Netlify
Build, deploy, and host static sites with global CDN, serverless functions, form handling, and preview deployments.
Best for JAMstack static sites and frontend apps that need preview deployments and serverless functions.
Use Cases
Free Tier
300 credits/month (~30GB bandwidth), unlimited sites, SSL, CI/CD
How to Maximize the Free Tier
To stretch Netlify's 300 monthly credits, set build triggers to only deploy on merges to main — skip preview builds for every branch push. Use their built-in form handling instead of spinning up a serverless function for contact forms. Cache your assets aggressively in the CDN to reduce bandwidth consumption, and watch your credit usage in the Netlify dashboard mid-month to avoid surprise build failures.
Getting Started
Sign up → connect Git repo → Netlify auto-deploys on push → add forms/functions in your site config → set up custom domain in DNS settings.
Pros
- Deploy workflow: Git-based deploys with instant rollbacks and preview deployments for every branch
- Serverless extras: Built-in form handling and serverless functions — no separate backend needed
- Free tier: 300 credits/month cover bandwidth and build minutes for most small to medium sites
Cons
- Credit system: Build minutes and bandwidth share credits — heavy CI pipelines can exhaust them mid-month
- Cold starts: Serverless functions have noticeable cold starts on the free tier after inactivity
- No backend: No persistent storage or database — you'll need a separate service for stateful apps