Can I host a Node.js or Python app on shared hosting?

How it works

The Setup Node.js App and Setup Python App tools in cPanel (powered by CloudLinux) give every app its own isolated environment:

1. Upload your code, either with Git over SSH or through the File Manager.
2. In cPanel, create the app: pick the Node.js or Python version, the app folder and the domain or subdomain it should answer on.
3. Set the start file: app.js or server.js for Node.js; for Python, a WSGI entry point such as passenger_wsgi.py that imports your Flask or Django app.
4. Install dependencies with Run npm install / pip install -r requirements.txt (or over SSH).
5. Restart the app. It now runs on your domain, for example a .rw or .co.rw address, with free SSL.

The server starts and restarts the app for you, so there’s no need to run PM2, Gunicorn or another process manager yourself.

Databases and files

For anything with several users, use the MySQL/MariaDB databases that come with your plan. SQLite is fine for small apps with little traffic. Uploaded files live in your account storage, which is backed up every day.

Which plan?

You’ll want SSH for npm, pip and Git, and it’s included on every plan except Starter, so begin with Standard (RWF 58,520 a year) or above. See Node.js and Python hosting.

When you need a VPS instead

• Background workers, queues or jobs that run all the time (Celery, Bull).
• Your own process manager or start command, or several services that talk to each other.
• Docker containers, Redis or a database server you configure yourself.
• Heavy traffic or high CPU use.

A VPS or Docker VPS gives you full root access for all of these.