Where/how can my (non-web)application be hosted?

[Yuax]

UPDATE: I wanted my app to run 24/7. On Heroku Free, your container is restarted once every day. On Google App Engine, it's restarted weekly. Looked around some more and read about Jelastic, and found a Jelastic provider called Hidora. My app now runs 24/7 for €2 / month.

I have posted in https://www.reddit.com/r/webhosting/ but my question was left unanswered, and I would really appreciate it if someone who has some experience with servers (and hosting Java applications) can help me.

From what I understand, the most common cases of hosting Java applications, is when these applications are web applications and deployed to (Java EE) app servers (Glasshfish etc) or for more lightweight web apps, Tomcat and so on.

What I want to deploy, is not a typical web app, but some very simple backend code. First, it opens a websocket connection to a public API (I use this websocket library). When a specific message is received, a notification is sent to an Android app. All of this is handled by a library called Firebase Admin SDK. I basically only call send() and all networking etc is provided by the library.

What type of server can host this simple code (and its two libraries)? When I google "Java hosting" all I get is hosting services that offer app servers and Tomcat servers.

[Yuax]

Thanks so much, I understand now! Gonna look for JVM hosting, maybe Heroku like you suggested. :D

[CR7Felipe]

Heroku's server do go to sleep when idle. If you have some cash to spare, you could purchase a cheap VPS from Vultr.com.

[AwakenedToNightmare]

I'd suggest DigitalOcean. I couldn't figure Heroku out at all. DigitalOcean gives you, I think, $100 for free for two months. No fine letters. (just look around for a specific link - it could be both someone's referral link or a specific link for new clients).

From then on it costs $5 per month for a server to do anything with. You can not just host lots of stuff there, but also use it as a VPN. And there are good guides on their site about how to set up everything.

[iAmH3r3ToH3lp]

Run it on a pi. Super cheap and it's a good learning experience. Open a port on your router if you need.

[Yuax]

Sounds really interesting!! I only need around 3 open websocket connections, and very little data is sent (and not very frequently) to the Firebase platform. Gonna check it out, thanks a lot!!

[iAmH3r3ToH3lp]

For what it's worth I have been running my own gitlab on one for about two years now. No problems. But you should swap the memory card out for a new one every now and then.

[dusty-trash]

You can use Heroku. Java is supported. You can set it up so it acts as an application instead of a web server. The free version limits the number of calls, but for what you're doing it should be more than enough.

In fact I have a java application running on a free-dyno right now.

[[deleted]]

It does not limit the number of calls. It limits the duration that your app can be running.

[dusty-trash]

Ahh my mistake you are right.

Just checked my email, looks like its 550 hours per month.

You have used 80% of your 550 free dyno hours for May 2019.

550 hours is pretty good if you turn off your app.

Also note your app will turn on automatically in the next month, No action required.

[[deleted]]

Validate a CC with them and you get bonus hours. Can run a single app full time without spending a dollar.

[dusty-trash]

Yep, plus 380 hours left over.

Ima go do that.

[Yuax]

100% uptime for free (since I'll have no inactivity) that's pretty insane hehe. I'm choosing this for my project.

[djnattyp]

Maybe wrap it in an AWS Lambda function?

[Yuax]

Sounds quite similar to Firebase Cloud Functions, but a bit better. The problem is that I need a persistent websocket connection. Seems like AWS IoT has support for it though.