Free VPS with Render

Posted on Jun 15, 2025

Banner Important Notice: This is a new hack I discovered, so please do not share it publicly to avoid it being patched.

Why Use Render as a VPS Provider?

Render is an excellent choice because it’s free and doesn’t require a credit card. However, since Render restricts terminal access behind a paywall, we’ll need to get creative. Our solution is to run a Linux Docker container with a web terminal, secured by HTTP basic authentication. This method ensures we have some security while still keeping the service free.

Key Considerations:

  • Data is wiped monthly because Render is a stateless service.
  • If you exceed 10GB of outbound bandwidth (e.g., downloading files inside your VPS), your data will be wiped, and the instance will be suspended.
  • No SSH access with port forwarding is available. SSH access can only be achieved using ngrok.
  • This setup currently supports Alpine Linux and Ubuntu only.
  • You can use ngrok for port forwarding to run proxies, remote desktops, and more.
  • You can use screen to keep apps running in the background.
  • Ubuntu currently don’t have ngrok due to some bugs.

Getting Started

  1. Log in to Render and click on “Add New”.
  2. Select Web Service from the dropdown menu.
  3. Choose Public Git Repo.
  4. Paste the following URL: https://github.com/eli32-vlc/web-terminal
  5. Set the environment to Docker.
  6. Choose the region where you’d like your VPS to be hosted.
  7. For the Dockerfile Path, use:
  • For Ubuntu: amd64/ubuntu/Dockerfile
  • For Alpine: amd64/alpine/Dockerfile
  1. For Instance Type, select Free.
  2. Click Deploy Web Service.

Under Environment Variables, click “Add from .env” and paste the following:

TTYD_USER=myuser
TTYD_PASS=mypassword
PORT=7681

Replace myuser with your desired username and mypassword with a secure password.

After Deployment:

Once your service is deployed, you will receive a URL like:

https://web-terminal-xxxx.onrender.com

Wait for the build and deployment process to complete.

Next, sign up for UptimeRobot and add your newly created URL:

https://web-terminal-xxxx.onrender.com

Set the check interval to every 5 minutes to keep your container alive and prevent data wipes due to inactivity.

You’re Ready to Go!

Visit your instance URL, log in with the username and password you set, and enjoy your new, free VPS!

Disclaimer: While this content has been edited for spelling and grammar by AI, the underlying method and concept are original.