Sometimes temporary, moreover free VPS hosing for 1 year is great and generous opportunity. Usually it’s very handy for testing (for example to install linux, configure lamp, wordpress, 2fa, freeSSL, plugins and so on ), web development, personal blogs, short-term projects like election events and so on.
Amazon Web service suggests it for whole 1 year. Just be VERY careful to not trespass limits of free tier (for example AWS automatically has done EBS snapshots during import of my vmware ova to AWS AMI and later on to free tier instance — although 09 cents were generously forgiven by AWS after openning of Support Case)
The majority of linux web servers (lamp) exactly fit into AWS free tier instances – t2.nano and t2.micro (monthly – 1gb RAM; 24hoursx31< 750 hours for EC2; 5gb of s3; 30gb of EBS, only 1gb of snapshots and so on ).
Mobinet, itools VPS hosting are more predictable and flat in pricing, budgeting (unlimited local traffic and speed, but low speed for access from abroad – no problem if the main target auditory of your service – local users) and sometimes provides comparatively more storage space than AWS. But there are many cases when AWS can be several times more economic and less expensive, and the same time/same price show more performance than local hosting – just need more scrutiny for studing of AWS billing docs.
Some recommendations:
- very carefully read limits for free tier
- if you migrate VM from vmware — prepare VM before exporting to ova template, reduce provisioned size (otherwise on AWS it will create large EBS volume with small useful footprint)
- configure budget alerts !!! and first time everyday monitor billing information
- don’t use for free tier more than one region (more difficult to control unexpected expenses)
- create in outlook alarm before end of free tier period to make conscious decision to prolong and start paying for AWS
ps.
Recently Google Cloud Platform also offers 12 month free tier as well. Also you can try Microsoft Azure for free.
AliCloud free trial is only for 1 month and only once you can test each product, so if you by mistake accidentally created instance in wrong place (Honkong instead of Beijin) than you don’t have any chance to delete trial instance and re-create it in proper location. Other inconvenience is for China datacenter locations you should provide your driver license or passport copies (it’s not the problem itself, but it takes too much time)