Deployment Overview

This guide helps you choose the best deployment option for your needs.

Quick Comparison

Platform	Free Tier	Est. Cost	Best For	Complexity
Vercel	Yes	$0-20/mo	API + frontend	Low
Railway	$5 credit	$5-20/mo	Easy full-stack	Low
Docker	N/A	Varies	Reproducible builds	Medium
VPS	No	$5-20/mo	Full control	High
Cloudflare Workers	Yes	$0-5/mo	Edge API only	Medium

Architecture Reminder

Discord Forum API has two services:

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│      Bot        │     │      API        │
│   (discord.js)  │     │    (Hono.js)    │
│                 │     │                 │
│  Needs: Always  │     │  Needs: HTTP    │
│  running,       │     │  server,        │
│  WebSocket      │     │  stateless OK   │
└────────┬────────┘     └────────┬────────┘
         │                       │
         └───────────┬───────────┘
                     │
              ┌──────▼──────┐
              │  Database   │
              │ SQLite/Turso│
              └─────────────┘

Caution

The Bot requires persistent WebSocket connections and can’t run on serverless platforms like Vercel Functions or Cloudflare Workers. Deploy it on a traditional server, Railway, or Fly.io.

Platform Details

Vercel

Pros

• Generous free tier
• Automatic deployments from Git
• Global CDN
• Great for frontend + API

Cons

• Can’t run the bot (serverless only)
• Function timeout limits
• Cold starts

Best for: Hosting your frontend website that consumes the API.

Not for: Running the Discord bot.

Vercel Deployment Guide

---

Railway

Pros

• $5 free credit monthly
• Supports long-running processes
• Easy database hosting
• One-click deploys

Cons

• Free credit may not cover heavy usage
• Requires credit card for unlimited
• Limited free tier resources

Best for: Running both bot and API with minimal setup.

Railway Deployment Guide

---

Docker

Pros

• Consistent environments
• Works anywhere
• Easy local testing
• Production-ready

Cons

• Requires host (VPS, cloud)
• More setup complexity
• Managing containers

Best for: Production deployments with reproducibility needs.

Docker Deployment Guide

---

VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS)

Pros

• Full control
• Predictable pricing
• Any tech stack
• No platform limits

Cons

• Manual setup
• Server maintenance
• Security responsibility
• No free tier

Best for: Production deployments needing full control.

VPS Deployment Guide

---

Cloudflare Workers

Pros

• Generous free tier
• Global edge network
• No cold starts
• Turso compatible

Cons

• Can’t run bot (Workers limitation)
• Different runtime (not Node.js)
• Size/memory limits

Best for: Edge-deployed API with Turso database.

Not for: Running the Discord bot.

Cloudflare Workers Guide

---

Recommended Setups

Budget: Free

Bot: Fly.io (free tier - 3 VMs)
API: Cloudflare Workers (free tier)
DB: Turso (free tier - 500 DBs)
Frontend: Vercel/Cloudflare Pages (free)

Total cost: $0/month

Budget: Small ($5-15/month)

Bot + API: Railway (one service each)
DB: Railway PostgreSQL or Turso
Frontend: Vercel (free tier)

Total cost: $5-15/month

Production Ready

Bot: Dedicated VPS (DigitalOcean Droplet)
API: Railway or Vercel
DB: Turso (Scaler plan) or managed Postgres
Frontend: Vercel Pro
Monitoring: Sentry + Uptime Robot

Total cost: $20-50/month

---

Database Recommendations

Scenario	Recommended DB	Why
Development	SQLite (local)	Zero config
Small production	Turso free	Edge-ready, free
Medium production	Turso Scaler	More capacity
Large scale	PostgreSQL	Proven, scalable

Tip

Start with Turso’s free tier. It handles most use cases and you can migrate later if needed.

Checklist Before Deploying

• Discord bot token secured
• Environment variables configured
• Database connection tested
• CORS origins set correctly
• Domain configured (if applicable)
• SSL/HTTPS enabled
• Monitoring/logging set up

Next Steps

Choose your deployment platform and follow the detailed guide:

Vercel

Railway

Docker

VPS

Cloudflare Workers