Can I host a Node.js or Python app on shared hosting?

How it works

The Setup Node.js App and Setup Python App tools in cPanel (CloudLinux) give each app its own environment:

1. Upload your code, with Git over SSH or through the File Manager.
2. In cPanel, create the app: pick the Node.js or Python version, the folder and the domain or subdomain.
3. Set the start file: app.js or server.js for Node.js; for Python, a WSGI entry point such as passenger_wsgi.py that imports your Flask or Django app.
4. Install dependencies with Run npm install / pip install -r requirements.txt (or over SSH).
5. Restart the app. It now runs on your domain with free SSL.

The server starts and restarts the app for you, so there’s no PM2, Gunicorn or other process manager to look after.

Databases and files

For anything with several users, use the MySQL/MariaDB databases included with your plan. SQLite is fine for small apps with little traffic. Uploaded files live in your account storage, which is backed up daily.

Which plan?

You’ll want SSH for npm, pip and Git, and it’s included on every plan except Starter, so begin with Standard (₵418 a year) or higher. Read more on Node.js and Python hosting.

When you need a VPS instead

• Background workers, queues or scheduled jobs that run all the time (Celery, Bull).
• Your own process manager or start command, or several services talking to each other.
• Docker containers, Redis or a database server you configure yourself.
• High traffic or heavy CPU use.

A VPS or Docker VPS gives you full root access for all of that.