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How to Host a 'Micro' App for Free: From Idea to Live in 7 Days

hhostfreesites

2026-01-21

12 min read

Build and host a dining micro app for free in 7 days — step-by-step no-code and template deployments, DNS, SSL and a live demo.

Beat decision fatigue: build and host a useful micro app for free in a weekend

Decision fatigue, budget limits, and the desire to test ideas fast are why more marketing teams and solo site owners are building micro apps in 2026. If you want a tiny dining recommender (think: “Where should we eat tonight?”) and you’re not a developer, this guide walks you through a practical, 7-day weekend project: choose the builder, assemble the app, deploy it to a free host, add a custom domain and SSL, and share a live demo with friends.

The 2026 context: why micro apps and no-code now

Late 2025 and early 2026 solidified a trend: AI-assisted ‘vibe coding’ and more powerful no-code builders gave non-developers an unprecedented ability to iterate quickly. Tech writers documented people like Rebecca Yu building a dining app in a week — and many marketing teams now validate features with tiny web apps before investing in full products.

What matters for you today is practicality: use free hosting tiers (Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, or Glide) and automatic SSL to get an app live without spending money. I’ll show which tools fit different skill levels and exactly what DNS/SSL steps to take.

What you’ll finish by Day 7

A lightweight dining recommender micro app (mobile-friendly PWA or web page)
Deployed on a reliable free static host
Connected to a custom domain (or a polished free subdomain)
HTTPS (SSL) enabled and optional PWA install behavior
A shareable live demo and simple analytics

Choose your path (pick one that fits you)

Pick an approach based on how hands-on you want to be:

No-code / Sheet-driven (fastest): Glide or Softr connected to Google Sheets or Airtable. Build UI with point-and-click. Best for non-developers who want a mobile-first PWA.
Template + minimal editing (recommended): Use a static “dining app template” (HTML/CSS/JS) from GitHub, edit content, and deploy to Netlify/Cloudflare Pages/Vercel. Good balance of control and simplicity.
Low-code (more control): Bubble or Appsmith for interactive logic without hand-coding. Takes longer but enables user accounts and forms.
WordPress option: Use WordPress.com free plan or a free WordPress on GitHub Pages via static-site generator. This is useful if you prefer familiar CMS workflows, though it’s heavier for micro-app logic.

Why static hosts are ideal for micro apps in 2026

For small read/compute-heavy front-end apps, static site hosts give you:

Free SSL: Most auto-provision Let’s Encrypt or their own certs.
CDN performance: Global edge delivery reduces latency and supports spikes — a key reason teams read hybrid edge and regional hosting guides.
Simple deploy flows: Drag-and-drop, GitHub integration, or a single CLI command.
Scalable upgrade path: Move to a paid plan with higher bandwidth, serverless functions, or databases when needed.

The 7-day plan — build and host a dining recommender

This schedule is realistic for a motivated non-developer. I give tool options and exact deploy/DNS instructions in later sections.

Day 1 — Idea & data model: Define the app’s core: restaurants list, cuisine tags, score, distance, and one “vibe” filter. Create a sample spreadsheet (Google Sheets) with 10–20 venues and fields: name, address, cuisine, rating, price-level, tags, image URL.
Day 2 — Pick the builder & template: If you want no-code, start a Glide app pointing at the sheet. If template route, fork a dining app template repo (search GitHub for “dining app template” or use a simple JS template using local JSON).
Day 3 — Build UI: Map sheet columns to UI, design filters (cuisine, score), and test interactions. Keep UI minimal: list view, single restaurant card, “Surprise me” randomizer.
Day 4 — Add logic & polish: Implement sort-by-rating, filter-by-cuisine, and a “vibe” toggle. Add images and short descriptions. Test on mobile.
Day 5 — Prepare deploy artifacts: If you used Glide, your app is already hosted. If using a template, make sure you have index.html, /assets, and an optional manifest.json for PWA behavior.
Day 6 — Deploy + DNS: Deploy to Netlify/Cloudflare Pages/Vercel/GitHub Pages. Add a custom domain (or use the provider subdomain). Configure DNS and verify SSL.
Day 7 — Live demo & feedback: Share the URL with friends, collect feedback (Google Forms or Typeform), and add lightweight analytics (Plausible or Cloudflare Analytics). Plan upgrades if onboarding more users.

Step-by-step: build the dining app (template route)

1. Grab a simple template

Search GitHub for “dining recommender template” or use a minimal static starter. You need these files:

index.html — main UI
styles.css — minimal styles
app.js — filter and randomizer logic
data.json — sample restaurants (or a Google Sheets link)

For non-developers: fork the repo to GitHub (one-click), then use the host integrations below.

2. Connect data (easy options)

Two no-code-friendly ways to supply data:

Google Sheets as JSON: Use Tabletop.js or Sheetsu to expose sheets as JSON for the template. Fast to edit and share.
Static data.json: Put a small JSON file in your repo. Edit locally and push updates.

3. Add a “Surprise me” button

Keep logic simple: pick a random item from the filtered list. This gives immediate value and is a nice demo hook.

4. Make it installable (PWA basics)

Create a manifest.json with name, short_name, icons, and start_url.
Include a minimal service worker (or use Workbox) to cache assets for offline use.

Step-by-step: deploy for free

Below are the most frictionless hosts and the steps to deploy your repo or project. Pick one.

Option A — Cloudflare Pages (recommended for edge and free analytics)

Create a Cloudflare account (free).
Connect your GitHub repository to Cloudflare Pages and select the branch.
Set the build command (for static HTML, none) and the output directory ("/").
Deploy. Cloudflare Pages provides a pages.dev subdomain and auto-provisions HTTPS via Cloudflare’s certs.

DNS tip: If you add a custom domain, change the domain nameservers to Cloudflare and add a Pages custom hostname. Cloudflare handles SSL automatically. For guidance on balancing latency and cost at the edge, see hybrid edge & regional hosting strategies.

Option B — Netlify (drag-and-drop or Git)

Sign up for Netlify. For a quick test, use Netlify Drop and drag the site folder (index.html and assets) — instant deployment.
Or connect GitHub and set build settings (none for static).
Use the default *.netlify.app subdomain. Netlify auto-provisions HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt.

DNS tip: To use a custom domain, add it in Site settings → Domain management, then create the required DNS records at your registrar. Netlify provides the records it needs (CNAME for www, A records for apex with Netlify’s load balancer IPs). If you need a fuller deploy checklist, the cloud migration checklist is a good reference for DNS and verification steps.

Option C — Vercel

Connect your GitHub repo and import the project.
Vercel auto-detects static sites. Deploy and get a vercel.app subdomain.
Vercel auto-issues HTTPS certs for custom domains and handles serverless functions if you need them later.

Option D — GitHub Pages (simplest for a GitHub repo)

Push your site to a repo named username.github.io for root hosting, or enable GitHub Pages from repository settings for a project site.
GitHub serves it at username.github.io/repo or username.github.io and provides HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt.

How to connect a custom domain and SSL (concrete DNS examples)

Most free hosts auto-provision SSL. The key steps are verifying domain ownership and adding DNS records. Here are exact patterns:

For Netlify (custom domain example: mydiningapp.com)

Add mydiningapp.com as a custom domain in Netlify dashboard → Domain management.
Netlify gives you either an A record set (two or more IPs) or instructs to create a CNAME for www pointing to your-site.netlify.app. Best practice: set CNAME for www and create an A record for the root to Netlify’s load balancer IPs.
Enable HTTPS — Netlify uses Let’s Encrypt and issues a cert automatically (may take a few minutes).

For Cloudflare Pages

Change the domain’s nameservers to Cloudflare (provided when you add the domain in Cloudflare dashboard).
In Pages, add the custom domain and verify. Cloudflare issues the certificate and sets up SSL/TLS automatically.

For GitHub Pages

Add a CNAME file with your domain (mydiningapp.com) to the repo root, or set the domain in repo Settings → Pages.
Set DNS records at your registrar: for apex domains, use GitHub’s A records; for www, point a CNAME to username.github.io. GitHub will obtain a Let’s Encrypt cert.

Important DNS record examples

Sample entries you’ll often use:

A (apex): 75.2.60.5 and 99.83.190.102 (Netlify example; always use values the provider shows)
CNAME (www): your-site.netlify.app (or username.vercel.app, username.github.io)
TXT: for domain verification (provider will give the exact string)

Note: Always copy the exact records from the host provider. DNS changes often propagate within minutes, but allow up to 24–48 hours in worst-case TTLs.

SSL gotchas and quick fixes

If HTTPS shows a cert error after adding a domain, re-check DNS propagation with a tool like dig or online DNS checkers. The host can only issue a cert once DNS points correctly.
Apex redirects: many hosts recommend setting the www CNAME as canonical and redirecting the apex domain to www. Use the host’s redirect rules or set up a simple redirect at the registrar.
Cloudflare + origin cert: If you use Cloudflare proxying, Cloudflare will terminate SSL at its edge. Use a Cloudflare Origin Certificate for the origin to keep traffic encrypted end-to-end.

Mobile responsiveness — test on iPhone and Android.
HTTPS works for both root and www variants.
PWA install prompt (if you added manifest & service worker) works on Android Chrome.
Basic performance — run Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools for a quick score and fix high-impact items (compress images, enable caching). For edge performance and SEO tips, see Edge Performance & On‑Device Signals in 2026.
Privacy & analytics — use a lightweight analytics option (Plausible, Fathom, or Cloudflare Analytics) to avoid heavy scripts.

Monetize or validate: practical next steps

Micro apps are ideal for validation. If your dining recommender proves useful, consider:

Adding email capture: use ConvertKit, MailerLite, or a Google Form for early feedback.
Turning the app into a paid product: allow priority features or local business listings.
Integrating basic ads or affiliate links (careful with UX on micro-apps).

Limits of free hosting and the upgrade path

Free tiers are powerful but have limits: bandwidth caps, build minutes, shared CPU for serverless functions, and sometimes strict fair-use policies. If your app gains traction:

Upgrade to paid plans on the same host for more bandwidth, team access, and builds.
Move compute-heavy features (machine learning, personalization) to serverless functions or a small managed backend (Supabase, Firebase, or a VPS). For edge functions and AI at the platform level, check Edge AI at the Platform Level.
Add a real database (Airtable for no-code, Supabase/Postgres for more control). For connecting services and realtime flows, see real‑time collaboration APIs.

Real-world example — what Rebecca Yu’s week-style approach teaches us

“Once vibe-coding apps emerged, I started hearing about people with no tech backgrounds successfully building their own apps.”

Her process captures the micro-app ethos: rapid iteration, personal need, and shipping a small, useful tool. You don’t have to build everything; start with a small MVP and ship. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s learning and validating an idea with real users.

Security & privacy checklist for a public demo

Don’t store sensitive user data on a public sheet. Use protected endpoints if needed.
Enable HTTPS (covered above) and force secure cookies if you add auth later.
Display a simple privacy note explaining what data you collect (email addresses, feedback, basic analytics).

Final checklist: launch day

Live URL (www or pages.dev) works on mobile.
SSL certificate is active.
Share demo link with 10–20 friends or a small community for quick feedback.
Collect feedback and prioritize the top 3 improvements.

Advanced strategies and 2026 trends to watch

As of 2026, watch these developments to keep your micro app competitive:

AI-enhanced personalization: Lightweight models at the edge for personalized recommendations without heavy backend costs — related reading: Edge AI at the Platform Level.
Composable no-code stacks: Connectors between Airtable, Supabase, and UI builders will let you scale without full rewrites; integrators should read the integrator playbook on realtime APIs.
Edge compute & serverless functions: Add serverless functions on Netlify/Vercel or Cloudflare Workers/edge hosts for minimal-latency personalization and integrations.

Wrap-up: what you’ll have and why it matters

By following this weekend plan, you’ll go from idea to a live micro app with a custom domain and SSL in seven days. You’ll validate a hypothesis, sharpen your product instincts, and learn deployment basics that scale. Micro apps are low-risk, high-learning vehicles — perfect for SEO-savvy marketers and website owners who want to test features without big investment.

Actionable takeaways

Pick your route: Glide for fastest, template + Netlify/Cloudflare for control.
Create a small dataset (10–20 items) in Google Sheets or data.json — keep it editable.
Deploy to a free static host and add a custom domain; follow DNS records exactly as the host instructs. The cloud migration checklist is a handy companion for domain moves.
Enable HTTPS — hosting providers auto-manage SSL certificates in 2026.
Share a live demo, get feedback, and plan a measured upgrade path.

Next step — get a starter pack

If you want a ready-to-use starter: I maintain a curated list of dining app templates (static and Glide) optimized for free hosts, plus a one-page checklist that walks DNS entries and SSL steps in under 20 minutes. Grab it, fork a template, and deploy this weekend.

Ready to ship a micro app this weekend? Start with a simple dataset, choose one host, and deploy. If you want my curated template list and the 7-day checklist, click the CTA below — I’ll walk you through DNS entries and an exact deploy flow tailored to the host you choose.

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