TL;DR: For production Python applications that need to run 24/7, VPS with systemd is the sweet spot combining cost-effectiveness with full control. For learning and prototyping, free options like GitHub Actions work great. We’ve considered different options for persistent [Python] code run.
As a spoiler we share here a hidden table with results
| Feature | VPS 🎉🎉🎉 | Cloud Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 (already paid for) | Free tiers often limited |
| Uptime | 24/7 persistent | Cloud free tiers time out |
| Control | Full root access | Restricted environments |
| Security | Your own network/firewall | Shared infrastructure |
| No surprises | No rate limits | Clouds throttle free tier |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | Varies (often complex) |
I came across this tool a few weeks ago, and wanted to share it with you. So far I have not tested it myself, but it is a simple concept- Safely download web pages without the fear of overloading websites or getting banned. You write a crawler script using scruping hub, and they will run through there IP proxies and take care of the technical problems of crawling.