minute, with email or Google. No card is needed — the free plan is available right away, and a free website has no expiry date after which it gets switched off.
Upload the archive and wait for the link#
Create a project and drop the archive into the upload window. The platform figures out what kind of site it is — plain files or an app in some language — builds it and starts it. You can see what is happening on screen, and at the end an HTTPS link appears. If the site crashed on start, the reason is shown in the same place.
Share the link#
Send the link to friends, put it in your resume, your profile or a study report. When nobody opens the site for a while it goes to sleep, and on the first visit it wakes up by itself in a couple of seconds — there is nothing for you to do. To update the site, upload a new archive into the same project; the link stays the same.
Putting a website online for free takes a few minutes, not an evening of server setup. Netrun keeps one website free with no time limit. If you ever need a custom domain or a site that never sleeps, the Pro plan turns that on, and the code and the link stay the same.
Common questions
Can I put a website online completely for free?
Yes. On the Netrun free plan one website runs at no cost and with no time limit. No card is needed, no ads are added to the site, and the link opens over HTTPS right away.
How long does publishing take?
Usually a few minutes: signing up, uploading the archive and the build. A plain HTML site builds in seconds; a site on Python or Node.js takes a little longer while the platform installs its libraries.
Do I need to buy a domain?
No. The site gets an address on the netrun.io domain right away and opens on it. You can connect your own domain later, on the Pro plan.
What happens if nobody opens the site for a long time?
It goes to sleep and wakes up by itself in a couple of seconds on the first visit. Nothing is deleted: the files, the data and the link stay in place.
The site was built with an AI — will it work?
Yes. The platform does not care who wrote the code. Save the files the AI gave you into one folder, pack them into an archive and upload it — from there it is the same as any other site.
Is this free hosting?
For websites — yes, with no time limit: it is not a trial, and a free website is not switched off after a month. No card is needed, there are no ads on the site, and the link opens over HTTPS right away. The site sleeps when nobody visits and wakes up by itself in a couple of seconds when someone opens it. A bot or a background script can be started and tried for free for 3 hours — they are busy all the time and cannot sleep, so after that they need the Pro plan. If you need several projects, you can add places to the Pro plan — each place gives you one more project. You can also get Pro for free by inviting friends: a week of Pro for every friend who publishes a project, up to four weeks a month.
Why does my website sometimes sleep?
On the free plan, websites sleep after being idle and wake up in a couple of seconds on the first request. On the Pro plan your project runs without sleeping.