Frequently Asked Questions

No. SnapDeploy automatically generates Dockerfiles for common frameworks like Node.js, Python, Go, Ruby, Java, and PHP. Simply connect your GitHub repository and deploy - we handle the containerization.

If you have specific requirements, you can provide your own Dockerfile for full control over the build process.

Yes. Connecting GitHub uses OAuth with the repo scope, which GitHub grants for all your repositories (it does not offer per-repository selection). SnapDeploy accesses your code only during builds — see the GitHub integration docs for exactly what that scope covers.

Yes. Deploy up to 4 containers on the free tier with 100 free container-hours every month. Containers auto-sleep after 15 minutes idle and auto-wake on traffic. Add Always-On ($12–$45/month per container) to keep them running 24/7.

They refresh monthly. Every account gets 100 free container-hours per month (occasional bonus hours can add to this). When the month's hours run out, containers can't be started until the hours refresh — or you add Always-On, or grab a $1 Sprint Pack.

Free containers auto-sleep after about 15 minutes without traffic and wake automatically on the next request — that's how the free tier stays genuinely free. Always-On containers never sleep.

Yes. Automated traffic is welcome on the shared containers.snapdeploy.app domain: GitHub Actions, cron jobs, server-to-server calls from another backend, webhooks from Stripe or GitHub, uptime monitors and AI-assistant (MCP) clients all reach your app directly, with no allowlist and no plan change.

Two things to keep in mind: a free container sleeps after about 15 minutes without traffic and answers with a 503 wake page until it is up again (about 60 seconds), so keep a retry in your client; and the free tier includes 100 container-hours a month. Proxies, tunnels, crypto mining and bot farms are not allowed under the Terms of Service.

Yes. A single IP address that sends more than 100 requests a minute to an app on the shared domain is blocked for 10 minutes and receives HTTP 429. This protects every app on the shared domain from floods.

The limit is per address, so normal visitors, CI jobs, cron jobs, webhooks and uptime monitors are not affected. Apps served on a custom domain are not subject to it. If a legitimate use needs more, contact support. Full details on the Scaling page.

• Free Deploy (Everyone): Up to 4 containers, 512 MB RAM, 100 free hours/month, 10 deploys a day (5 per rolling 12 hours; failed attempts count), auto-sleep when idle, auto-wake on traffic (~60s), free SSL, GitHub integration
• Always-On Small: $12/month per container — 512 MB RAM, 0.25 vCPU, runs 24/7, custom domains
• Always-On Medium: $25/month per container — 2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, runs 24/7, custom domains
• Always-On Large: $45/month per container — 4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, runs 24/7, custom domains
• Sprint Pack: $1 one-time — lifts the deploy limit and keeps one container awake for 24 hours
• Dedicated GPU: your own NVIDIA T4 (16 GB VRAM) or A10G (24 GB VRAM) container, running 24/7 on a monthly subscription

Each subscription bills monthly from its own start date — an Always-On or add-on purchased on the 15th renews on the 15th. Sprint Packs are one-time purchases. There is no account-wide billing date.

Yes. Cancel your current Always-On subscription and start a new one on a different container size. The new subscription takes effect immediately.

Yes. We offer a 3-day money-back guarantee for first-time Always-On purchases of $15 or more (the Medium and Large sizes). Purchases under $15 — Sprint Packs and the $12/month Small (Hobby) subscription — are non-refundable. See the refund policy for the full terms.

The largest standard container is Always-On Large with 4 GB RAM and 2 vCPU. GPU workloads get their own dedicated instance through the Dedicated GPU subscriptions (NVIDIA T4 16 GB / A10G 24 GB VRAM).

Yes — SnapDeploy sells managed databases as add-ons, provisioned next to your containers with persistent storage:

• PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB or MongoDB — Mini, Standard and Pro tiers
• Redis — managed cache with AOF persistence
• RabbitMQ — managed message queues

Linked containers receive the connection details as environment variables automatically. See Add-on Services. (External services like RDS or MongoDB Atlas work too — just set their connection strings as env vars.)

Don't run a database inside an ordinary app container — those filesystems are ephemeral. Use a managed add-on for anything you want to keep.

Not directly. For debugging, use the real-time logs feature in the dashboard. Enterprise customers get additional debugging options.

Containers are ephemeral, meaning local files are lost on restart. For persistent file storage, use:

• AWS S3
• Cloudflare R2
• DigitalOcean Spaces